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Comprised of top-shelf classical musicians violinist Felix Olschofka, saxophonist Todd Rewoldt, percussionist Joel Bluestone and composer Joseph Waters, SWARMIUS is the San Diego-based exponent of an international movement that is committed to creating a new hybrid genre that connects classical depth with contemporary urban dance grooves such as hip-hop and DJ culture, metal, electronica, world beat, and all manner of rock. Says Waters: I grew up playing in rock bands. When I went to college to I found myself in a world of passionate classical composers and musicians, making beautiful, rarified music that echoed hollowly within the sacred walls of culture. Though I love classical music, I always felt a lack of oxygen in music schools and symphony halls. Considering that today only 3% of the public care about Classical music, it is safe to say that it has become disconnected somehow. This all seems wrong to me, and I have spent the past 25 years of my career trying to do something about it. I do not know the answer, but the question is: How can classical music be relevant? Every piece that I write is an approach to that question. This music seeks to capture the melody, harmony and depth of the classics and infuse this in a sophisticated way with contemporary popular genres. The ancestors were the Beatles, who with Sergeant Pepper created pieces that were complex and interconnected. The members of SWARMIUS all contribute their own artistic tastes. Says violinist Olschofka: I love melody, and the elegant simplicity of Bach is a source of continuous inspiration to me. I have asked Joseph to look into the famous Bach Chaconne for solo violin, and try to find a way to tastefully and respectfully bring that work into the SWARMIUS oeuvre. Responds Waters: Referencing such an established masterpiece presents an enormous challenge, since it forces a direct comparison with Bach himself. Frankly it scares me! But it also fascinates me. I am not sure if I can pull it off, but I am looking closely at the music and tinkering with the aesthetic principles, artistic subtexts and sonic potential of such a hybrid. As I said, I do not know the answer. Each piece is a unique challenge to the question of relevancy. Todd Rewoldt is a member of that rare breed of saxophonists who dedicate themselves to classical repertoire. A graduate of Eastman School of Music (he completed his doctorate in saxophone performance at the unheard-of age of 26) Dr. Rewoldt is an undisputed master of his instrument. However, like Waters, Rewoldt also played in bands, namely punk bands, and is an avid fan of hip-hop. How can this be so? Once one has gained entrance into the hallowed sanctuary of high art (read classical) music, why go back? Is not that music overly simplistic? It is not like that, says Rewoldt, Many genres of popular music are as complicated as anything in the classical repertoire. It is just that you can not check out the scores at the library, since the music is often created by everybody in the group, by ear. It is a non-written tradition that comes to us from Africa, and is by far the most important way in which music today is composed. Says Waters: I'm not interested in making simple, or, 'dumbed-down' music for the masses. On the contrary, I think in general people are smart, that the musical choices they make are important and worthy of serious consideration. Waters cut his composition chops at the renowned Yale School of Music, where he was a member of a remarkable class of 8 student composers in the early 1980s who have since gone on to define the face of classical composition in the USA.