Jack Straw Programs and Events: April 2011

Hello, friends of Jack Straw-

Yet another busy season at Jack Straw Productions is underway this spring: whether it's music, art, literature, education programs, or all of the above that you seek, we've got something you'll want to check out coming up.

This Friday and Saturday, Jack Straw friend and board member Garrett Fisher's Fisher Ensemble will present their new piece Kocho at the Chapel Performance Space. This is bound to be an unforgettable evening of music and performance.

Brian Cobb, whose Campfire Songs CD - the fruits of his 2008 Jack Straw artist residency - was just released by Present Sounds, will be presenting Composer Spotlight next week, and discussing this project in detail.

We're delighted that our 2011 Writers Program Curator, Susan Rich, will be taking part in the Seattle Arts & Lectures Poetry Series next Thursday, April 14th, along with poets Brian Turner and Major Jackson. This Poetry Series Special Event features an introduction and moderated Q&A from Alice Quinn, former poetry editor at the New Yorker and now Executive Director of the Poetry Society of America.

Starting next week, and for the rest of the month, KBCS will be broadcasting our Foster High School Stories of Arrival Poems, recorded here in our studios just last month.

Robert Millis's Fragments of the Story will be up in our New Media Gallery until April 22nd, so check it out while you can. You can hear an interview with Rob about this piece through our Artist of the Week podcast, or on our web site. Next up is a sculptural installation by Carlisle Roveto, opening in mid-May.

And looking farther ahead, we're very pleased to announce the dates of our 2011 Jack Straw Writers Program May Reading Series, along with several other public events featuring our writers. Mark them in your calendar, and be sure to come out to see this wonderful group read their new work!

Read below for details on all of this and more. We hope to see you at an event soon!

Upcoming Events

Friday and Saturday, April 8 & 9
The Fisher Ensemble: Kocho
Chapel Performance Space

Wednesday, April 13, 7:30pm
Composer Spotlight: Brian Cobb
Jack Straw Productions

April 14 - 29:
Foster High School: Stories of Arrival 2011
KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio

Open through April 22
Jack Straw New Media Gallery:
Robert Millis: Fragments of the Story
Jack Straw Productions

May 6, 12, & 20, 7pm
Jack Straw Writers Program May Reading Series
Jack Straw Productions

Every Sunday night at midnight
Sonarchy Radio
KEXP 90.3 FM

Artist of the Week
Each week we highlight a different artist from our many artist programs via our Artist of the Week Podcast. This week's installment is an interview with Robert Millis. You can download this interview about his New Media Gallery installation Fragments of the Story by subscribing to the Podcast. Subscribe at jackstraw.org/artistoftheweek, or via itunes.

Artist Event

The Fisher Ensemble: Kocho

April 8-9 (Friday-Saturday), 8 PM
The Chapel Performance Space

4649 Sunnyside Ave. N., Seattle 98103

Buy Tickets!

Produced by the Fisher Ensemble in association with the Wayward Music Series

Kocho is based on Nobumitsu's Noh play and tells the story of a wandering Priest who meets a butterfly and "liberates" it by letting it dance under the plum blossom. A synesthesia of music, movement, costumes and video, Kocho, inspired by the the Noh play's lyrical poetry, allows the audience to experience the "drama" from the inside out - through the appreciation of site and sound as it unfolds around them.

As part of this event, pianist and 2011 Jack Straw Resident Artist Byron Schenkman will also be performing Garrett Fisher's new "Piano Raga No. 1," which is unnotated and explores a collaborative and ephemeral process between composer and performer.

Music - Garrett Fisher | Choreography - Christy Fisher | Words - Kanze Kojiro Nobumitsu & Amy Schrader | Costumes - Bo Young Choi Participants: Shawna Avinger, Daniel Brylow, Jeremiah Cawley, Danya Clevenger, Kathea Yarnell (vocalists); Esther Sugai (flute); Dean Moore (gongs and percussion), Greg Bagley (6 string fretted acoustic bass); Jen Hinkle (trombone); Garrett Fisher (Indian harmonium); Christy Fisher (dancer); Jeremiah Cawley (music director); Ken Cerniglia (dramaturg); Ryan Adams & Paul Turcotte (Video).

