Emily Solstice Tait’s practice is rooted in contemporary dance but happily crosses into theatre, stage management and screendance. She is of mixed settler and Ojibway ancestry (urban member of Berens River First Nation). Her choreography has been performed at The Manitoba Museum, The Forks National Historic Site, and along the shores of Lake Winnipeg. Select performances include The War Being Waged (Prairie Theatre Exchange), The Secret to Good
Tea (Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre), Actualize (Winnipeg Contemporary Dancers) Confluence (Raven Spirit Dance), and The___ Place video with CBC Arts.

Recipient of Susan Glass and Arni Thorsteinson Fund for Dancers Endowment.

Kelly McInnes (she/they), a settler of Irish, Scottish & British ancestry, is gratefully based on the unceded Coast Salish territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Kelly is a queer dance artist concerned with embodying care and creating as a way to remember connection to Earth and all that is sacred. As choreographer, performer and community-engaged facilitator, the intention of her work is to inspire collective healing. Her Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy practice powerfully inspires her artistic process. Often multi-disciplinary, collaborative and site specific, Kelly's work has been presented in festivals in Canada, Germany and Mexico over the last decade. Community-engagement is integral to her practice. Her most recent project Late Stage Remedy, a collective dance meditation, invites folks to gather in public parks to share presence and care with the lands upon which they dance. Kelly also enjoys supporting the creative work of her colleagues, working as a graphic designer and as Festival Coordinator for Matriarchs Uprising. 

Recipient of Susan Glass and Arni Thorsteinson Fund for Dancers Endowment.

Tasha Faye Evans is a dancer, theatre artist, creative consultant, cultural programmer, and educator from  Coast Salish, Welsh and European Jewish grandparents. Her work is an integration of dance, theatre and culture rooted in the sacred responsibility to care for the future of all of our relations.  Her current projects include Cedar Woman,  a dance honouring a  legacy of Coast Salish women spanning all the way back to a tree,  and In the Presence of Ancestors, a life -long exhibition of five Coast Salish House posts being carved and raised in Port Moody.  With decades of creation and production, Tasha  has participated in performances and festivals nationally and internationally. 

Recipient of Alice and Betty Schultz Scholarships Endowment Fund for Dance.

Zac Sakrewski is a bassist, composer and session musician from the idyllic Sunshine Coast, Australia. With a strong desire to experiment and a sympathetic ear, he has developed a playing style that transcends genre and function to cultivate collaboration and kindness. His style can be described as multi-disciplinary, spontaneous and versatile. Pulling from a kaleidoscope of influences and genres to create an evocative musical tapestry.

Zac started studying music at the age of 17 and was privileged to study with composer and conductor Robin Smith (Royal Philharmonic, Mike Oldfield, Kanye West (pre Ye)) and Guitar Legend Phil Emmanuel. To further his studies, he attended the Queensland Conservatorium of music, studying improvisation and composition with renowned Israeli composer Yitzhak Yedid and Double Bass with Peter Walters, Helen Russell and Michael Morgan (Metropolitan Opera) during his undergraduate and later, with Marian Heckenberg (QSO) during his masters studies. Zac has developed an expertise integrating technology with the acoustic and electric bass, utilising effect pedals, ableton and MAX for live to create melodies and soundscapes that simultaneously compliment and juxtapose the original form and function of the instruments.

Zac’s current projects include Milton Man Gogh, Lamborghini Eagleman, Dropbear Lodge, Faux Bandit, Jam of a Lifetime, Milk Buttons, Strangely Enough, Cowbird, Martin Kay’s Forage, June Cartel and The Polaroids and has shared the stage with International and domestic artists such as Yitzhak Yedid, Phil Emmanuel, Julian Arguelles, Kristin Berardi, Kayleigh Pincott and many more.

Zac has released two albums under his own name and his compositions have been nominated for prestigious awards such as the International Songwriting Competition, BELL awards, Queensland Music Awards and the 4ZZZ hottest 100. In 2024 as a part of Milton Man Gogh, Zac attended the Musicians in Residence course at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity under the guidance of Megumi Masaki where he, and the other members of the band connected with likeminded artists and collaborated with artists such as Jane Siberry, Michael Clarke and François Salque.

Zac Sakrewski was generously supported by the Banff Centre Artists' Awards.

Benjamin Shannon is carving a niche in the Australian and international music scene distinguished as a percussionist, educator, curator, and composer.

Ben's unyielding pursuit of musical growth fuels his endeavours in teaching, composition, and performance. His involvement in projects Milton Man Gogh, Shamin, Kodiak Empire, Big Dead, Brisbane Conduction Orchestra, and others, have contributed to a portfolio of over 20 releases and countless performances/tours, home and abroad.

His collaborative endeavours include performances with Scott Tinkler, Yitzhak Yedid, Katatonia, COG, The Contortionist, to name a few, also earning acclaim for his compositions at the Bell Awards, Queensland Music Awards, and Australian Art Music Awards.

Having participated in the Banff International Jazz Workshop (2017), Banff Musicians in Residence (2024) and the Australian Art Orchestra Creative Intensive Music Program (2018), Ben's commitment to cross-cultural collaboration is evident.

In 2017, he joined the iconic Art As Catharsis label, contributing to bookings and an administrative role for acclaimed acts Qais Essar, Hekka, Rafiq Bhatia, KNOWER, and more, resulting in consistent events, tours and festivals throughout Australia for local and international artists. 

In his role as conductor of The Brisbane Conduction Orchestra, Ben champions diversity, inclusion, and a secure improvisational space. His tireless advocacy in the Australian contemporary jazz scene is highlighted through constant curation in this field.

