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Byron Au Yong, left; Aaron Jafferis, right.

Composer and musician Byron Au Yong was born to Chinese immigrants in Pittsburgh and raised in the Pacific Northwest; his upbringing informs his dedication to creating events where the American Dream and sustainability play vital roles. Au Yong holds degrees from NYU, UCLA and the University of Washington; he has been artist-in-residence with numerous organizations, including the International Festival of Arts & Ideas. He is the recipient of a Creative Capital Award and Time Warner Foundation Fellowship. He teaches in Performing Arts and Social Justice at the University of San Francisco.

Hip-hop poet and playwright Aaron Jafferis' musicals include TRIGGER and STUCK ELEVATOR with Byron Au Yong, and others, and his work has been produced by numerous theaters, including The Old Globe, American Conservatory Theater, and Sundance. He is the recipient of a Creative Capital Award, Richard Rodgers Award, Sundance Institute/Time Warner Fellowship, NEA Art Works Grant, NEFA National Theatre Project Grant, two MacDowell Fellowships, Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award, and a San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award. A former Open Rap Slam champion at the National Poetry Slam Championships, Aaron is the founding artistic director of The Word hip-hop and poetry program in his hometown of New Haven.