2017 Artist Support Program

Established in 2014, sound|counterpoint is charming audiences throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond with its performances of music of the late Renaissance, Baroque, and 21st century on period instruments. Based in Seattle, this new ensemble has quickly gained a reputation for performances of expressive generosity, spontaneity, vivacity, and virtuosity. sound|counterpoint’s members – Miyo Aoki, recorder; Curtis Foster, oboe; Linda Melsted, violin; and Jonathan Oddie, harpsichord – regularly appear with many of North America’s top ensembles, including Seattle Baroque Orchestra, Portland Baroque Orchestra, American Bach Soloists, Pacific Music Works, and Pacific Baroque Orchestra.

Artist Support Program 2017 (co-sponsored by Early Music Seattle): Record and produce a full-length CD with selections from concert programs exploring the sonate auf concertenart, or sonata in the concerto style.

Russell Duke is an academic and experimental sound composer who recently completed his doctorate at the University of Greenwich. He has a BA in Politics and Sociology and a MA in Media, Art Philosophy and Practice. His PhD thesis entitled, Noise Practice in the Digital Age, explores the use of noise in sound composition and its relationship to social, political and cultural change. His practice combines modular synthesis with a collage of handmade analogue objects and chaotic digital interfaces to demonstrate how noise challenges traditional musical structures and conventions. He is particularly interested in how hacker/ maker and open source programming communities are providing an alternative to more generative sonic practices and interfaces. Russell’s previous work has included audio-visual reflections on rhythmanalysis, lucid and refracted memory and the dissonance in communication and new media environments. Russell applies an object orientated approach that interpolates the micro granular level of digital sound with the warmth and textures of layered analogue drones. He works specifically with found sounds that are manipulated to form abstract sonic reflections.

Artist Support Program 2017: “Discrete Flows and Continuous Objects,” a sound piece that modulates and manipulates source material to illustrate how noise occurs in the process of recording sound phenomena.

Jason Everett (aka Mister E) is a performer, composer, and producer who plays a variety of stringed and percussive instruments with his primary instrument being his seven-string fretless bass guitar.  Jason attended Northern Arizona University on a full scholarship for music and started playing professionally at sixteen years old. Jason has played music outside of the mainstream for most of his adult career, including with the avant-garde space-jazz ensemble, Little Green Men; Flamenco fusion groups, Machete’ and Deseo Carmin; and world fusion groups, Sarab, Avaaza, and Tarana.  Jason is currently performing and recording with Bay Area world jazz fusion groups, Facing East and Ancient Future.

Jason has recently created a new band called Pandamonium, which is described as “Prog Rock Jazz Funk.”  Finally, Jason is performing as a solo bass artist and has recently performed at NAMM (the National Association of Music Manufacturers) convention in LA, the International Solo Bass Competition hosted by bass amplifier manufacturer, Phil Jones Bass in NY, and as the headliner for Bass Bash in Denver, CO. Jason is an endorsed artist for Bartolini Pickups, Kalium Strings and Conklin Guitars, who have created a signature model instrument for Jason called, the “OM Bass.”

Artist Support Program 2017: Produce live recordings of 3-5 new jazz/fusion compositions with accompanying video production elements.

Luke Fitzpatrick is a violinist, composer and improvisor. He is a founding member and artistic director of Inverted Space, a Seattle-based new music collective. Recent solo performances include Earle Brown’s Centering with Inverted Space, Alfred Schnittke’s Moz-Art with the University of Washington Chamber Orchestra, and Brian Ferneyhough’s Intermedio alla ciaccona in the presence of the composer. His February 2016 performance of Steve Reich’s Violin Phase was performed with a live electronics system developed by Marcin Pączkowski. Additionally, he has performed with Deltron 3030, The Penderecki String Quartet, inauthentica, The Parnassus Project, The Moth, The Argento Chamber Ensemble and the California EAR Unit. His world premiere recording of Vera Ivanova’s Quiet Light for solo violin was released on Ablaze Records in 2011. Luke holds degrees from The University of Washington, California Institute of the Arts and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. His principal teachers include Benny Kim, Mark Menzies, Lorenz Gamma and Ron Patterson.  He is currently Artist-in-Residence at the University of Washington.

