Else, if Else is a dynamic trio of musicians dedicated to exploring how music can be made with intention in and outside the concert hall. Through commissioning and collaborating with artists across disciplines, their concert experiences serve as tools to interact with people of all ages and abilities. Else, if Else recognizes the vast disparities in access and representation still present across all genres of contemporary art. For this reason, they commission works primarily from composers belonging to marginalized groups with the goal of fostering a more equitable growth of new music.
Zoe Markle is a musician who enjoys exploring many different genres on her double bass. She is from DeKalb, IL and is currently studying music performance at Lawrence University Conservatory of music. She has performed with Lawrence University Symphony Orchestra, Lawrence University Wind Ensemble, Cantala, Improvisational Group of Lawrence University (IGLU), Lawrence University Jazz Ensemble (LUJE), and also enjoys jazz combo playing and chamber music. In her time with LUJE they were awarded best undergraduate ensemble by Downbeat Magazine twice. In 2019 she was a performance fellow at New England Conservatory’s Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance Practice (SICPP) where she worked with bassist Mark Dresser. Zoe also enjoys performing with various jazz combos around the area, especially the jazz series at the Neenah Public Library, currently running for a second year. In her spare time she likes to spend time baking, enjoying the outdoors, or hanging out with her cats.
Benjamin Portzen is a sound artist interested in the experience of music in time – how participation through listening or performing suspends us in the moment, interacts with our memory, and reveals new ways for us to experience sound. Through the creation of complex forms, electronic manipulation of sound, and a commitment to patience, Ben’s works embody a creative practice rooted in meditation, deep listening, and compassion. As a performer, Ben strives for truly collaborative processes from commission to performance, using creative programming as a tool for making meaning. Ben is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Composition at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. His primary teachers include Asha Srinivasan, Matthew Turner, and Anthony Padilla.
Nolan Ehlers is a percussionist with a broad range of interests. As an orchestral musician, Nolan has performed with the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra and the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra. His love of Cuban percussion has resulted in Nolan receiving a research fellowship, as well as the Fred Sturm Inspiration Fund grant to study rumba and Batá drumming in Havana and Matanzas, Cuba. To develop his chamber music and percussion skills, Nolan has attended the Sō Percussion Summer Institute and Chosen Vale Percussion Seminar. At Lawrence University, Nolan is the Student Director of Tambotoké, the Afro-Cuban ensemble. He is also a member of Lawrence’s Orchestra, Jazz Band, New Music Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Improvisation Group, Kinkaviwo (Ghanaian drumming and dance), Sambistas, and teaches percussion lessons for the Lawrence Academy of Music. His primary teachers are Dane Richeson, and Jose Encarnacion.