Jesse Manno

Jesse Manno plays vocal cords and a smattering of lutes, flutes, reeds, keyboard, and percussion instruments, sometimes as a one-man band, sometimes with a laptop, sometimes with friends. He has been Music Director of the University of Colorado, Boulder Dance Program since 1991, and accompanist/composer in residence at the Bates Dance Festival most years since 1998. As a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, he’s played for thousands of dance classes, and co-created hundreds of dance, theatre, circus art, site specific and film scores with a great variety of collaborators. He joyously embraces all kinds of musical/sonic inspiration, but he is especially steeped in Balkan and Middle Eastern music, and likes to improvise as much as to compose.