Benjamin Shannon was generously supported by the Banff Centre Artists' Awards.
 

Jack Rosenzweig is a 23-year-old drummer, composer and bandleader residing in Sydney, Australia.

Now in his fourth year of Jazz Performance at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Jack performs frequently in many different musical configurations across Sydney. Jack writes music with Ebony Tait and Lachlan Mills as “HEAPS GRASS”, exploring the spaces between structure and improvisation. His other original band Motion Quartet, who recently attended the 2023 Siena International Summer Workshop in Italy, are quickly establishing themselves as a fresh new voice in the Sydney jazz and improvised music scene.

Under the tutelage of jazz luminaries such as Will Vinson, Steve Barry and Simon Barker, Jack has developed a unique sound and approach to the drumset free from the boundaries of genre. Jack has received numerous awards and scholarships, including the JazzSA Mike Stewart Memorial Prize (2017), Australian Art Orchestra Mentorship (2020) and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music Henderson Travellers Scholarship (2023).

Jack Rosenzweig was generously supported by the Banff Centre Artists' Awards and the Sylvia Stone Scholarship.
 

Perhaps a product of nominative determinism, Oscar Peterson is a musician & composer redefining musical boundaries. He works as a double bassist, electric bassist, guitarist, drummer, composer, arranger & musical director in Sydney & across Australia. 

Oscar graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music jazz program in 2019. In July 2023, he attended the Siena Summer Jazz Workshop in Siena, Italy, studying with Linda Oh, Matt Penman, Reinier Baas, Gerald Clayton & Shai Maestro. In 2022, he was selected as a member of the Australian National Jazz Orchestra Youth Big Band, performing at the Sydney Conservatorium International Jazz Festival and the Perth International Jazz Festival. In 2017, Oscar attended the Australian Art Orchestra's Creative Music Intensive in Tasmania, studying traditional Korean music and Indigenous Australian music. Other career highlights include touring internationally with ARIA-nominated Zela Margossian Quintet and performing for Herbie Hancock at the Sydney Opera House for International Jazz Day in 2019. 

Recently, Oscar has been performing and touring with the Michael J Brady Trio and indie-rock band Safety First, and is currently working on a debut album project with his own quartet.

Oscar Peterson was generously supported by the Repsol Emerging Artists Award.

John Buck (he\him) is a musician and improviser in Montréal. He has been an active percussionist and improviser on the Canadian jazz scene for the past decade with the Plastic Waste Band, the Claire Devlin Quartet, and the Roman Munoz Quartet. Since 2021, John has worked extensively in the contemporary dance community as an accompanist and composer of electronic music for Concordia University, l’École de Danse Contemporaine de Montréal, Regroupement Québécois de la Danse and l’École de Danse Contemporaine de Québec. His solo project, John Lost, launched in summer 2023.

John Buck (il) est un musicien et improvisateur de Montréal (Québec). Il œuvre en qualité de percussionniste depuis une dizaine d’année dans la scène jazz canadienne avec Plastic Waste Band, Claire Devlin Quartet et Roman Munoz Quartet. Depuis 2021, John collabore avec le milieu de la danse contemporaine en tant qu’accompagnateur et compositeur de musique électronique pour l’Université Concordia, l’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal, le Regroupement Québécois de la Danse et l’École de Danse Contemporaine de Québec. Son projet solo, John Lost, sera lancé à l’été 2023.

John Buck was generously supported by the Banff Centre Artists' Awards.

Claire Devlin is a saxophonist and composer based in Montreal. She released her debut album “Anyone” in 2020 and currently co-leads two collectives based in Montreal: the Plastic Waste Band and Bellbird. Claire performs regularly with various ensembles including the Canadian National Jazz Orchestra, the Orchestre national de jazz de Montréal, Rommel Ribeiro, Thus Owls, Christine Jensen’s “Equal=Orchestra”, Warren Spicer’s “Unessential Oils”, and Tommy Crane’s “Dance Music For All Occasions”.

Claire grew up in Ottawa, Canada and started playing saxophone at the age of 12. In 2012, she was the recipient of the Rising Young Star award at the Prince Edward County Jazz Festival. Soon after, she moved to Montreal to study music at McGill University. Claire attended the Banff Jazz & Creative Music Workshop in 2017 where she met and studied with several renowned musicians including Vijay Iyer, Linda Oh, Tyshawn Sorey, Jen Shyu, and Stephan Crump. In 2020, Claire received a master’s degree in jazz performance and composition at McGill University. In recent years, Claire has performed alongside musicians such as John Hollenbeck, Christine Jensen, Linda Oh, Jean-Michel Pilc, Okkyung Lee, P.J. Perry, Anna Webber, and Matt Mitchell.

Claire Devlin was generously supported by the Banff Centre Artists' Awards.
 

Originally from Saint-Maurice, QC, David Lemyre discovered his passion for music at a young age and started playing guitar at the age of 13. His musical roots in blues, country, and rock genres have shaped his guitar-oriented sound, which he integrates into jazz and pop contexts.

David pursued jazz studies at Cégep de Trois-Rivières and Université de Montréal. Now based in Montreal, David is deeply involved in multiple musical projects. He is a member of bands Pourpre, Plastic Waste Band, Will Régnier Quartet, Les Hilares and artists Amonte Noble and Segöya. In addition to his band roles, David works as a substitute guitarist and freelancer, contributing his musical expertise to various projects.

David Lemyre was generously supported by the Banff Centre Artists' Awards.