Minneapolis-based drummer/composer Emma Garau earned a BFA in jazz and contemporary music from UNC Asheville while studying independently with Dave King of The Bad Plus, and touring extensively with Fortezza, which she co-founded in 2016. Emma currently tours and records with art punk duo, ¿WATCHES?, and as a solo artist. She has also performed and/or recorded with Powderhorns, Grace Christian X, Ghosting Merit, Ice Climber, Davina and the Vagabonds, Brandon Wozniak, Erik Fratzke, Brian Nichols, Chris Bates, and Geologist (of Animal Collective). She endorses 651 Drums. Emma’s solo performances stem from her first solo record, Birds Don’t Perch Here, reimagined as a live, improvised performance. Built around an exploration of rhythmic and tonal textures on drum set, they combine elements of soundscape, free jazz, and electronic music into a performance that oscillates between deceptively delicate and unapologetically dissonant.

Aaron Otheim is a keyboardist and composer from Bremerton, WA, now based near Los Angeles. After studying classical and jazz piano at University of Washington, Aaron dove headlong into Seattle’s verdant experimental community, co-founding the Racer Sessions and cultivating his voice as a versatile improviser and imaginative arranger with projects like ((speak)), Heatwarmer, and Burn List. Aaron’s collaborators seek him out for both his spontaneity and openness, particularly his knack for finding throughlines that cut across genre or discipline. More recently, Aaron has worked with Mega Bog, Karl Blau, Molly Lewis, Jodie Landau, and Fleet Foxes. Fans of PNW avant-pop groups Heatwarmer and Mega Bog will recognize pianist Aaron Otheim’s playful, Fabergé-like style in his latest original works, where classical and folk-inspired forms intertwine with electronic textures evoking the music of Mort Garson, Wendy Carlos, and Ryuichi Sakamoto.

Curated for Nonsequitur‘s NonSeq series by Christopher Icasiano.

Named Northwest Emerging Artist of the Year by Earshot Jazz, Jahnvi Madan is an Indian American clarinetist, improviser and composer. As a bandleader, she has performed her music at several well known festivals, including the Washington D.C. Women in Jazz Festival, Westerlies Festival, and Earshot Jazz festival, as their youngest commissioned composer. She is the current Artist-in Residence at Town Hall Seattle. For this show, Jahnvi will be sharing a set of mostly originals, stemming from new instrumental jazz compositions to songwriting, and touching on themes of family, love, and loss, and what it means to have an open heart. Ahead of releasing her debut Album, “Soften”, this show marks the first time her whole band will be back together to perform, something they are all deeply excited about!The set will also include some dedications to Ellington and Kashmiri folk music.

Jonathan Paik is a New York-based pianist, composer, and improviser. Originally from Los Angeles, he aspires to play music that honors his lineages: both of that of his family heritage and that of the great tradition of Black American masters that are his primary influences on the piano. Jonathan is regarded as an exciting new voice in the New York City creative music scene and has been heard with Alfredo Colon, David Binney, Joe Morris, Jahnvi Madan, and many others. His current solo piano process stems from his interest in electronic music and granular processing. The result is his effort at synthesizing the methodologies and aesthetics of his favorite artists into new styles in real time. These particular pieces are inspired simultaneously by the musics of Cecil Taylor, Duke Ellington, Ikue Mori, Frank Ocean, and RP Boo.

Curated by Christopher Icasiano for Nonsequitur‘s NonSeq series.

The J2 Duo proudly presents Seen and Heard, showcasing a vibrant renaissance of diversity within brass repertoire.

While new composition has long been celebrated within the brass community, a refreshing renaissance of diversity is now taking place. The composers represented in this program are among those whose works are quickly becoming firmly established within the standard repertoire. From award winning composers Kevin Day and Carolina Calvache to freelance horn performer and composer, Susan Mutter, the J² Duo joyfully presents Seen and Heard in an endeavor to elevate these composers to a more expansive audience. 

The J² Duo began in May 2023 as a faculty trombone-piano duo recital at Central Washington University performing a program of all female composers, commissioned to write for this specific combination of instruments. The duo is committed to performing and commissioning original and diverse repertoire for this combination. The J² Duo consists of Central Washington University faculty members, Dr. John S. Neurohr, trombone and Dr. Jiyoun Chung, piano.  

One of the west coast’s most important player/improviser/composers will be in Seattle for a special concert with five of Seattle’s top players. Expect an astounding array of sounds, including a bass saxophone duo! A pioneer of the LA area creative music scene, Vinny is on 100s of recordings, and has taught at CalArts for over 30 years. 

