DWeb Camp 2023: Opening Ceremony by the DWeb Organizing Team

Wendy Hanamura is the producer of DWeb Camp. She was the master juggler of the DWeb Camp 2019, 2022, Decentralized Web Summits 2018 and 2016. 

She is a storyteller for social change.

As Director of Partnerships at the Internet Archive, Hanamura uses her communication skills as a veteran journalist and leader in non-profit media to share the remarkable mission of the Internet Archive—providing people everywhere with unfettered access to knowledge. 

Brady is the Co-Founder and Camp Director of Custom Camps. All of Brady's professional and personal endeavors center around his belief that we should be playing more and worrying less. An artist specializing in community gathering and the spoken word, Brady delights in experiences like D-Web Camp where many different people come together to share and play with each other.

Cellist Kathryn Bates’ boundless energy for sharing musical experiences has shaped a career that continues to explore the intersections of tradition and innovation. Praised for her “beautifully rounded sound” by the New York Times, Kathryn’s performances are characterized by a dancer’s sense of rhythm and captivating theatricality. Projects range from her recent tongue-in-check solo cello recording of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” (“Inspire Christmas” album on Sono Luminus) to performances during Elliott Carter 100th Birthday anniversary celebration at Tanglewood that were called the “revelation” of the concert (Sequenza 21) and “electrifying” (Boston Globe) to a Shostakovich piano quintet performance with Menahem Pressler that could not be halted even by an earthquake. Cellist of the San Francisco-based Del Sol String Quartet since 2010, Kathryn has established herself as an important voice in the contemporary music world, as musician, collaborator and curator.

In addition her contributions as cellist to Del Sol’s work, Kathryn co-curated the 2017 Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music to rave reviews and premiere performances. Her curation has shaped Del Sol’s local scene for five years with her series “Soundings” - a concert experience where audiences delve deeply into one work - played twice - amplified by the work of a local artist. Kathryn recently completed the second season of “The Golden Arts Society,” a membership-based house concert series that explores the audiences’ perceptions and curiosity of music. A native of historic Concord, Massachusetts, Kathryn graduated from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, under the tutelage of Norman Fischer, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She serves on the Del Sol Performing Arts Organization’s Board of Directors, in addition to her roles as a programs manager and grant writer in the organization. Kathryn spends time away from the cello hiking outdoor trails, practicing Iyengar yoga, or roasting coffee.

Benjamin Kreith joined Del Sol Quartet in 2015, returning to his native Northern California where he continues to focus on collaborative music-making that brings new works to life. Ben has given recitals in New York, Rome and Madrid and premiered solo compositions at the Strasbourg and Marseille Festivals. His solo recordings are released on the Accord/Universal and Stradivarius labels. For several years he served as concertmaster of the Great Falls Symphony while playing in the Montana-based Cascade Quartet. Ben helped to start an influential new-music ensemble in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, and he is an active participant in the Bay Area collective sfSound. Outside of the concert hall, Ben has been lucky to share five trips with Grand Canyon violinist Steve Bryant, paddling and playing string quartets in the side canyons and caverns of the Colorado River. Ben studied principally with Jorja Fleezanis, Lorand Fenyves, and Malcolm Lowe and was also deeply influenced by Louis Krasner’s coaching. He has taught at the Escola de Música de Barcelona and served as artist-in-residence at UC Davis.
 

As the founding member of the Del Sol String Quartet, violist Charlton Lee has brought his colorful curiosity and infectious groove to the stage for almost three decades, contributing significantly to the development of the contemporary string quartet, its repertoire, and place in our community. He has premiered hundreds of new works at venues including the Library of Congress, the Kennedy Center, and the Santa Fe Opera. He has spearheaded the commissioning of major works from composers including Terry Riley, Frederic Rzewski, Chinary Ung, and Gabriela Lena Frank. As Artistic Director of the quartet’s non-profit organization (Del Sol Performing Arts Organization), Lee has led the group to become recognized as a “vigorous champion of living composers,” focusing on music that reflects our community. Major upcoming projects include “Your Wall is Our Canvas: The Angel Island Project,” a reflection on immigration and discrimination in the history of San Francisco’s Angel Island, and “Karuna Supreme,” an immersive collaboration with North Indian musicians.

A sought-after educator, chamber coach and jurist, he has also performed music for award winning feature and documentary films and collaborated with various dance companies, including Stephen Pelton, Benjamin Levy, and Garrett/Moulton. Especially passionate about just intonation, Charlton draws on his math & science background to popularize these concepts with new audiences, most recently through the first San Francisco just intonation festival and a TED-X talk.

Charlton received a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Mathematics and Physics from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master’s Degree in Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Consequently, he is likely the only person to have published articles in both Physics Review Letters and Strings Magazine. Outside the quartet, he is a 20th generation disciple of martial art Chen Taiji, an avid skier and chef.

Mai Ishikawa Sutton is founder of COMPOST magazine, contributor at Hypha Worker Co-operative, and an organizer and writer focused on the intersections of human rights, solidarity economics, and digital commons. They were a steward/community organizer with the People's Open Network, DWeb Camp 2019 Associate Producer, and Digital Commons Fellow with Commons Network. Formerly, they were the Community Engagement Manager at Shareable. Before that they were with the Electronic Frontier Foundation advocating for the public interest in international intellectual property policy.