Composer Spotlight

Jack Straw Productions and Washington Composers Forum present

Composer Spotlight

BRIAN COBB

Campfire Songs: . . . Progress . . .
Rest . . . Continue . . .

Wed, April 13, 7:30pm

Jack Straw Productions

4261 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, 98105

Composer Brian Cobb will discuss his 2008 Jack Straw artist residency project, Campfire Songs, recently released by Present Sounds Recordings. The origin of Campfire Songs emerged from the composer's immense interest in the lure of the campfire, the American Frontier era, and the unique intimacy of Arnold Schoenberg's chamber masterpiece Pierrot Lunaire. Combining the words of past and present American frontier poets and the untamed spirit of the American settlers, Cobb's Campfire Songs circles the wagons for a night of poignant reflection and camaraderie along the unforgiving pioneer trail. This presentation will include sound examples of the work, a discussion of compositional decisions and issues, and pondering the ever-present attraction of the song cycle to composers of all eras.

Brian Cobb is an active composer, performer, and music educator who resides in Seattle, WA. Brian's diverse composition catalogue includes music for voice, wind ensemble, orchestra, dance, film, electronic media, and numerous chamber settings. Brian's music has been published by Ludwin Music Co and has received awards and grants from ASCAP, the University of Washington, and Jack Straw Artist's Assistance Program. He has studied composition with Klaas de Vries, Salvatore Macchia, John Bavicchi, Diane Thome, Dennis Leclaire, Juan Pampin, and Robert HP Platz. Brian's music has been performed throughout the United States and the Netherlands. He has received music degrees from the University of Washington (DMA), University of Massachusetts (MM), and Berklee College of Music (BM). Brian is a Present Sounds Records recording artist and is a member of the Tom Baker Quartet, the Bill Smith Trio, the multi-disciplined Radiosonde, and the newly formed Crosstalk. Over the years Brian has performed with George Garzone, Bob Moses, Max Vax, Ron Bosse, Jeff Galindo, Aaron Goldberg, Tom Baker, and Matana Roberts. Brian is currently on faculty at Bellevue College where he teaches music composition & theory, music history & jazz performance.

Jack Straw Productions and Washington Composers Forum present Composer Spotlight, a series of talks and performances by composers, musicians, and scholars of new and innovative music every second Wednesday of each month. For more information about Composer Spotlight artists and the series, .

Jack Straw Education

Foster High School: Stories of Arrival 2011 on KBCS

A Foster High School student works with Jack Straw teaching artist Gin Hammond on performing his poem.

Stories of Arrival: Youth Voices is a community partnership project between Foster High School, Jack Straw Productions, KBCS 91.3 FM radio and the Institute for Poetic Medicine in Palo Alto, CA.
Project Director and 2008 Jack Straw Writer Merna Ann Hecht worked with Foster High School students from around the world to write poems about their experiences. Stories of Arrival was produced with support from the Kalliopeia Foundation, the Tukwila School District, Judy Pigott, Tukwila Arts Commission, PONCHO, Ruth Keating Lockwood and the Washington Women's Foundation, 4Culture/King County Lodging Tax Fund, the Washington State Arts Commission, and PONCHO.

Students in our 2011 project came from Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia,Iraq, Kenya, Mexico, Moldavia, Nepal, Russia, Somalia, Turkey, and Vietnam. The students came to Jack Straw Productions and worked with our engineers and teaching artists to enhance their performance skills and record their poems.

Foster Student works on audio editing with the help of Jack Straw engineer Tom Stiles

This month, as part of National Poetry Month, KBCS Community Radio will broadcast the Stories of Arrival poems. We have also archived all of the students' poems on our web site.