Vinny Golia and Neil Welch, reeds
Steph Richards, trumpet, Tom Varner, French horn
Aniela Perry, cello, Kelsey Mines, bass

Through music and poetry Play On! chamber ensemble spins tales of love spanning seven centuries – from 14th century sonnets of Petrarch to songs of the swinging 60’s and beyond. ‘SCÈNES D’AMOUR’ explores themes of love at first sight, passion, jealousy, obsession, loneliness, loss and hope. This concert features the premier of Seattle composer Sterling Tinsley’s monodrama ‘A Flight of Eagles’ as arranged by Play On! composer Kristof Iverson. Inspired by love letters between 19th century novelist George Sand and poet Alfred de Musset, ‘A Flight of Eagles’ chronicles the arc of their tempestuous relationship from first flowering to fiery break-up. Also featured will be premiers of chamber works by Mr. Iverson as well as his own all-new arrangements of music ranging from songs by Franz Liszt to film music of Bernard Herrmann. Play On! actor David Ketter will act as ‘spirit guide’ for the evening, offering readings by Petrarch, Shakespeare, Margaret Atwood and others.

Mary Jo DuGaw, soprano; David Ketter, actor
Mary Kantor, clarinet; Erica Iverson, flute
Martha Garrett, violin; Justine Foy, cello
Nicholas Iverson, trumpet and percussion
RoseMarie Tamburri, keyboard; Kristof Iverson, piano

Legendary NYC improviser/composer and multi-instrumentalist Elliott Sharp performs solo electroacoustic music performed on 8-string guitarbass in celebration of his upcoming book Feedback: Translations From The IrRational, which will be published by Wesleyan University Press, Nov. 2025.

Elliott Sharp leads SysOrk, Orchestra Carbon, Terraplane, and Tectonics and pioneered use of fractal geometry, chaos theory, and genetics in musical composition and interaction. His opera Port Bou premiered October 2014 at Issue Project Room and his suite Tribute: MLK Berlin ’64 opened the 2014 Berlin Jazz Festival. Storm Of the Eye appears on violinist Hilary Hahn’s Grammy-winning album In 27 Pieces, and Turing Test for the Neue Vocalsölisten Stuttgart premiered at the Venice Biennale in 2012. Sharp has been featured at festivals New Music Stockholm, Darmstadt, Donaueschingen, and Au Printemps and is the subject of the documentary film Doing The Don’t. Sharp was awarded the Berlin Prize for Music Composition for 2015; a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2014; a Fellowship from the Center for Transformative Media in 2014. In 2003, he received a Fellowship from the Foundation For Contemporary Art. His collaborators have included Radio-Sinfonie Frankfurt; singer Debbie Harry; Ensemble Modern; Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan; blues legends Hubert Sumlin and Pops Staples; pianist Cecil Taylor; multimedia artists Christian Marclay and Pierre Huyghe; and Bachir Attar, leader of the Master Musicians Of Jajouka.

Presented by Nonsequitur.

A concert presentation of the score to The Westerlies’ recent ballet “The Past Delivers,” created in collaboration with BalletCollective, Troy Schumacher (New York City Ballet soloist) and Jordan Bennett, alongside other new works.

The Westerlies, “an arty quartet…mixing ideas from jazz, new classical, and Appalachian folk” (New York Times) are a New York-based brass quartet comprised of Riley Mulherkar and Chloe Rowlands on trumpet, and Andy Clausen and Addison Maye-Saxon on trombone. From Carnegie Hall to Coachella, The Westerlies navigate a wide array of venues and projects with the precision of a string quartet, the audacity of a rock band, and the charm of a family sing-along. Over the past fourteen years, The Westerlies have served as high emissaries of a genre-agnostic musical language that upends presumptions of the brass tradition. The group’s rewarding forays into gospel, union work songs, experimental jazz, contemporary classical, and the modern American songbook, along with indie-folk collaborations with Fleet Foxes, Aoife O’Donovan, and Haley Heynderickx, have cemented The Westerlies among the most adventurous and versatile instrumental groups in the world. 

Vancouver BC’s V.Vecker (sax, keys, electronics) celebrates the release of his new album “Heavy Gestures” on local label Obscure & Terrible, with support from Medina/Walsh and Kole Galbraith + Noel Kennon.

V.Vecker (b. Keith Wecker, 1983) is a composer, improvisor, and multi-instrumentalist using technology to explore his interest in the timbral and temporal possibilities that exist within electronic-based music. Utilizing sound design techniques to focus on the in-between sounds produced through a process developed around the act of layering, V.Vecker creates rich sonic textures that evoke a meditative sonic environment for the listener to immerse themselves in.

His personal approach to sound creation is highlighted by the diversity of the acts he has shared the stage with (Tim Hecker, Clark, Sumac, Thundercat, Wolf Eyes, Six Organs of Admittance, Goblin, Lori Goldston and Sun Araw) as well as participating in projects of Anthony Braxton and Glenn Branca. Keith has had his music featured across North America, including multiple appearances at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, New Forms Festival, VU Symposium and Improvisors Summit PDX.

