Passim Awards 2018 Iguana Music Fund Grants

Passim announced that it has awarded $40,000 to 24 musicians through its Iguana Music Fund. The Iguana Music Fund awards gifts annually to musicians for career building projects and for projects that provide community service through music. Established in 2008 after an anonymous donor approached Passim with the idea to start a program to support local artists' career growth, the fund provides grants from $500 to $2,000 for musicians with a New England connection.

Grants are allocated in the areas of recording or manufacturing assistance, publicity and marketing support, equipment and instruments, songwriting retreats, tour support; special projects and other specific activities that promote artists work, professional growth and community programs. Over the past decade, Passim has awarded almost $400,000 in grants, funding more than 200 projects.

"It's really amazing to look at Passim as we celebrate our 60 years. So many musicians have come through the club over those years. It is core to our mission to help the musicians in our community grow and develop their careers," said Jim Wooster, Executive Director of Passim, "We take immense pride in providing the Passim Iguana Music Fund grants. These grants really make a difference in the careers of local musicians and also help them enrich the lives of so many others."

Oompa will use their grant to record an album that details the ways in which impoverished children of color learn to belong. Zachariah Hickman will use his grant to mix and master the recent Songs and Strings live album, recorded at Club Passim this past October. On the night of the 100th Anniversary of the Boston Molasses Flood, The Great Molasses Flood will record a live album.

The Late Risers will record their first full length album featuring a mix of traditional Jazz music and original compositions. Abrielle Scharff, Anadama, Stace Brandt and Strangers by Accident will also record debut records. Age is recording a spiritual world music record with Dave Brophy inspired by traditional Jewish/Hebrew texts. Ceren Turkmenoglu will record works from old Ottoman music manuscripts transcribed to current notation. Corey Laitman and Izzy Heltai also received grants for recording projects.

Jim Henry is writing a book offering practical advice for musicians. Hawthorn and Arc Iris will use their grants to support travel and touring expenses. Forrest Pettengill will purchase a new upright bass.

Catherine Capozzi will present "Bring Us Your Women," a multimedia concert set for March that will lift up often-overlooked stories of women in several of the world's religious traditions. Julie Anne Cohen is organizing a concert and lecture series featuring women composers.

Several grants will support music focused community programs across New England. Sing Explore Create helps students with physical disabilities and communication disorders compose and record original music. Kate Callahan works with female inmates at York Correctional Institution in Connecticut, helping them find their voice through music and performance. Tunefoolery is composed of musicians in mental health recovery who perform for individuals who ordinarily wouldn't have access to live music. Ari Barbanell's Songs for Winter Walk works with local musicians to raise awareness and support for Boston's homeless population.

Passim's Iguana Music Fund continues to support two multi-year "Baby Iguana" grants. The Sub Rosa Songwriting Retreat brings together a group of artists each summer to write and collaborate in a secluded setting on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. Miles of Music Camp is a week-long retreat for students of all ages exploring traditional folk music and modern songwriting.

The work of the 2018 Iguana Music Fund grant recipients will be showcased at Club Passim on April 8, 2019 at 7:00 pm. Free tickets for this evening are available online at www.passim.org, by calling 617-492-7679 (9:30am-5:00pm, Monday-Friday) or at the Club Passim box office sixty minutes before the show begins. Club Passim is located in Harvard Square at 47 Palmer St., Cambridge, MA 02138.

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