Jessi (George) Harvey is a Montana-born, Puget Sound-based freelance composer and teacher. Harvey’s works are rooted in a passion for bringing together scientific and musical audiences, integrating social curiosity, humor and a love of knowledge. Performing across North and South America as well as Europe with the piece, by the nature of our conversation, and winning first place at the 2020 Darkwater Womxn in Music Festival, Harvey’s music has been described by Seattle Magazine as “full of surprises and consistently attention holding.” Commissions, residencies, and festival and conference features have included the Robb Commission, the Denver Botanic Gardens Landline Residency, New Music Gathering and Círculo Colombiano de Música Contemporánea, with projects being supported by 4Culture, the Prop Foundation, the Harnisch Foundation, the National Science Foundation and more. Since 2022, Harvey has been part of the Emlen Artist Co-Lab, a collaboration with choreographer Julynn Wildman, the Emlen Evolutionary Biology Lab, Open AIR and organizations across Western Montana, bringing to life the mysterious mating songs and dances of the Japanese Rhino Beetle through music, dance and the documentary Scarabic Serenades.
Puckduction is a Black- and Queer-led arts and culture organization based in Seattle and fiscally sponsored by Shunpike, a 501(c)3 arts nonprofit. Puckduction’s programs are centered around providing space and support for marginalized performers, creators, educators and activists, with a focus on BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, People with Disabilities and People of Size. From education to festivals to documentaries, Puckduction is committed to empowering these marginalized artists by activating spaces, building community and providing them with financial compensation.
CAMP JITTERBUG
Camp Jitterbug presents The Jump Session Show, which is a theatrical dance production celebrating the history and joy of vernacular Jazz and Swing based dances such as Lindy Hop, Tap, Jazz, Charleston, Hip Hop and more. Camp Jitterbug is an annual Swing and Jazz dance and music festival that features workshops, lectures, dances, competitions, performances, live music and more in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle every Memorial Day weekend for the past 24 years.
RESOUNDING LOVE CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Resounding Love Center for the Arts is a social-justice organization in the form of a multiracial, interfaith, LGBTQIA- embracing choir. We sing to honor the African-American gospel tradition, historical protest movements, and our values of unity and love. Our members celebrate and learn from their many differences in race, ethnicity, gender, gender expression and identity, sexual orientation, spirituality and beliefs, abilities, neurodiversity, socioeconomic status, age, background, and more. As a mixed-race choir, we require that our members engage in a collective antiracism practice while also pursuing musical excellence.
Resounding Love fosters racial healing, co-laboring toward social justice for all, and transformative experiences through music and other forms of artistic expression. Our motto is 'love is our default' and our vision is a world where the arts are central to racial liberation. We formed in the spring of2020 and created community and music virtually for 2.5 years. Since coming together in person, we have performed live several times, with a particular emphasis on the most marginalized in our community, such as incarcerated individuals and people experiencing homelessness.
STUDIO EAST TRAINING FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Founded in 1992, Studio East provides best-in-class theater education, performance skills, and audience opportunities to inspire, train, and entertain young people through engagement in the art and craft of theater.
YOGA BEHIND BARS
Since 2008, Yoga Behind Bars has shared trauma-informed yoga and meditation with our community behind and beyond bars to support individual healing and a more just society for all. We envision a world that prioritizes healing and growth over punishment, so we can learn to be in community with each other to stop cycles of trauma, violence, and harm.
ASIA PACIFIC CULTURAL CENTER
Asia Pacific Cultural Center bridges communities and generations through art, culture, education and business, providing programs and services that promote greater awareness, understanding, equity and inclusion of the Asian and Pacific Islander people.
SEATTLE WOMEN'S JAZZ ORCHESTRA
Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra (SWOJO) performs jazz standards, Latin and Brazilian jazz, and has been showcasing many of the finest female jazz artists in the region since 2000. SWOJO also proudly features the contemporary, original music of regional and international women composers and arrangers.
SPEAK WITH PURPOSE
Speak With Purpose (SWP) exists to cultivate inclusive and creative learning spaces that allow young scholars to deconstruct the dominant narratives by using public speaking to uplift their culture, self-authored identities, and communities.
KEY TO CHANGE
Key to Change inspires underserved youth of South King County through world-class music instruction and supports their development as self-aware leaders. Founded and directed by educator and violinist Dr. Quinton Morris, Key to Change offers a proven pathway to educational excellence for public school students through rigorous, personalized programming. A second-time CSF awardee, Key to Change will present their annual Solo String Festival and Spring Salon Fundraiser at Benaroya Hall in April 2023. The multi-day event gives middle and high school violin and viola players a chance to participate in workshops and masterclasses, perform for a panel of renowned professional musicians compete for the chance to win prizes and raise funds for underserved youth.
