Room 1078
chamber music & a smashin' good time
Room 1078
We love new music; we love old music; we love folk music; we love improvised music—but most of all, we love MAKING music.
Room 1078’s mission is to support the 21st-century evolution of performance as "classical" musicians, using innovative takes on contemporary repertoire, improvisation, and folk music to break down barriers between musicians and audience members. For us, the process is about connecting with you as much as with each other, and we are constantly exploring ways to engage listeners with the passion, energy, and precision we seek to cultivate in live performance.
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Founded at the University of Michigan in 2015, we began our journey with the desire to promote the music of student composers. Our debut album, By the Skin of Our Teeth, was released in 2017 and comprises music composed entirely by UM alumnus Nathan Thatcher; we've since incorporated our combined love of improvisation and folk music, crafting intimate, electrifying sets designed for mixed audiences. In addition to joining Atlanta’s inaugural YInMn Project in June of 2018, the quartet has appeared on Ann Arbor’s Third Place Concert Series and toured in a range of venues from construction zones and meaderies to living rooms and concert halls. Stay tuned for upcoming projects!
Bram Margoles
violin
Bram takes pride in playing violin with great energy and artistry. He has a passion for exploring many genres of violin playing alongside classical, such as period practice baroque, new music, folk, and rock. An avid orchestral musician, Bram is currently a member of The Orchestra Now, a training orchestra program for aspiring professional orchestra musicians at Bard College . When he is not playing violin, Bram loves to cook lots of food and explore the great outdoors.
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Bram grew up in Boulder, Colorado where he started playing violin at a young age. He attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor for collegiate musical training, studying with professors Aaron Berofsky and David Halen.
Cassidy Chey Goldblatt
violin
An artist and visionary, Cassidy is a musician passionate about the world around, about the people inhabiting it, and about the interests and curiosities we all share. Born in the United States but raised abroad, she loves people from all walks of life and uses music as an avenue through which individuals from widely varied backgrounds, cultures, and experiences can develop relationships and lasting connections.
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As a violinist, Cassidy can’t seem to escape the exhilaration of bringing new music to life and jumps at every opportunity to do so. She also loves laughing, fake-opera-singing, and dancing in the clouds.
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Stop by cassidychey.com to drop a hello!
Hanna Rumora
cello
Hanna’s love for the cello began at the age of 5, and has only grown as she's followed music to all corners of the US and around the world to places like Canada, China, and South Korea. Since her arrival at the University of Michigan, where she is completing her graduate studies, Hanna has immersed herself in every type of music, including genres such as classical, contemporary, folk, and jazz. Some of her pivotal musical experiences include performing with members of the Silk Road Ensemble, teaching young children through outreach programs for at-risk youth, busking in town squares, traveling internationally with various classical ensembles, and touring with a Beatles tribute band. Constantly seeking opportunities to share music with all sorts of people, Hanna finds joy in every variety of music-making.
Hanna's favorite activities outside of playing the cello include petting her three cats, taking her cello out for dinner (and sharing a booth with him), puzzling over abstract algebra, and speaking only in superlatives.
Ryan McDonald
viola
When Ryan journeyed up to the University of Michigan from his home state of Georgia, he was on a mission: to become a better violist. And a better violist he became! (he thinks) But more than just learning to play the “big fiddle”, he ended up doing some other pretty cool things.
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A classical violist, Ryan loves creating music alongside other people. He has played with the Athens Symphony Orchestra, the ARCO Chamber Orchestra, the Midland Symphony Orchestra, the Ann Arbor Camerata, the Toccoa Symphony Orchestra, and the Brevard Music Center Orchestra. While new music is at the forefront of his chamber music work, Ryan has had plenty of experience with the golden oldies of chamber music through school, summer festivals, and (his favorite) late-night sight-reading parties with friends.
Outside of music, Ryan follows the competitive scene for Super Smash Bros. Melee, where he eagerly awaits the return of the legend PPMD. Ryan loves to read books, whether they be high fantasy, historical fiction, or philosophical discussion. Ryan also enjoys cooking, and it is his dream to own a badass kitchen with all the bells and whistles. His favorite food is, without question, southern barbeque.