Here is the KBCS broadcast schedule for the Stories of Arrival Poems:

Morning Broadcast Schedule

Morning Blend (Monday-Friday, 7:35am):
Thursday, April 14: Anhthu Tran, Kumar Khanal
Friday, April 15: Abdirashid Abdi, Shaded Kamal
Monday, April 18: Prem Khadkal, Nulifar Akhmedova
Tuesday, April 19: Tanka Gautam, Kausila Budhathoki
Wednesday, April 20: Kethellyn Vasileski, Masse Gashay
Thursday, April 21: Nhat Tran, Mary Fnu
Friday, April 22: Jin May San, Gopal Rai
Monday, April 25: Sumani Gulaliyev, Bhakti Rai
Tuesday, April 26: Marwan Abdulrahim, Cat-Nguyen Nguyen
Wednesday, April 27: Bhagi Biswa, Pau En Tuang
Thursday, April 28: Mario Ciric, Khagendra Bhandari
Friday, April 29: Nemo Mohamed, Nirmala Bhandari

A Foster student records her poem in Jack Straw's studios

Evening Broadcast Schedule

One World Report:
(Thursdays, 4:20pm)

Thursday, April 14: Farhiya Muse, Tek Kafle
Thursday, April 21: Vic Pinzari, Shyreen
Thursday, April 28: Khadija Ali, Kamal Gulaliyev

Hard Knock Radio:
(Thursday -Friday, 6:55pm)
Thursday, April 14: Meron Shiferaw
Friday, April 15: Nhi Le
Thursday, April 21: Ngoc Minh Tran
Friday, April 22: Maribel Gonzales
Thursday, April 28: Mazhid Shakbazov
Friday, April 29: Nargiza Mamedova

For more information on these and other Jack Straw education programs, please contact us at education@jackstraw.org.

New Media Gallery

Fragments of the Story
an installation by Robert Millis

Gallery hours: Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm

Fragments of the Story explores how we "file away" memories and how those memories work together or become disassociated, jumbled, and confused; how their fragmentary nature influences what we think is truth, what we forget, and how we fill in the blanks. But more importantly, Fragments explores sound - quiet, murmuring sound. The installation employs filing cabinets, each with their own potential resonant qualities, inviting viewers to open and close drawers full of "auditory memories" to create their own narrative or soundscape.

Robert Millis is a founding member of Climax Golden Twins, Messenger Girls Trio, and AFCGT. Solo or in collaboration he has composed soundtracks, worked with choreographers, created sound installations and released numerous CDs and LPs, including the soundtrack to the horror film Session 9 (directed by Brad Anderson), the recent 120 on Etude Records, and AFCGT on Subpop. He performs solo utilizing field recordings, 78rpm ambiance, collage, guitar, old murder ballads and half remembered drones. Rob works extensively with the Dust-to-Digital and Sublime Frequencies record labels on archival projects that document traditional and folk music, including Victrola Favorites (released on the Dust-to-Digital label) and the documentary film Phi Ta Khon: Ghosts of Isan, about a Thai Buddhist ghost festival (released on DVD by Sublime Frequencies). For these and other projects he has worn several hats - cameraman, film editor, designer, etc. An experienced sound and recording engineer, he has produced several documentary CDs of music and ambiance from Asia, recorded "in the field." He received an Artist Trust Fellowship for music in 2005.

More information on our New Media Gallery web page.

Writers Program

Jack Straw Writers Program May Reading Series

May 6, 12, and 20, 7pm
Jack Straw Productions
4261 Roosevelt Way NE
Seattle, Washington 98105
$5 suggested donation, comes with a gift of the 2011 Jack Straw Writers Anthology.

The 2011 Jack Straw Writers will present new work in a series of three readings at Jack Straw Productions in May hosted by program curator Susan Rich. Visit our web site for curator and writers' bios, and to listen to past literary podcasts.

Friday, May 6, 7pm: Harold Taw, Nora Wendl, Maritess Zurbano, and Ann Teplick

Thursday, May 12, 7pm:Anne McDuffie, Donald Fels, Larissa Min, and Nassim Assefi

Friday, May 20, 7pm: Annette Spaulding-Convy, Robert Lamirande, Katharine Whitcomb, and Debra Jarvis

Other upcoming events featuring Jack Straw Writers:

Wednesday, April 27, 7pm: Harold Taw will celebrate the launch of his new novel Adventures of the Karaoke King at the Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 Tenth Ave., Seattle.

Saturday, May 21, 11:45am: Larissa Min, Harold Taw, Ann Teplick, Annette Spaulding-Convy, and Katharine Whitcomb will represent the Jack Straw Writers Program at Burning Word at Icicle Creek.

