A note from Michelle:

I am extremely honored and grateful to have been selected as one of the grantees for San Jose Jazz's 2023 Jazz Aid Fund commissioning grant. From the San Jose Jazz official press release, the grantees “are selected through recommendations across the SF Bay Area music community, including media critics, arts presenters, artists, and curators.” In spring 2023, six of the 20 new grantees will premiere their commissions live at the 3rd SJZ New Works Fest at the SJZ Break Room in downtown San Jose in April.

To be awarded this grant, at this time, is so artistically affirming for me, and needed. With the pandemic and before that personal family situations needing more of my attention, I haven't been as creatively productive as I'd like to be. Both of these external circumstances left me feeling internally questioning whether I should continue to strive to create more jazz works. You, dear reader, probably are unaware of this struggle toiling inside me these last few years, but it's the truth.

So, I am so grateful to be able to share a new work with you; if I am not selected to perform at the New Works Festival, rest assured I will still find a way to share it with you. I have created the composition and video to submit it to San Jose Jazz. I worked with some of my favorite musicians for the video performance: Jimmy Biala, percussion; Sam Sotelo, drums; and Ron Sotelo, bass. Stay tuned for more information!

For more information on the program and other artists in this cohort, check out San Jose Jazz.