Artist Support Program 2017: Complete a studio recording of Harry Partch’s 17 Lyrics by Li Po for Adapted Viola and voice.

Stephen Reed Griggs (b. NYC, 1960) earned certificates in Narrative Non-Fiction and Arts Management from the University of Washington, a Bachelor of Musical Arts in Saxophone Performance from the University of Illinois, and a Master of Business Administration in Management Information Systems from Pace University.

As a writer, Griggs is a member of the Jazz Journalists Association. His work has been published in the Seattle Times, Seattle Weekly, Earshot Jazz, Raven Chronicles Volume 26, Creative Colloquy Volume 3, Stories of Music Volume 2 (2017 International Book Award), and Rhythm in the Rain: Jazz in the Pacific Northwest. Griggs’ historical research has been mentioned in The John Coltrane Reference and Wild Isle in the City.

Musically, Griggs is an award-winning composer, producer, performer, and publisher with six commercial jazz recordings of his music on his independent, self-produced Hip City Music label. NEA Jazz Master Elvin Jones is featured on two of Griggs’ records. He accepted the Jazz Journalist Association 2021 Best Historical Recording award as Associate Producer on John Coltrane: A Love Supreme Live in Seattle for finding the source tape. His live performances of site-specific programs of social justice stories and original music have twice earned an Adventurous Programming Award by Chamber Music America and ASCAP, and The Seattle Channel broadcast Griggs’ music and narrative program based on the police killing of native carver John T. Williams on Front Row: Steve Griggs Ensemble present Seeing John T. Williams. Griggs is the featured saxophone soloist on the soundtrack for the Microsoft video game Halo 3: ODST which sold more than 6 million copies worldwide.

2023 Writers Program

Artist Support Program 2017: Record six songs and narrations for the program Sound in Stone: Music in the Sculptures of James Winston Washington.

Artist Support Program 2015: Record and mix the narrative and music program for A Cup of Joe Brazil, an audio documentary about an important figure in Seattle’s cultural history.

Artist Support Program 2013: Perform oral history recording, digital preservation of historic recordings, and production of audio excerpts for a blog and biography about the life and impact of Joe Brazil.

Artist Support Program 1997

Gin Hammond is a Harvard University/Moscow Art Theatre grad and a certified Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework™. She has performed nationally at theatres such The Guthrie, Arena Stage, The Longwharf Theatre, Seattle’s ACT, The Pasadena Playhouse, the ART, The Berkshire Theatre Festival and The Studio Theatre in Washington D.C., where she won a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actress for her performance of The Syringa Tree. Internationally, she has performed in Russia, Germany, Ireland, Scotland and England. Ms. Hammond also received a Kathleen Cornell award, and WA state grants from Allied Arts, The Mayor’s Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, Artist Trust, 4 Culture, as well as from the NEA. Hammond teaches voice, voice-over, public speaking, and dialect coaching, and can be heard on commercials, audiobooks, radio plays, and a variety of video games including DotA 2, Aion, and Halo 3 ODST. Around town she most recently performed with Book-It Repertory Theater, and various Sandbox Artists Collective productions. She also premiered I’M/MIGRANT a short solo play by award-winning playwright Yussef el Guindi, and will premiere Ed:Downloaded at Washington Ensemble Theater (WET). Hammond has also been a dialect and vocal coach for ACT Theater, 5th Ave. Theater, Seattle Rep, Book-It, Taproot, Seattle Children’s Theater, Village Theater, and films.