MOVIMIENTO AFROLATINO SEATTLE
Movimiento Afrolatino Seattle (MÁS) raises awareness about the history and cultural contributions of artists of Latino and African descent to ensure the sustainability of ongoing Afrolatino-focused cultural and arts education activities. MÁS will use the Community Stages Fund grant to produce an event at Benaroya Hall that showcases a range of traditional Afrolatino music and dance. This event will feature nine performance groups bringing the spirit and aesthetic of community-based art, inviting the audience to participate and experience Afrolatino art and culture.
PUCKDUCTION
Puckduction’s mission is to support BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ creators, with a focus on neo-burlesque, cabaret and film. Puckduction aims to educate the general public about these artforms while providing space and financial compensation for marginalized performing artists. Puckduction will use the Community Stages Fund grant to host Queer Prom Seattle at Benaroya Hall, featuring a full burlesque and drag show plus the crowning of a new Queer Monarch, a silent auction and a dance party. The event brings the QTCBIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities together to fundraise in support of their important mission.
SHARON NYREE WILLIAMS
Sharon Nyree Williams is an Emmy Award-winning voiceover artist, storyteller, producer, presenter and teacher. She believes in experiencing life through the artistry of storytelling and leadership and loves telling stories about her life, the lessons she’s learned and the things she’s observed. Sharon’s hope is that she will reach at least one person and that her stories will act as a bridge in bringing communities closer together. With the Community Stages Fund grant, she will host An Evening with Sharon Nyree Williams, featuring poetic and narrative stories around compelling social issues, accompanied by a small musical ensemble.
THE RHAPSODY PROJECT
The Rhapsody Project is a community that celebrates music and heritage through an antiracist lens. The Rhapsody Project provides music instruction, cultural events, virtual programs and consulting services that help to establish racial and cultural equity. The Rhapsody Project will use the Community Stages Fund grant to host a concert celebrating the contributions of Black American musicians in Seattle and featuring youth performers as well as The Rhapsody Project’s professional teaching artists.
KEY TO CHANGE
Key to Change inspires underserved youth through world-class music instruction and supports their development as self-aware leaders through a holistic environment where they can flourish. Key to Change removes the barrier to entry for underserved students and students of color with an inclusive approach that helps build trust and connection. By offering excellent music instruction below the market rate, Key to Change extends the benefits of a classical music education to a new generation of young musicians.
OLYMPIA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Founded in 1947, the Olympia Symphony Orchestra has grown to become the premiere orchestra in the South Sound, acclaimed for its commitment to both community and artistic excellence. Led by six music directors in its 74-year history, the OSO is currently in the midst of a music director search, which attracted candidates from around the world. Four internationally acclaimed conductors will audition in the 2021–2022 season. The Olympia Symphony performs at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, in heart of Washington's capital city.
ARC DANCE COMPANY ARC Dance Company is based in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle. ARC serves the community through its school's dance training programs as well as professional performances such as its annual Summer Dance at the Center concerts at the Leo Kreielsheimer and Bagley Wright Theatres at Seattle Center. The Company fosters dance as an art form by producing the creative work of current dance makers on an ensemble of 8 to 12 classically-trained professional dancers.
EVERGREEN CITY BALLET (ECB) Evergreen City Ballet (ECB) was established in 1994 in Auburn, Washington, as both a pre-professional ballet school and a performing company. ECB’s mission is to provide high quality dance education and performance opportunities to students of all ages, and to enrich the diverse communities in the Puget Sound region through performances, outreach and community engagement initiatives. ECB’s long-term vision is to be a nationally recognized, premier, pre-professional ballet school with a studio company that cultivates excellence, diversity, inclusiveness and innovation. ECB offers a rigorous, well-rounded and holistic approach to learning and development. The diverse program offers classes for all ages and students take a wide variety of classes, from ballet, pointe, variations and partnering, to contemporary, modern, jazz, hip-hop, improvisation and more.
PUGET SOUND COMPANY Puget Sound Co. is an eight-member vocal ensemble founded in Seattle in October 2018. It specializes in unaccompanied musical performance, using only voices to cover popular artists ranging from The Beatles to Fleetwood Mac to Ariana Grande and more.
CHAMBER MUSIC MARYSVILLE Chamber Music Marysville provides a rich classical music experience by presenting performances that range from solo recitals to small ensembles, both in-person and online. Our concerts help cultivate a love of classical music through programming music from many different cultures and time periods. Live and online recitals, performed or recorded in intimate settings, have celebrated the natural beauty and charm of the small city of Marysville while making it a better place to live as a musician and concertgoer.
The Arakawa Foundation proudly supports the Seattle Symphony’s Youth Education Partnerships. Additional support is provided by Delta Air Lines.
The Seattle Symphony’s Family, School & Community programs are supported by 4Culture, ArtsFund, the Merriman-Ross Family, and individual contributions to the Seattle Symphony Annual Fund.
