Free Planet Radio

Since 2001, Free Planet Radio has been bringing its exciting and innovative world-jazz-classical music blend to both concert stages and classrooms.  Based in Asheville NC, this musical partnership began with a clear mission statement as “the shared vision of multi-instrumentalists exploring the infinite and seamless relationships between musical cultures through the universal language of sound.”

Free Planet Radio performances expertly weave the improvisatory element of jazz, and the subtleties and harmonic vocabulary of Western classical music, with Middle Eastern, Indian and North African melodic and rhythmic structures. Performing mostly original compositions, even while playing extremely complex melodies and time signatures, the ensemble always maintains a sense of accessibility, spontaneity and easy engagement with the audience.  They have performed with jazz singer Lizz Wright, poet Robert Bly, Turkish instrumentalist Omar Faruk Tekbilek, bluegrass violinist Casey Driessen, flute virtuoso Rhonda Larson, Armenian singer Mariam Matossian, and Persian violinist Farzad Farhangi.  In 2014, Free Planet Radio was awarded a prestigious grant from Chamber Music America commissioning and performances of a new set of works with the Opal String Quartet.  In 2016, the trio traveled to the People's Republic of China for a 20 city tour of their finest concert halls. 

Free Planet Radio consists of River Guerguerian on an extensive array of global percussion instruments including Middle Eastern frame drums and doumbek, the Indian kanjira, African djembe, and Western drum set; and Chris Rosser exploring melody on the 17-stringed Indian dotar, Turkish oud, guitar, piano and melodica. Eliot Wadopian, founding bassist and two-time Grammy winner, passed away in September 2021.  So, currently the group performs as a duo, or with special guests on bass and other instruments.

Discography:

Stillness (2018)
Global Symphony Project (2015) (featuring Opal String Quartet)
The Unraveling (2008)
New Bedouin Dance (2004)

The Asheville Symphony Sessions (2016) (w/Lizz Wright)

Soundtrack:

Anywhere USA , Sundance Film Festival Award winner
Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston

Selected Venues (individually or collectively):

Lincoln Center, NYC
Edinburgh International Arts Festival, Scotland
Hong Kong International Arts Festival
Moscow New Music Festival
Los Angeles Sacred Music Festival
Madrid International Jazz Festival
Miyazaki International Music Festival, Symphony Hall Tokyo, Japan
Red Sea Jazz Festival, Eilat Israel
Spivey Hall, Atlanta, GA
Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival, Duke Farm, NJ
Kennedy Center, Washington DC
Getty Museum, Los Angeles CA
Silk Road Festival, Houston TX
Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles CA
Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia
Montreaux Jazz Festival, Switzerland
North Sea Jazz Festival, Netherlands