Artist Support Program 2017: Tell the story of Jewish performers at the Westerbork Camp during WWII in the form of a radio play production of The Westerbork Serenade.

ilvs strauss is an analytical chemist turned multi-disciplinary performance artist and theater tech living and making work in Seattle. Her art cuts a wide swath across disciplines, ranging from Dance Narrative performance to anamorphic outdoor sculptures, illustrated storytelling (aka Slide Shows) to haiku poetry. She also leads workshops on writing, movement, performance and the ever amusing combination of all three. Her solo piece, Manifesto was listed in Dance Magazine’s BEST of 2014 list (exclamation point). Currently, she is producing (writing and directing and acting in) her first play, Deep Space Lez: Episode 1.

Artist Support Program 2017: Record uniquely narrated audio tracks for video versions of a series of past performances titled Slide Show Presentations!

Chris Jeffries received The Stranger’s first “Genius” Award in Theatre and was twice a finalist for CalArts’ Alpert Award in the Arts. His award-winning credits include book, music, and lyrics for Vera Wilde; Moon of My Delight; Kaleidoscope Eyes; The Glory Booty Club; I See London, I See France; Radio Pirates; and The Fatty Arbuckle Spook House Revue; music and lyrics for Laura Comstock’s Bag-Punching Dog; and Horse Opera; and music for Bunnicula.

Chris (music and lyrics) and Harold Taw (book) co-wrote Persuasion, a musical adaptation of Jane Austen’s final novel, which had its world premiere at Taproot Theatre Company in summer 2017. Persuasion received a staged reading at The 5th Avenue Theatre in 2015, and a workshop reading at Texas Musical Theatre Workshop in 2016. Chris and Harold’s one-act musical The Missed Connections Club won Third Place in the 2015 Frostburg State University One-Act Competition, was a finalist in the Arts Club of Washington’s 2014 One-Act Play Competition, and was longlisted for the 2015 British Theatre Challenge.

Artist Support Program 2017 (with Harold Taw): Produce a cast album of the Taproot Theatre premiere production of a new musical adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel Persuasion.

Artist Support Program 1999

Harold Taw’s debut novel was Adventures of the Karaoke King; his writing has been featured on NPR, in a New York Times bestselling anthology, and in The Seattle Times; and his screenplay DOG PARK has received numerous accolades. He currently co-curates WordsWest Literary Series.

Harold (book) and Chris Jeffries (music and lyrics) co-wrote Persuasion, a musical adaptation of Jane Austen’s final novel, which had its world premiere at Taproot Theatre Company in summer 2017. Persuasion received a staged reading at The 5th Avenue Theatre in 2015, and a workshop reading at Texas Musical Theatre Workshop in 2016. Chris and Harold’s one-act musical The Missed Connections Club won Third Place in the 2015 Frostburg State University One-Act Competition, was a finalist in the Arts Club of Washington’s 2014 One-Act Play Competition, and was longlisted for the 2015 British Theatre Challenge.

Artist Support Program 2017 (with Chris Jeffries): Produce a cast album of the Taproot Theatre premiere production of a new musical adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel Persuasion.

2011 Writers Program

Saxophonist Neil Welch is recognized as a major voice of the Seattle free jazz and experimental music fields. He is a co-founder and former performance curator for the acclaimed Seattle music series the Racer Sessions (2010-present), and is an organizer for the avant event organization Table and Chairs Music (2011-present). Neil tours extensively, performing in venues ranging from divey house shows to universities and performance halls. His longstanding duo project Bad Luck, co-run for over a decade with drummer Chris Icasiano, has taken him to nearly every major city in America.

Neil has documented acoustic solo saxophone music at a fervent pace, represented in nearly 600 publicly released recordings in the last three years alone. Through his projects 12 Moons and Continuous Resonance, Neil works tirelessly to document solo improvisations in a variety of spaces. Sites have included a WWII fallout shelter, garbage dumps, an alpine lake 30 miles into the North Cascade mountains, parking garages, desert landscapes and much more.

