Samantha Boshnack presents Uncomfortable Subjects

Trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Samantha Boshnack presents her jazz song cycle Uncomfortable Subjects at the Chapel Performance Space. A chamber orchestra of Seattle music luminaries will perform the full cycle live before recording it at London Bridge Studio; the thirteen-piece ensemble, conducted by Joshua Kohl (Degenerate Art Ensemble), features vocals by Grammy-winning singer Johnaye Kendrick (säje).

In 2020, Boshnack invited artist and activist Natasha Marin and Pushcart-winning poet Jane Wong to join her in a series of correspondences about “Uncomfortable Subjects.” Over the ensuing pandemic years the three artists discussed racism, climate crisis, mental health, fascism, and the tensions of making art, finding hope, and staying connected amid social upheaval. Boshnack wove words and themes from these conversations and struggles into a suite of seven compositions, debuting them with a thirteen-piece chamber orchestra at the 2024 Earshot Jazz Festival.

This project was supported in part by a grant from 4Culture. Commissioning funds for Uncomfortable Subjects also come from Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music and Mutual Mentorship for Musicians (M³).

LINEUP

Johnaye Kendrick (voice) • Joshua Kohl (conducting) • Alex Guy & Alina To (violin) • Heather Bentley (viola) • Erika Fiebig (cello) • Carlos Snaider (guitar/percussion) • Julian Weisman (bass) • Chris Credit (tenor saxophone/bass clarinet) • Sarah Bassingthwaighte (flute) • Bhavani Kotha (oboe) • Greg Campbell (percussion/french horn) • Samantha Boshnack (trumpet/compositions)

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Host or Publisher Samantha Boshnack