Jon Raskin - saxophone
Highlights of Rova founding member Jon Raskin's early career include his '70s participation in new music ensembles directed by John Adams (San Francisco Conservatory of Music) and Dr. Barney Childs (University of Redlands). Before Rova, Raskin served as music director of the Tumbleweed Dance Company (1974-77), was a founding member of the Blue Dolphin Alternative Music Space and participated in the creation of the Farm- an art project that included a city farm, a community garden, Ecology Center, Dance and Theater companies and organized the creation of a city park. Highlights as a member of Rova include composing a collaborative work for SF Taiko Dojo/Rova, working with Howard Martin on the installation work “Occupancy”, composing music for Mr. Bungle/ Rova, organizing the 30 year Anniversary Concert of John Coltrane's Ascension, performing the music of Miles Davis at the Fillmore with Yo Miles! , the Glass Head Project with Inkboat and the ongoing Electric Ascension Project.

Matthew Goodheart - piano
A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Matthew Goodheart has been performing and composing throughout North America and Europe for the last 20 years, including Fire in the Valley, Illuminations New Music & Arts Festival, and Opus 415 Festival in the US, Klasppstuhlfest, Festival Frei Improvisiertor Musik, and JazzWelten in Germany, Jazz Au Central in Portugal, 1st International Jazz Festival in Solovenia, the International Spectral Music Conference/Festival Turkey, and many others. His compositional works exploit the physical properties of instruments to create microtonal “indigenous tuning systems” which lead sonic possibilities outside of traditional instrument use. To further explore and develop his exploration of the musical possibilities of acoustics and pyschoacoustics, he entered the Ph.D. program in Music Composition in the Fall of 2008.

His work has been played by the Presidio Ensemble, Del Sol Quartet, Sounds New, the Worn Ensemble, and sfSoundGroup among others. He has received numerous awards and honors, including the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Honorary Fellowship at the Djerassi Resident Artists Program, Marin Art’s Council Individual Artist Grant, and a New Langton Arts Bay Area Artists Award. As a teacher, he has given numerous workshops and master-classes on contemporary music and improvisation throughout the US and Europe, including Eastman School of Music, Istanbul Technical University (Turkey), Coimbra Conservatory of Music (Portugal), and Blaue Fabrik (Dresden, Germany), and the California Institute for the Arts.

GARTH POWELL (drums-percussion)
For a percussionist/composer - time, rhythm, and pulse are undeniable, non-negotiable components of the craft. Yet, the sonic domain remains for many, a peripheral concern. Timbre is not only of equal importance; it is an integral part of the harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic construct. All four exist in the parallel sub-division of frequencies and waves. This relationship demands understanding, discipline, and mastery. In Garth’s music, these elements are meticulously combined, creating a transcendent force enveloping the listener. Ultimately, we are drawn into the ecstatic, and the inexplicable.

Garth has performed extensively throughout North America and Europe, and is currently a Rastascan, Roadcone, Leo, Beak Doctor, Evander, and 9 Winds recording artist. He has performed and/or recorded with such notable artists as Marshall Allen, Bonnie Barnett, Jaap Blonk, John Butcher, Eugene Chadbourne, Nels Cline, Gianni Gebbia, Vinny Golia, Greg Goodman, Mats Gustafsson, Peter Kowald, London Improvisors Orchestra, Eddie Moore, all members of the ROVA Saxophone Quartet, Wadada Leo Smith, Glenn Spearman, Dave Tucker, Bert Turetzky, Saadet Turkos, and Peter Van Bergen.

“Powell plays in a deceptively serene manner, establishing an illusion of tranquility that is often shattered by his breakaway tactics. He is a mercurial performer who turns the direction of the performance around with his dynamic execution and just as easily reverts to pensive, pastoral expression. Segments filled with tenderness and compassion often follow his most robust playing.”
— Frank Rubolino – One Final Note - issue #9

David Wessel is particularly interested in live-performance computer music where improvisation plays an essential role. He has collaborated in performance with a variety of improvising composers including Roscoe Mitchell, Steve Coleman, Ushio Torikai, Thomas Buckner, Vinko Globokar, Jin Hi Kim, Shafqat Ali Khan, and Laetitia Sonami, and has performed throughout the US and Europe.