Jack Straw Writers at NW Folklife Festival:

Friday, May 27, 7pm: Rebecca Brown (1997 Jack Straw Writers Program Curator) will read new work as part of the Northwest Stories showcase at Charlotte Martin Theater.

Sunday, May 29, 5pm: Jack Straw Writers Showcase at Center House Theater, with Maritess Zurbano, Robert Lamirande, Larissa Min, Debra Jarvis, Harold Taw, and Curator Susan Rich.

Monday, May 30, 4pm: Jack Straw Writers Program panel discussion on the Narrative Stage, with past writers/curators Matt Briggs, Donna Miscolta, Jared Leising, and Judith Roche. Moderated by Kathleen Flenniken.

Sonarchy Radio

Sonarchy Radio airs on Sunday nights, midnight-1am, on KEXP 90.3FM or kexp.org

Sonarchy Radio is a program of Jack Straw Productions. Doug Haire is the producer and mixes these shows live in the studios at Jack Straw. This hour-long broadcast features new music and sound art made by Pacific Northwest artists, and is now in its 14th year (!) of airing on KEXP Seattle (90.3 FM). The show can be heard live at KEXP.org and is available in its entirety for two weeks following the broadcast in several streaming audio formats. All shows are now also available as podcasts. to find the Sonarchy Podcast.

Contact Doug for more information at (206) 634-0919 or doug@jackstraw.org.

SHOW SCHEDULE

April 3rd: Orkestar Zirkonium
A Balkan-inspired mobile brass and drum band cast through an American lens. This fantastic music includes songs on loan from Eastern Europe's phenomenal brass band tradition as well as several original compositions.

April 10th: Gravity
A Fender Rhodes trio specializing in funky jazz and electronica. Tim Kennedy - keys, Ian Sheridan - bass and Claudio Rochat - Felix - drums.

April 17th: Neil Welch
Solo saxophone improvisations and compositional phases using melodic notation and a deluge of sound.

April 24th: Satellite By Night
A folk-fusion groove band brings a set of night music to Sonarchy. CJ Lazenby - guitar, charango, vocals, Mike Antone - guitar, lapsteel, vocals, Gabe Herbert - bass, Masaru Swanson - guitar, percussion, Peter Hsu - sax, Caycee Furulie - djembe, Saraina Hancock - singing bowls.

Support Jack Straw

Jack Straw Productions relies on the support of individual contributors to make our programs possible. Please help us continue to support the work of Pacific Northwest artists working with sound and all our art and technology education programs.

Become a Jack Straw Member!
For a $35 annual membership donation, you can receive discounted recording time in our studios, as well as discounted rates on Jack Straw audio workshops. A Jack Straw membership pays for itself in no time! Donate any amount by clicking the button below, or sending a check directly to us 4261 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA 98195.

Match your donation
If your company participates in an employee matching gifts program, you could double or even triple your gift to Jack Straw! Just ask your HR or personnel department. Questions? Please contact us at (206)634-0919 or jsp@jackstraw.org.

Thank you for your support!
Jack Straw Productions is a nonprofit organization, exempt from taxes under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to Jack Straw Productions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

Pursuant to RCW 19.09, Jack Straw Productions is registered as a charitable organization with the Secretary of State of Washington. For more information, call the office of the Secretary of State, 1-800-332-4483.

Jack Straw Productions gratefully acknowledges The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, City of Seattle's Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, 4Culture King County Lodging Tax Fund, Washington State Arts Commission, PONCHO, The National Endowment for the Arts, ArtsFund, Humanities Washington, Wells Fargo, Ruth Keating Lockwood and the Washington Women's Foundation, HumanLinks Foundation, Meet The Composer, and individual contributors for their support of our Programs.

If you have questions about any of our events, please call us at (206) 634-0919.

Jack Straw Productions(JSP) is the Northwest's only non-profit multidisciplinary audio arts center. A community-based resource since 1962, we provide a production facility that is unlike any other in the region for local artists who work creatively with sound. Jack Straw focuses on annual artist residencies through our Artist Support Program, our Writers Program, and our Gallery Residency Program; art and technology education for all ages; arts & heritage partnerships; and radio production. Our full-service recording studio is also available to the community for a broad range of projects.