About

THE ENSEMBLE

The B’shnorkestra is a new large ensemble project featuring the work of composer Samantha Boshnack. Bold and undulating, there is a majestic grandness to Boshnack’s compositions. In the B’shnorkestra, strings and percussion orchestrate the soaring melodic and tightly punctuated horn lines she’s celebrated for, taking this new work to a cinematically inspired place.

Comprised of 13 instrumentalists, the B’shnorkestra brings together musicians from many different Seattle music communities including: jazz (free, modern, straight-ahead), rock, avant-garde, salsa, and classical. The music draws from and blends these genres into a language all its own, showcasing the wealth and variety of talents found in the B’shnorkestra players.

B’shnorkestra premiered at the Rainier Valley Cultural Center in September 2011 with support from 4culture, Meet the Composer, and Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs.

 

THE COMPOSER

Samantha Boshnack has composed and performed with a plethora of Seattle-based musicians and groups since arriving from New York in 2003. The Bard College graduate uses a broad palette in her compositions, including jazz, rock, hip-hop, Balkan, and contemporary classical music influences. Her work has received acclaim from music critics around the world, and has received support from 4Culture, Jack Straw Productions, ASCAPlus, and the Seattle Mayor’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs.

Boshnack has extensively toured the U.S., Canada, and Africa.   Her music has been performed in a variety of venues, from rock clubs and theaters, to festivals and schools. For seven years she has been the main composer for Reptet, an all-original high-energy jazz sextet composed of four horns, bass and drums.  In addition to her work as a composer, she is a trumpet player in high demand in a wide variety of genres including salsa/son, jazz/free jazz, rock, avant-garde, classical, and Klezmer.

This year Boshnack debuts her first project as a composer/band leader, premiering new works for the B’shnorkestra -  a 14 piece ensemble made up of strings, horns, and rhythm section.

Boshnack also plays and composes in the Wayne Horvitz/Robin Holcomb led Washington Composers Orchestra (WACO) as well as the Seattle Jazz Composers Ensemble (SJCE).

In addition to the aforementioned projects, she can be heard playing and co-composing, with two other all-original bands; Picoso (a son/salsa group), and Publish The Quest (a world-pop ensemble).  Boshnack is also a music educator who currently teaches trumpet and piano at several schools in the Seattle area.