|
Pictured clockwise from top left: Jerron Paxton, Gaelynn Lea, Abel Rocha, Angie K
| |
Whippoorwill Arts Unveils 2024-25 Fellows,
Each Receiving $25,000 Grant For A Project Of Their Choosing
| |
| RICHMOND, Calif. (Apr. 16, 2024) — The Whippoorwill Arts Fellowship — an 18-month-long opportunity for exceptional roots musicians to craft a project of their choosing — today unveils the 2024-25 Fellows: Gaelynn Lea, Abel Rocha, Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton, and Angie K (artist bios and project descriptions below).
2024-25 marks the fourth cohort of Whippoorwill Arts Fellows. In addition to a $25,000 grant towards a creative project of the musicians’ choosing, the Fellowship nurtures community space to connect, exchange, and learn together, modeling deep investment into roots music.
“This fellowship offers musicians spaciousness to ground in their creative practice,” says Tiara Amar, Director of Fellowships and Advocacy at Whippoorwill Arts. “Past fellows have been able to step away from touring and gigging to make ends meet, finding time and energy for composing and recording, often for the first time in several years.”
Past fellows include Molly Tuttle, two-time GRAMMY winner; Kamara Thomas, founder of Country Soul Songbook and faculty in songwriting at Princeton; Pura Fe, activist, songwriter, and storyteller; and Keith Little, composer and performer.
Musicians are nominated by past Fellows and Whippoorwill Arts Staff and Board. Whippoorwill Arts seeks extraordinarily talented musicians with community spirit and a creative soul. The final four artists are determined through a committee selection process.
The Whippoorwill Arts Fellowship celebrates the musical accomplishments, extraordinary talent, community spirit and creative soul of artists. Whippoorwill Arts has awarded 15 fellowships since 2018. The Fellowships were expanded to 18 months in 2022.
Learn more about the incredible work of Whippoorwill Arts Fellows 2018-2024 here.
Current Fellows are available for interviews, please contact tiara@whippoorwillarts.org.
About The Whippoorwill Arts Fellowship 2024 Cohort:
Gaelynn Lea
Gaelynn Lea is a composer, violinist, and disability rights advocate from Duluth, Minnesota. Her fellowship project involves mixing, mastering, and releasing her original compositions for the soundtrack of Macbeth on Broadway. She will also travel for an artist residency to study with traditional Irish fiddle musicians.
Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn | TikTok
Abel Rocha
Abel Rocha is a Mexico City-born folklorist, singer and multi-instrumentalist who performs music of Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, Chile and Argentina. During the fellowship, Abel will learn, observe, and document Mexican folk music from two regions - Son Huasteco and Son Jarocho, with emphasis on their specific instruments. Upon return to Seattle, he will work on recording a new album with his primary band, Correo Aereo.
Facebook | Bandcamp
Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton
Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton plays banjo, guitar, piano, fiddle, harmonica, Cajun accordion, and the bones (percussion). Paxton has an eerie ability to transform traditional jazz, blues, folk, and country into the here and now, and make it real. His project will be to study with masters of instrument-making to build old American banjos, an instrument vital to the history, present, and future of Black music.
Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
Angie K
Angie K is shaking up Nashville with her fresh blend of hard hitting country with a nod to her Latin roots. Fresh off the momentum of a new record release, Angie will spend part of the fellowship developing a music video for her song “Red Dirt on Mars,” as well as rehearsing with her band for upcoming performances.
Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok
About Whippoorwill Arts:
Whippoorwill Arts invests in the creativity and lives of working roots musicians through ethically paid live and online performances including a festival, the Music aLIVE grant program, and COVID Safety Guidelines for Working Musicians; uplifts those artists through Artist Awards/Fellowships, and seeks to transform the music ecosystem to be more equitable through data-driven research and strategic partnerships. For program information, please visit www.whippoorwillarts.org.
Follow Whippoorwill Arts:
Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
| |
|
|
|
|