Opening the evening, a pair of duo performances from O&T artists Medina/Walsh and Noel Kennon + Kole Galbraith.

In this hybrid event, Scrambler will play original music composed by Peter Nelson-King to celebrate the publication in English translation of Amelia Rosselli’s Notes Scatter and Lost, the final volume of local Entre Rios Books’ landmark trilogy of Rosselli’s shorter texts. Local poet, teacher, and Rosselli translator Deborah Woodard will read from all three of the books. She’ll be joined by writer Rachel Karyo, and Il Punto facilitator Alessandra Arosio, who will read excerpts from the original Italian.

Peter Nelson-King is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and writer based in Seattle who has mounted a number of adventurous solo and collaborative shows at Chapel Performance Space.  They return to Wayward Music for this unique event bringing some of Seattle’s best experimental musicians, including saxophonists Neil Welch and Brian Bermudez, clarinetist Jenny Ziefel, and cellist Mary Riles.

NOTE: Audience for this event is limited to 85 people!

An evening of Tuvan Shamanism and throat singing with Chingiz Kam and Arrington de Dionyso.

Chingiz Kam is a practicing hereditary Tuvan shaman from the Republic of Tuva (Siberia, Russia). He will conduct a powerful healing ritual, sharing his personal “Algysh” – an ancient shamanic chant full of spiritual power. Everyone may benefit: some will have a unique chance to touch one of the most ancient spiritual traditions on earth; some will have an unforgettable cultural experience; and some will receive spiritual and physical healing. 

During this sacred ritual, each participant has the opportunity to join the journey of spirit flight undertaken by the shaman. This journey into the world of spirits and inner transformations, as taught by Tuvan shamanism, allows you to enter a special state where you can confront your fears, uncover your true desires, and crystallize intentions. Through the deep pulsing sounds of the DUNGUR (shamanic drum) and throat singing, the shaman will guide you into other realms — the celestial, the underground, and the hidden depths of your consciousness. This journey will open new horizons of inner strength and lead to healing, release from burdens, and relief for the soul. The answers to your questions and the path to transformation already lie within you — the shaman simply serves as a guide, helping you uncover the wisdom embedded in your spiritual journey.

Collaborating with Chingiz at the beginning and ending of his ceremony is TIGER POEMS, a collective of Seattle and Olympia based improvisers known for intense performances bordering on energetic exorcism, featuring Arrington de Dionyso (bass clarinet and voice mask), Gust Burns on piano, and Noel Kennon on sound sculptures.

In Chingiz’s own words – “I was born on the banks of the mighty Siberian river Yenisei and raised in the city of Kyzyl, Republic of Tuva. I have the title of Brown Bear Shaman. I come from shamanic ancestry, both on my father’s side and on my mother’s side. Ancestors come from Tes-Khemsky and Ovyursky districts, the Republic of Tuva, which is located on the border with Mongolia.

Childhood and youth were mostly spent at the shepherd’s camp of my grandparents. They have kept their culture of nomadic life up to the present. Every vacation I came to them and helped them with the housework. During this time, my special connection and love for nature and animals was formed. Just like all Tuvans always, I pastured sheep and goats, sang songs in the steppes and in the mountains. I recognized life around me through the prism of Tuvan traditions. During this period, I met many spirits of the mountains, taiga, and rivers of my native places. They sometimes appeared in the form of deer, bear, wolf, snowy owl, eagle and other animals, and sometimes as strong strange short winds.

All my life I clearly felt that someone was watching me closely. They were invisible defenders. When I was very ill, my ancestors came in dreams in the guise of various familiar people and fumigated with the help of artysh (juniper), after which I quickly began to recover. I have never been able to get lost in a dense forest or in an unfamiliar area. I felt many strange inexplicable things very accurately and my correct decisions were formed from this. Some people felt that I was a shaman and asked me to make charms and amulets. 

Ancestral shamans also gave life lessons and the necessary knowledge for shamanic practice to one degree or another. They began to actively “work” at the time when I was about 27 years old. At that time, I had already graduated from the university and worked in my specialty. Any technology stopped working next to me, because of this there were problems at work. Reality seemed to become unreal and I experienced health problems, but the results of all tests showed that I was healthy. This went on for a couple of years, until the ancestors of the shamans “in their own ways” found me a mentor – a practicing Tuvan shaman, who is also a member of the “Adyg Eeren” society. I was initiated by three strongest shamans of the Adyg Eeren society, one of whom was the Supreme Shaman of Tuva. So I started my practice in a shamanic clinic in Kyzyl.”