“What truly sets their performances apart is how they bring the technical mastery and artistry honed through their classical training to their own compositions and improvisations. This fusion of refinement and innovation makes their work not only inspiring but also highly relatable to young musicians.” - Dijana Ihas, Pacific University

“The high school students ‘went bananas,’ cheering and wanting more and more at the close of the performance. Educationally, as a part of the performance, they showed the students step-by-step how to begin to use their classical training to add  today’s hip music to their playing.” - Robert Gillespie, Ohio State University, ASTA

“Michael, Nathan, Juan-Salvador, and Misha were phenomenal during their visit to [DePauw University]. It was absolutely THE highlight of the semester for my students. Their music was astonishingly beautiful, and it was a huge privilege for my class to be so up close and personal with them as they played and told their stories…My students and I will remember the session with Astral Mixtape for the rest of our lives!” — Elissa Herbert, Depauw University

“Michael, Nathan, Juan-Salvador, and Misha, your residency at DePauw was phenomenal… You each have a positive, encouraging manner in approaching how you introduce improvisation…and this only made the students more confident, encouraged, and creative in how they responded to your prompts.

I am now officially a fan, due in large part to having the opportunity to watch and listen to you interact live.  How you four communicate, share, and react musically is incredible, and more university students need to witness this.  I hope you will continue to be available for our kind of residency, and will have the chance to visit more and more campuses.  You're models for 21st Century musicians and listeners, and I hope you'll continue to flourish as an ensemble.” — Craig Paré