(Tickets include complimentary wine/drink)
When the COVID-19 lockdown began in March of 2020, musicians Jen Shyu and Sara Serpa co-founded Mutual Mentorship for Musicians (M³), an innovative platform created to normalize and give visibility to women and non-binary musicians in the jazz and creative music industries. “The music and performing arts worlds have been mostly shaped by male authority, creating huge inequities in access to resources, opportunities and career development for non-male artists and administrators,” Shyu and Serpa reflected. “M³ aims to bridge that gap, and make the arts world a much more equitable and equal place.”
In just three years, Mutual Mentorship for Musicians (M³) has commissioned 60 women, non-binary, and mostly BIPOC musicians, to create 30 collaborative music & video works across five cohort cycles, all while mentoring each other with wisdom imparted as musicians who have experienced the successes and injustices of the music industry.
Following three virtual festivals and one in-person festival, M³ will present its Second Annual M³ Lifetime Achievement Award to Michele Rosewoman on June 13, 2023, at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem (a regular partner organization with M³) in recognition of her contributions to the community through her prolific musical accomplishments, leadership, and educational work. The award is an unrestricted prize of $5000.
For four decades, pianist/composer/educator Michele Rosewoman has expanded the horizons of jazz while remaining firmly rooted in tradition. A fearless bandleader and mentor, many have cited that working with Rosewoman made an indelible mark on their artistic development as musicians, composers and bandleaders. Rosewoman was part of M³’s Winter Solstice 2020 Cohort 2.
Hosted by journalist and producer Angélika Beener, this event will also celebrate and premiere six new duo commissions of video and music completed by the current cohort of musicians – the M³ Fall Equinox 2022 Cohort 5:
1) Wobbly Tales by Rosángela Isabel Pérez Molero (Venezuela) + Jessica Jones (US)
2) Mirrored Hands by Naomi Nakanishi (US) + Aline Frazão (Angola)
3) Wake Me When It’s Green by Gwen Laster (US) + Dafna Naphtali (US)
4) Suryaning Giri Danu by CC Sunchild (US) + Ni Made Ayu Dwi Sattvitri (Indonesia)
5) Miniatures by Kavita Shah (US) + Zeynep Toraman (Turkey)
6) Apex, Rocketship, Seasons, What is it time for by Krissy Bergmark (US) + Tara Kannangara (Canada)
To conclude the event, M³ will announce the 12 composer-performers of the next cohort (M³ Fall Equinox 2023 Cohort 6) which will start their mentorship cycle in September 2023
National Jazz Museum in Harlem
We are your go-to venue for off-site meetings, receptions, film screenings, workshops, networking events, socials and more. Located in the heart of Central Harlem’s thriving culinary and entertainment district, The National Jazz Museum in Harlem is the perfect place to hold your next gathering.