Strathmore has welcomed six new musicians into its 10-month Artist in Residence program.
Selection into the Artists in Residence (AIR) program means these emerging artists will receive artistic and professional development support, including: mentorship, seminars, creative collaborations, and performance opportunities.
The 2024 class was presented during a “Fresh Air” concert held recently at AMP, the Strathmore venue located at Pike and Rose on Rockville Pike in North Bethesda, Maryland. The performances were from a homework assignment each artist was given to prepare within a short period of time.
“They had to prepare a piece of music as a solo or a collaboration with a colleague on stage. It had to be ready,” said Betty Scott, AIR program coordinator since it began in 2005.
Members of the current Artisti in Residence program are singer-songwriter Kaiyla Gross, bassist Zoë Jorgenson, sitarist Snehesh Nag, percussionist Marty Risemberg, guitarist Parker Speirs, and pianist Alfred Yun. These AIR musicians will work closely with accomplished artists and career navigators that include two-time Grammy winner Cathy Fink, who is an Artist in Residence program advisor, pianist Marcus Johnson, baritone saxophonist Leigh Pilzer, and percussionist Tom Teasley. The AIR career navigators will focus on how the 2024 class approaches their music, composing, and working in the music industry.
“More importantly, it is about navigating your life through music. How do you keep yourself engaged, how do you keep learning, how do you keep yourself curious,” said Teasley, one of the career navigators.
Many Artist in Residence alumni have moved forward with their careers and are well-known locally, nationally. Pianist, composer and band leader Mark G. Meadows, a 2015 AIR alumnus, has led several music productions at Signature Theatre in Shirlington, Virginia, and will soon go to Broadway to work on a musical version of “The Outsiders,” based on the 1983 film.
Ayo, a pop/jazz singer from the AIR class of 2020, was in Signature Theatre’s cabaret featuring the music of Ella Fitzgerald earlier this year. Meadows produced that cabaret.
Bassist Eliot Seppa, who was in the AIR class of 2019, is a member of Meadows’ band and can be seen performing in other musical theater productions in the DC area.
Langston Hughes II, from the class of 2022, is wrapping up his first semester at Juilliard after receiving a master’s degree in music from Howard University. He is scheduled to perform at Blues Alley Dec. 22-23.
Christie Dashiell from the AIR class of 2014 is a jazz vocalist and a graduate of Howard University. She has performed with the iconic group “Sweet Honey in the Rock,” and has also produced several solo albums.
Each member in the current AIR class will give two performances beginning in January 2024. For performance schedules and ticket information visit the Strathmore website at strathmore.org.
