Mission Statement
CONNECTING SEATTLE’S MUSIC CREATORS TO
COMMUNITY, EDUCATION, AND OPPORTUNITY
Founded in the early 2000s by a small group of composers and audio professionals, the Seattle Composers Alliance sought to create a non-competitive community of like-minded professionals and enthusiasts. The first meetings of the SCA were much like what we have today: opportunities to discuss gear, swap stories, share knowledge and collaborate on projects.
Over time, the ways we create, capture, and experience music have evolved. We’re here now to bridge the traditional with the new, connecting our members with the techniques, tools, and resources that truly serve the music creator.
The SCA is managed by a passionate and dedicated Board of Directors, and our budget is based entirely on memberships and tax-deductible donations. We respect and value all of our members. Please see our Code of Conduct.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The SCA board members are all accomplished composers and music industry professionals living and working in the Puget Sound area.
TARA FORTH
PRESIDENT
Tara Forth (she/her) is a composer, singer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and sound designer who serves as President of the Seattle Composers Alliance. Her portfolio of work includes film scores and custom commercial music. In addition to musical experience and training, Tara’s proficiency in creative direction, content strategy and marketing makes her a valuable partner in crafting impactful and memorable audience experiences.
Her recent projects include feature documentaries such as Healing Waters, Punderneath It All, and the ‘Making Of’ APOSTASY (BAFTA-nominated feature film). She has also scored numerous short films including a recent series on climate change, and many corporate videos for global clients. Tara studied music at the University of Wisconsin at Parkside, performing on trumpet in the Wind and Jazz ensembles.
AMY DENIO
VICE PRESIDENT
Amy Denio serves as Vice President on the Board of the Seattle Composers Alliance.
An award-winning composer and producer, she was inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame in March, 2015. She is a multi-instrumentalist who sings four octaves, and has produced over 50 recordings solo and in collaboration with artists worldwide.
She started her record label Spoot Music in 1990.
Denio composes for modern dance, film and theater. Her composition ‘Dishwasher’ was included in the Venice Biennale in 1993. Her interactive public Sonic Bench is now displayed permanently at the Vashon Island WA Parks Department Office. Her music has been heard at Carnegie Hall, Brooklyn Academy of Music, REDCAT in LA, and by 25,000 people at a festival in Bursa Turkey in September, 2016.
Since 1990, she has gone on 100 concert tours. She co-founded Tone Dogs, The Entropics, her all-women sax quartet The Tiptons (1988-present) and joined Kultur Shock in 1999.
Denio has played concerts and taught musical workshops at festivals, clubs, prisons, churches, sanctuaries, subways, universities, squats and abandoned buildings perched on 6 continents.
GRETTA HARLEY
SECRETARY
Gretta Harley is a composer, songwriter, performer and educator who has been creating music in Seattle since 1990. Named one of the ”50 Women Who Rock Seattle” in the Seattle Weekly, she has composed music for theatre, orchestra, chamber ensembles, vocal ensembles, rock bands, electronic music, and film. She co-wrote and produced the original play, “These Streets” that brought light to the otherwise unrecognized Seattle women rockers who were involved in the now famed “grunge” era of the 1990s. She co-founded Home Alive, a non-profit organization offering free and low-cost self-defense classes to people in the Seattle area. Gretta co-produced the iconic first benefit album, “Home Alive, The Art of Self-Defense” on Epic/Sony Records. Gretta taught music at Cornish College of the Arts for eleven years. She holds a Dalcroze certificate, a BM in music composition and an AA in jazz performance. “These Streets” was awarded grants from 4Culture, and Seattle Office of Arts and Culture; and a Gypsy Rose Lee Award nomination for best music in a play.
WILL ALESHIRE
TREASURER
Will Aleshire serves as Treasurer for the Seattle Composers Alliance. He specializes in custom electronic compositions and audio packs, primarily focused on RPG-style video games with traditional orchestral instruments and hybrid sounds. Will’s intensely emotional and cinematic productions are influenced by a life-long affection for game playing, with music as a constant inspirational backdrop. He is active in the video game composition community, participating in Video Game Music Alliance monthly challenges as well as weekly composition sessions with fellow SCA music creators. Will studied trumpet and euphonium and music performance at the collegiate level, and continues to hone his skills through independent study. In addition to his musical skills, Will is well known for his for baking and pastry arts.
Seven Sky
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY OUTREACH & YOUTH ADVOCACY
Seven Sky Spillios is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and teacher who moved to Seattle from southern Oregon at the age of 18 to hone his craft and establish his connection to the local scene. As a composer, he has scored films and written for a wide array of instruments including string quartet (Twin Heroes Summer Festival 2016), saxophone octet (Southern Oregon University’s Siskiyou Saxophone Orchestra), and full orchestra (Atlantic Music Festival 2017). He writes his own original music, which is an eclectic blend of orchestral/cinematic elements, familiar singer-songwriter pop, and colorful jazz harmonies. He performs saxophone, keys, and EWI (electric wind instrument) regularly in numerous other local bands as well. Pop, jazz, R&B, disco, dance, rock, and ska are all familiar genres to him. Seven has an innate passion for not only the arts, but the business behind the scenes as well. He has managed finances, analyzed social media trends/statistics, and is an executive advisor for Dan’s Tunes, a Seattle music journalism outlet. Seven also manages and offers consultation to local artists. He continues to deepen his local music involvement in as many aspects as he can.
