Ellen Mandel, composer, has written many art songs to texts by E.E. Cummings, Seamus Heaney, WB Yeats, Thomas Hardy, Charlotte Mew, and others. Mandel’s art songs have been performed in concert at venues including the Tribeca New Music Festival, St Mark’s Church on the Bowery, Klavierhaus, and the Century Center, all in New York City, the Sirena Poetry Festival in Pennsylvania, the In-Series in Washington DC, the Florio Street Concerts in California, the Peterborough Players in New Hampshire, the New Gallery Concert Series in Boston, in concerts from Mississippi to Ohio to Maine, in Ireland at the Kilkenny Arts Festival, and in concerts in Scotland and England. Her songs have received raves from: New York Times: “Mandel’s songs are ardent and spiky…refreshingly organic.” NPR's All Things Considered: "A striking collaboration! the playful poetry of e.e. cummings set to music by New York composer Ellen Mandel… I wish I could give this CD to every poetry lover I know!" Marvin Ward, NC public radio: “Mandel's jazz background is evident, yet these are true art songs.… Mandel marries the music to the texts seamlessly, like Schubert, Fauré, and Ned Rorem, for whom writing songs seems to come naturally…The CD blew me away at first hearing and continues to do so numerous listenings later! Get yourself a copy ASAP if you are a fan of great song.” Ms. Mandel has also written music for over seventy plays, and has received the Scenie Award for her music for Top Girls at the Antaeus Theatre in LA. She has received several NYIT and NH Theater Award Best Music nominations. Theaters in NYC include the Phoenix Theatre Ensemble, Mint, Jean Cocteau Rep, and Pearl. Regional theaters: Asolo (FL), Arkansas Rep, Tennessee Rep, Peterborough Players and others. She has composed scores for five indie films, and for dance and cabaret, as well as on the spot for improv comedy. Ms Mandel has released five CDs: a wind has blown the rain away (E.E. Cummings songs), and the first of all my dreams (E.E. Cummings, Seamus Heaney, WB Yeats, and other songs), Every Play's an Opera (theatre music): all available on CDbaby The Cat and the Moon, (settings of Heaney, Yeats, Thomas Hardy, and Daniel Neer), and There Was a World (Seamus Heaney and Glyn Maxwell settings) and A Very Benny Christmas, available on Mandel's website. JESSICA CRANDALL's recent performances include singing with Ellen in their sold-out CD-release concert for I So Liked Spring at the Cornelia Street Café, with Ellen at Andrea Clearfield's Salon in Philadelphia, with Joel Forrester in Bryant Park, and with Carman Moore at West Park Presbyterian. Jessica was nominated for an IT award for Kassandra in Agamemnon at La MaMa. Her favorite roles include Rose of Sharon in The Grapes of Wrath at Trinity Rep, Antigone at La MaMa, and Yelena in Uncle Vanya at the Warehouse (Greenville, SC). She has an MFA in acting from Brown University/Trinity Rep. Ellen and Jessica love making music together and have given numerous concerts of Mandel’s music as a duo and with others. Jessica can also be heard on Mandel’s CDs There Was a World and A Very Benny Christmas.