Neil has released 6 albums under his own name, including: Narmada (2008), Boxwork (2011), Iron Creek (2011), Sleeper (2011), 12 Tiny Explosions (2013), and the Response Album (2014).

Artist Support Program 2017: Produce a recording of Concepcion Picciotto, a musical work for saxophone quartet, string quartet, musician “birds,” and orator.

Jordan Alam is a writer, editor, doula, and social change educator based out of Seattle, Washington. Her short stories and articles have appeared in The Atlantic, CultureStrike Magazine, The Rumpus, and AAWW’s The Margins; she has spoken at events including the Aspen Ideas Festival and the Eyes on Bangladesh exhibition. She is also the founder of the Asian American social justice publication, Project As[I]Am. Her audio project is a series of conversations with other artists that will explore the vulnerability of creating new work and sharing it with others.

Dominic Black has worked as a writer, oral historian and radio producer for the past twenty years with the BBC and in public radio in the US. As a producer he’s covered a broad range of subject matter from the history of the Alaskan Way Viaduct to the origins and uses of sarcasm. Currently he’s interested in exploring through sound the explosive pace of development in Seattle, and its historical context.

Artist Support Program 2017: Create an audio composition listening to the songs of a changing city, vacant lot by vacant lot.

Thérèse Casper received her undergraduate Bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University and has spent the last 20 years in public sector communications and project management. Currently, she is a project manager at the Seattle Department of Transportation where she manages over $60 million in transportation projects.  She is responsible for all aspects of project development and delivery including managing project design, schedule and budget as well as communications to internal and external stakeholders.

As an emerging filmmaker, Casper has been very active in the Seattle film community for the past several years. In 2013, she became interested in making a documentary about her father after reflecting on her own daughter’s relationship with her father.  To gain the skills necessary to direct this project, Casper completed The Film School’s 3-week screen writing intensive as well as completed classes in film production, experimental media making and film editing at Northwest Film Forum and the Seattle Film Institute. These courses allowed her to produce her first short film, entitled “Playland 2.0”. In addition, she has been a Programmer for the Post Alley Film Festival that celebrates short films by women and was cast in the short film, “Signs Everywhere.”

Artist Support Program 2017: Record narration for a documentary film about the poet, publisher, actor, and filmmaker Piero Heliczer.

FOX HUNT, a modern persona of an otherwise modest musician, was born out of the idea that you should be paying attention to his music and not him as an individual. His first album, Caviar Dreams, is a collection of songs based on delusional people. Using influences from the past 50 years, FOX HUNT writes music that is accessible to us all.

Artist Support Program 2017: Record piano pieces for the development of an acoustic EP, an original album, and a score for a short film.

Born and raised in Olympia, WA, drummer and composer Brad Gibson is known as a sensitive, supportive and dynamic musician, who enjoys performing as a sideman as much as leading his own groups.  Brad works with a diverse array of artists, both live and in the studio.  Current projects include his original composition vehicle Poontet, standards ensemble Brad Gibson Quartet, and impromptu group Synthesis, which features Denney Goodhew, Steve Kim and Brian Kinsella.

In 2009, Brad was commissioned by Jim Knapp for a new work to be written for and performed by the Jim Knapp Orchestra, resulting in “Winter Moving.”  His tune “Bedtime Waltz” was featured on the 2010 compilation Dhamma Gita, Music of Young Practitioners Inspired by The Dhamma (More Than Sound).

Brad holds a BMA in performance from Cornish College of the Arts (2008) and teaches at the Seattle Drum School, where he has been on staff since 2004.

Artist Support Program 2017: Produce an album focusing on the classic jazz trio sound of Hammond organ, guitar, and drums.

Artist Support Program 2014: epilogue / procession, an album of original jazz compositions for solo piano, trio, and quintet.