Jenny Davis
Composer, bandleader and Seattle native Jenny Davis (the Yeoman Warders Project) is a critically acclaimed jazz vocalist, music educator, and passionate human rights proponent. Refusing to conform to more vocal jazz idioms, Davis began composing her own material, hiring instrumentalists, and taking her ideas onto the bandstand. With a desire to focus more on writing, she was led to graduate school, and to alliances with arrangers, producers and co-founders of her cooperative record label, Three Penny Records.
Pushed to the creative edge, her newest release, Rearranged, is inspired by a devotion to human rights advocacy. Attracting collaboration from both jazz and cross-genre arrangers and featuring an all-star cast, the project showcases 17 world-class musicians, including: multi-Grammy nominated pianist, Jovino Santos Neto, Yeoman Warders Sax Quartet and NYC Sirius String Quartet.
Jenny’s tour schedule has included both U.S. coasts, as well as international destinations — most recently, Lyon, France, with the David Bressat Trio. Jenny holds an MFA in Music Composition from Vermont College of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance from Cornish College of the Arts. She currently lectures at various Pacific NW colleges and schools and is on staff at Island Music Guild, Bainbridge Island, WA.
Kai Strandskov
Kai Strandskov is a private teacher (drums and math), performer, recording artist, and composer living in Seattle. He teaches online lessons out of his home studio. Kai has recorded with Stuart Dahlquist (DAMA/LIBRA), Gary King, Greta Harley (Love and Fury), Amy Denio (Love and Fury), Gino Jevjevic (The Light), Jane Mabrey-Smith (Virago), Sean Moe (Stereo Creeps), and a long list of other fantastic human beings. Kai recently served on the boards for HONK! Fest West, and the Seattle Composers Alliance. He is proud to advocate for music makers in Seattle.
COLLIN HARRY
Collin Harry specializes in musical composition and sound design for video games. He is enrolled in the Music and Sound Design program at DigiPen Institute of Technology.
Marina Albero
Marina Albero started playing music on stages as a child with her family while they toured all around the world performig iberian traditional and early music always creating new shows. In her early years she studied in Barcelona’s Conservatory (El Bruc) and later in La Havana (ISA), where she finished her classical piano degree with the great professor and pianist Mrs. Teresa Junco. Marina has been researching in many different music styles such as: jazz, flamenco, early music, andalusie, latin (son & latin jazz)… She loves composing and improvising with a wide personal language carved by her colorful background.She has played and recorded with several well known musicians and bands including L’Arpeggiata, Chano Dominguez, Pepe Habichuela, La Folata, Mariona Sagarra, Barbarito Torres, Llibert Fortuny, Glen Velez, Lori Cotler, Carlos Saura and Ars Longa.
Since moving to Seattle in 2014, Marina has been piano chair at Teatro Zinzanni in several shows and has been invited to present her music at the Ballard Jazz Festival, Earshot Jazz Festival and KNKX live studios and Jazz Northwest. The Marina Albero Project (since 2016) features some of the finest musicians like Hans Teuber, Evan Flory-Barnes, D’Vonne Lewis, Jeff Busch, Jeff Johnson among others. In 2018, she was awarded the Golden Ear Award for Emergent Artist and this year she has been the recipient of two Golden Ear Awards, best instrumentalist and best record of 2019 (self release: “A life Soundtrack”).
On March 8th 2020, she starts the emergency musical project “The Quarantine Sessions” (Golden Ear Community in Action Award 2020) as a response to all the cancelations due to the COVID19 outbreak. It is drawing lots of interest from the press and participation from the online musical community.
During these hard times for live music she has also been invited to participate in several live streamed series by Earshot, KNKX, Big BLDG, Vito’s, Orcas Center of the Arts, Seattle Improvised Music Festival and Bellevue Jazz Festival.
www.marinaalbero.net
www.patreon.com/marinalbero
www.soundcloud.com/psalteri
https://marinalbero.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/marinalbero
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk1HL68wcl2_Xs2–clQjug
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS
The SCA is fortunate to retain the expertise and service of highly accomplished music creators who have served on the SCA Board in years past. Our Advisory Board provides invaluable assistance in creating and managing programs and events that facilitate learning, networking, and inspiration.
Ed Hartman
STEVE KIRK
Steve Kirk is a nationally recognized composer for multi-media, and runs Steve Kirk Pop Studios based out of Seattle, Washington. His recent projects include Ron Gilbert’s Thimbleweed Park and most recently, Bartlow’s Dread Machine (original soundtrack is now available on Bandcamp). Steve’s catalogue of previous works includes iOS release Skurvy Skallywags for Beep Games, Cookie Jam for SGN, Cantina music for the Star Wars MMOL game The Old Republic, the Disney PC version of The Princess And The Frog, the FarmVille theme for Zynga, and Voodoo Vince for Beep Games.
STEVE TURNIDGE
Steve Turnidge is a noted mastering engineer at UltraViolet Studios with hundreds of albums and thousands of music tracks to his credit. With over 30 years experience in the Pro Audio electronics industry, he specializes in mixed digital and analog printed circuit board design. Steve has expertise in all aspects of electronics manufacturing, including assembly, mechanical, cosmetic, logo and ergonomic design. He has strong marketing, management and problem solving skills, with keen interests in Science and Philosophy. Steve is an author for Hal Leonard Books and taught Audio Recording at Shoreline Community College and currently teaches mastering at local studios. He is past Chair of the Audio Engineering Society (PNW Section) and past Governor of The Recording Academy.
You must be logged in to post a comment.