Artist Trust  has chosen two musicians to receive the Russell Jaqua Award for Artistic Excellence! We'll let you know when they choose dates, and see if we can get them scheduled for performances while they are here…

Jherek Bischoff, Seattle, King County.  Jherek has a number of years of experience in musical performance, ranging from orchestral composition, to arrangement and performance. This local involvement got him linked to the Degenerate Arts Orchestra, which consisted of 48 of the city’s finest musicians. Jherek will be performing at Town Hall in Seattle, where he will assemble a 35-person orchestra to play 12 of his compositions on September 11.

Juliana Svetlitchnaia, Bothell, Snohomish County. Juliana is a singer and ethnomusicologist specializing in Russian folk music.  For the last 20 years she has been collecting and learning ancient Russian songs from expeditions to remote Russian Villages where these songs existed for centuries and were carried orally from generation to generation. Unique songs that are truly beautiful, this project is an effort to preserve and promote a genuine culture. For more information go to: www.ethnorussia.com