Beth Harrington is a producer, director and writer whose work most often explores American history, music and culture. Her documentary about the pioneering women of rock & roll Welcome to the Club – The Women of Rockabilly, was honored with a 2003 Grammy nomination. Her latest film The Winding Stream – The Carters, the Cashes and the Course of Country Music premiered at 2014’s SXSW, played at over 30 film festivals around the world and in over 80 theatres in North America. She is a singer and guitarist most noted for her years as a member of Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers on Sire Records.

Harrington has worked with public television stations WGBH in Boston and OPB in Portland producing, researching, and developing shows for series such as NOVA, Frontline, and History Detectives and in the process has been nominated for multiple Emmy Awards.

Active in various film communities, Harrington has served on the board of Film Action Oregon and Oregon Media Production Association. She is a past President of Women in Film/New England and a former Vice President of Women in Film/Seattle. She has a Masters degree in American Studies from UMass-Boston and a Bachelors in Communications from Syracuse University.

Artist Support Program 2017: Create the soundtrack for a hybrid animated/live action short documentary about growing up during the US-Soviet space race in the 1960s.

Rituja Indapure is a volunteer, storyteller, activist, artist, and community organizer passionate about women’s education and equality. She currently produces, hosts and edits the podcast- Roti, Kapda aur Makaan which talks to immigrants about the essentials of life – Food, Clothing and Shelter. She has directed Yoni Ki Baat (South Asian version of Vagina Monologues), Aaina (The South Asian Women’s Focus festival), and Bandhan, a project on the definition of marriage. Rituja is currently working on Wheatish, a documentary film about how skin color affects marriage in South Asian communities. Rituja is on the Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau roster for 2017-18. She currently serves on the board of The Seattle Globalist, whose mission is to elevate diverse voices through media. Rituja works at Costco and her formal training includes a BA in English literature, an LLB from the University of Pune, and an LLM from the University of Nottingham.

Artist Support Program 2017: Create a podcast that captures the voices of local immigrants in Seattle and document their stories through their experiences of food, clothing, and shelter.

Accordion player Ronald Long is a founding member of Orkestar RTW, a five-piece band based in Seattle, Washington that started in 1987 as the house band for the Radost Folk Ensemble.  Named in the tradition of post-World War II Balkan radio and television house bands (such as Orkestar Radio-Televizije Beograd), Orkestar RTW (Radio-Televizije Washington) plays the music of those bands, primarily traditional dance and folk music from the countries of Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Serbia.

Watch: Orkestar RTW live at Jack Straw

Artist Support Program 2017: Record and produce a CD presenting the music of Orkestar RTW.

Cake “Alchemy!” engages with the worlds of music, performance art, and video and, in this complex of associations, they’ve devised an idea of poetic form that offers up everyday conversations and audience participation through the most far-flung music & live-event montages. Tim Coleman, master cake-alchemist, bakes up brutal percussive beats that align with the flaming stars of Coley Mixan’s astrological guitar/keyboard/vocal stylings. Here rock & roll meets queer revisions of time & trust & Love.

Artist Support Program 2017: Record an EP of original songs.

Indie singer-songwriter Aaron J. Shay is a Pacific Northwest native living in Seattle, where he’s been raising a ruckus on banjo and ukulele since 2011. His foot-stomping songs showcase a unique brand of lyrical craftsmanship, as well as an affinity for literature, technology, and science fiction. With an earnest and charismatic style of performance, Shay blends his songs with storytelling, instigating upbeat sing-alongs that leave audiences delighted and inspired.

A graduate of WWU’s drama program, Shay is also intermittently active in Seattle’s theater community, working as musical director on such projects as Outdoor Trek, or Cafe Nordo’s “Pressure Cooker” Program. You can also find him gigging around town with one of his various musical projects (The Mongrel Jews, The Pickpocket Revue, et al) or busking at the Ballard Farmer’s Market.

Artist Support Program 2017: Produce Apocalypse Songs, an album of 10 songs that are part of the theatrical show of the same title.