Eric Hollander is a musician, poet, and aspiring scholar, ever in pursuit of new ideas and an excuse to go hiking or get to the beach. With extensive exposure in classical viola repertoire (especially focused on 20th- and 21st-century performance practice), traditional Irish and Celtic music, big band jazz, ska, funk, and free improvisation, Eric has found his way into a wide variety of ensemble, composer-collaborative, and creatively driven experiences. Besides his musical adventures, Eric is deeply involved in poetry writing. He has pieces published in Hidden Channel, Farm Town Magazine, Easy Magazine, and The Garden. Eric has also released commissioned poetry and semiotic scores to performers in America and Europe. As a PhD student in musicology at Brandeis University, Eric hopes to further his research in text-based and semiotic systems of musical notation, the Haikai no Renga as a musical form, and to further investigate instrumental performance practice in pre-notational eras in the various cultures of oral tradition. As a performer and poet, Eric is an active member of the Chicago-based touring ensembles, Focus Group LLC., Haiga Duo, and 100 Ducks.