Hi, welcome to the Sustain Music Project.
To us, music is a way to connect. To connect to ourselves – to let the sounds prompt us to step outside of our everyday life, to process our emotions, to enjoy the moment. To connect to our community – to realize that music, the universal language, can speak to each of us in a different way, allows to consider how we relate to the people around us, to encourage us to give back to our community.
Here at Sustain Music, we approach our concerts a bit differently than most others do. Our programs tell stories through music. We tell you what’s going on behind each piece – for instance, why the composer wrote it, what to listen for, and what to think about while listening – and we connect it to what’s happening around us in the present. We partner with different artistic mediums (such as visual arts, food, and dance) and with community-serving nonprofits to link music and life. It’s about creating a total experience for you.
We believe that people who need music the most often have the least access to it, which is why we also perform our concerts at shelters, hospitals, schools, and other community-minded venues. We use music to make a difference in our world.
So whether you’ve never attended a classical concert before or you’ve loved classical music your whole life, we believe that you’ll find something unique in Sustain. We aim to use music to entertain, to challenge, and to inspire. We’re a group of musicians who create and perform classical music concerts that capture the interest of people just like you. We hope you come experience one of our concerts with us this season.
Support Sustain. Even a little goes a long ways.
2022 Summer Series
We’re excited to be performing all around the Seattle area this summer! We’ve partnered
with the Performing Arts Center Eastside as featured performers in their “Arts Without Barriers” program
and with the City of Edmonds to bring free, outdoor performances to our community.
Join the Sustain Music Project’s wind quintet for a family-friendly concert exploring the woodwind instruments, featuring the classic “Peter and the Wolf” and a new musical story entitled “Rescue”. This program brings music to life through fun, creative classical music and points us towards the importance of finding our own artistic voices.
June 1 – 2-4 pm at KidsQuest Musuem, Bellevue
June 2 – 4:30-6:30 pm at Bellevue Farmer’s Market
July 24 – 3-4 pm at Hickman Park, Edmonds
Synaesthesia: the blending of the senses. Experience it for yourself as you listen to the beautiful sounds of classical guitar and flute in a two hour exploration of imaginative music and art. Visual artist Soo Hong will be live painting as the musicians play.
August 4 – 7-9 pm at St. John’s United Church, Seattle
August 6 – 3:30-5 at the plaza at Resonance Events, Bellevue
August 11 – 4:30-6:30 pm at Bellevue Farmer’s Market
August 12 – 6-7 pm at Bothell Summer Art Night
September 15 – 5-7 pm at Edmonds Art Walk, Edmonds
Rescue – a musical story
Join the Sustain Music Project’s wind quintet for a musical story entitled “Rescue”. This program introduces kids to fun, creative classical music as we listen to an original story that goes along with the music.
The story is focused on the COVID-19 pandemic from the point of view of a puppy that is adopted by a family during the quarantine. It addresses the emotions that the children experience; the characters learn that the separation exists because of love and respect for fellow humans.
Musicians: Christina Medawar, flute; Selina Greso, oboe; Steven Morgan, bassoon;
Jill Jacques, horn; Angeliquie Poteat, clarinet
“Paint the Music”
Our 2021 online series of concerts featured
local Pacific Northwest musicians and visual artists
who collaborated to create beautiful experiences filled with art and music.
EVERGREEN
World premiere of “Evergreen” by Robert Honstein
arx duo (Mari Yoshinaga and Garrett Arney), percussion
Eva Vernitska, visual artist
The Seattle-based arx duo performed the world premiere of Robert Honstein’s “Evergreen”, a new piece for percussion duo. According to Rob, the piece represents “the sense of hope and joy expressed [and] serves as a beautiful reminder of our collective resiliency in the face of great difficulty.”
Our featured visual artist was Eva Vernitska from the Pacific Northwest Art Laboratory. In response to the music, she created a stunning mixed media artwork of Mother Nature’s dual sides of serenity and turmoil. Explore the intertwining worlds of music and visual art as the 30 minute piece’s winding yet meditative sounds from the marimba and vibraphone take us on a journey. Just as the evergreen tree is a symbol of strength and perseverance, we are reminded of art’s power to endure and to join us together in community.
SOLO FLUTE
Christina Medawar, flute
Heidi Barnett, visual artist
The Sustain Music Project presents the second concert in the spring 2021 series “Paint the Music”, in which local classical musicians and visual artists collaborate to create unique evenings of music and art. Join us for four beautiful pieces for solo flute, paired with the vividly colorful art of Heidi Barnett.
Program:
Goldfish Songs – Jenni Brandon
Left Behind – Sarah Bassingthwaighte (world premiere)
Hxó – Sungji Hong
Sonata Flautísima – Miguel del Aguila
STRING DUO
Luka Sešek, violin
Amber Archibald-Sešek, viola
Kimberly Adams, visual artist
The Sustain Music Project presents the final concert in our online concert series “Paint the Music”, in which local classical musicians and visual artists collaborate to create unique evenings of music and art.
This concert features three thrilling pieces for violin and viola paired with the vibrant oil landscapes of Kimberly Adams.
Program:
Water Pastel – Angelique Poteat
Passacaglia – Georg Friedrich Handel/Johan Halvorsen
Three Madrigals, H. 313 – Bohuslav Martinů
2019-2020 concerts
MUSIC & LIGHT
February 6, 2020
Resonance at SOMA Towers
Mystical and otherworldly sounds abound in George Crumb’s The Voice of the Whale, the inspiration for this unique concert. To transport the audience deep under the sea, masked musicians performed the piece under blue light. Each piece in the evening’s varied program of chamber music for flute, cello, and piano was paired with stunning displays of color and light designed to bring out the emotional depths of the music. Adding to the experience were unusual musical techniques that test the limits of what these instruments—and musicians!—can do.
MUSIC & NEW BEGINNINGS
October 20, 2019
Taproot Theater, Seattle
An unforgettable performance connecting us to the deeply emotional experience of domestic abuse.
Through the storytelling power of music and words, this program took listeners on the journey experienced after trauma: shock, grief, and isolation that can be transformed into joy, peace, and hope for the future. Interspersed among the emotionally rich chamber music pieces are the impactful stories of those helped by New Beginnings: Ending Domestic Violence.
MUSIC & YOGA
September 14, 2019
Resonance at SOMA Towers
Imagine all of your senses uniting on a truly unique journey through movement, sound, and taste!
This immersive experience paired yoga led by Dikla Kafta with live music for flute and marimba. Beginning with Bach and Schubert and journeying through newer compositions, the music followed the arc of the yoga class through pranayama (breathing), flow, seated poses, and shavasana. Following the class, we featured three wines from the local Kirkland winery Northwest Cellars.
Board of Directors
Christina Medawar
President
Jenna Labourr
Vice President/Treasurer
Yoko Okano
Secretary
