The work-in-progress is an opportunity for the artist to present an early draft of their new compositions. The artists plays all the new material they’ve written for the residency so they can hear it live for the first time in public. They then take questions and direct feedback from the audience. This input is vital for the artist as they finish writing their project.
Jazz Residency Project: Colton Weatherston, composer and guitarist, believes that much of Philadelphia’s deep history and background is rooted within the streets of Germantown Avenue. He plans to compose a musical portrait of the cultures, peoples, faith groups, and events that make this corridor important and unique to Philadelphians.
“I’m Colton and I’m a Quaker and I play jazz and I live in East Mt. Airy. My project is about how it sounds when Quakers, Muslims, Jews, Catholics, Black, Brown and White people perform Jazz Music together. I believe that Jazz music provides a format for people to express different ideas about community, individuality, peace, and justice. These ideas are essential to my neighborhood, which is connected to other neighborhoods which share space along Germantown Avenue. My project will explore life along this Avenue as a window into the soul of Jazz music in Philadelphia.” ~ Colton Weatherston
Colton Weatherston BIO:
Colton Weatherston is a composer, musician, and educator. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Colton now resides in East Mount Airy in Philadelphia. Jazz is the taproot of Colton’s music with branches that extend to Blues, Soul, Rock, Folk, Classical, and World Music with his guitar, voice, and arranging across genres. Colton’s mentors and teachers include: Michael Stockdale, Marcus Belgrave, Brad Fairman, and Jack Smalley. In addition to live performance, Colton regularly produces music for film and television, including the 2017 Lifetime Channel Holiday movie, “Snowed Inn”, Dax Sheppard’s 2012 Comedy feature, “Hit and Run”, and dozens of advertising spots for the likes of Cadillac, Ford Motor Co., Tostitos, and White Castle.
Colton Weatherston Performance Schedule
Residency Kick-Off: Friday, December 8, 8:00 PM
Public Workshop: Saturday, March 10, 6:00 PM
Work in Progress: Saturday, March 24, 8:00 PM
World Premiere: Friday, May 4, 8:00