As a benefit of membership, the Musicians Union offers dental insurance for an additional charge.
For more information go to the Membership page and click on Healthcare.
B.M. Cornish College
Graduate Studies; Sweelink Conservatory, Amsterdam,
Film Composition Berklee College of Music
David George has been active in the Seattle music scene for years. He is presently owner of Shoreline Music and
an adjunct faculty member at North Seattle College. David leads his own 4tet , “The Blues Union” and
his big band “Northwest Passage”.
As a performer, I enjoy singing and playing a variety of styles. As a bassist, I have performed everything from orchestral music to circus/cabaret to dive bar rock and as a vocalist, I have trained in the operatic, jazz, and musical theatre genres. But I love singing funk any day of the week! I was raised on a diverse musical diet, frequently consuming Beethoven, Rush, Miles Davis, Janis Joplin, Queen, Schostakovitch, and Leonard Cohen in the same day. Because of this, I have always been happiest when I can look at a gig holistically, letting my musical experiences inform each other across genre lines. Striving for holistic and consummate musicianship happily also impacts me as an actor and as a teacher.
Music has a tendency to permeate everything in my life, but when I am not performing, teaching, composing, arranging, or practicing, I enjoy living into my viking domesticity and can frequently be found cooking, sewing, spinning yarn, SCUBA diving, or studying and practicing herbalism. Also, I am very happy to be household staff to the most exquisite of Fur Beasts (see pictures here).
I have been teaching a variety of instruments privately for over twelve years and have enjoyed giving both individual lessons and coaching sectionals as well as being part of masterclasses and workshops for bands and small ensembles. In addition to providing coaching for Bass and Voice, I also tutor in music theory and consult on songwriting and composition/orchestration.
My teaching philosophy for both bass and voice is that every student is an individual and their instruments are as unique as they are. I work with my students to reach whatever goals we may have set together, whether that is polishing their skills in a specific genre, or focusing on sustainable technique and navigating changes in voice or a growing body. I have had the privilege of working with students of all ages, skill levels, and identities.
If you are interested in more details about my private studio or would like to book me, feel free to send me a message!
Bassist, Composer, Producer, Nate Omdal has establishing himself as one of the Northwest’s most dependable producers and his work can be heard all over the city of Seattle. Nate has provided arrangements or worked as musical director for The Seattle International Film Festival, million dollar fundraisers, (Celebrate Swedish 2014) prestigious winery events, (Chateau St. Michelle Riesling Roundup) as well as the Seattle Art Museum and Bumbershoot. In 2010, Omdal began a partnership with MC/Producer Spekulation. Their work has received critical praise, their music being described as reaching “highbrow requirements, leveraging elegance and elevation on the boards.” (Dave Segal, The Stranger). In the beginning of 2016, Nate began an apprenticeship with Hollywood Composer Ron Jones (Family Guy, Star Trek: The Next Generation) as Nate continues to earn a reputation as a leading composer/arranger in the Seattle music community.
Omdal has been honored to have worked with such artists as LeRoy Bell, (X-Factor) Stephanie Ann Johnson (The Voice) NPR’s RadioLab, Tiler Peck (Principal Ballerina, New York City Ballet) Matthew Rushing, (Rehearsal Director, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre) Animation Dancer Marquese “Nonstop” Scott, GRAMMY Award Winning Artists Josh Rawlings and Jeremy Jones, Latin Grammy Nominee Jovino Santos-Neto. Nate has had the honors to be featured with jazz legends Bob Hammer (Charles Mingus, Gene Krupa), and the great Tenor Saxophonist Pete Christlieb (The Tonight Show)
For several years, Omdal has been an active advocate for musicians rights. In 2014, he worked as a consultant with the Seattle Mayor’s Office, Dept. of Transportation and the Office of Film and Music to create a pilot program to introduce musicians’ loading zones in Seattle’s busiest nightlife districts. Nate was also asked to speak at The Recording Academy Pacific Northwest Chapter’s 2nd Annual Songwriters Summit as a expert on musicians’ advocacy. In January of 2016, Nate was honored to testify before the Washington State House of Representatives as an advocate for musicians.
Omdal has earned a Bachelor of Music from Cornish College of the Arts. He has been financially supported by Jack Straw, 4Culture, and the Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs. Currently Nate is serving on the Directors’ Board of the American Federation of Musicians, Local 76-493 and works as a contractor for SkyMuse Studios.
Doug and his groups have a very wide variety of styles and songs in their repertoire. Suitable for background and dancing, Doug covers material from the the Dixieland era to present.
Banjo, Composer, Copyist, Electric Guitar, MIDI Programming
Pete has been an active composer/arranger for nearly fifty years. His work has featured in several films and has been documented in regional music history books. Pete has had many commissions and grants in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. He has also collaborated with several well known poets, including the late Steven “Jesse” Bernstein and Roberto Valenza. Pete studied composition and arranging with William O. Smith, Gary Peacock, Dave Holland and others. He has a B.A. in music from the University of Washington and has done graduate work with Robert Garfias and John Wittwer.
Email
http://www.originalcast.com
206-522-3326
Local band leader/bassist Pete Leinonen has six bands that range from Swing, Big Band, modern Jazz, Latin, and Hawaiian, to a true Mardi Gras Dixieland Brass band!
Seumas Gagné has been playing the music of the Highland and Irish Gaels on the Celtic harp for more than thirty years. After finishing his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Music at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, his attention returned to his first love, the traditional music of Scotland and Ireland. This music led him deeper into the world of the Gael until learning the Gaelic language became the natural next step. Seumas was one of the founding members of the band Wicked Celts and recorded one CD with them, Prophecy and Blessing in 1997.
As a young child in Texas, trombonist/vocalist/composer, Marc Smason learned to sing from his mother and later studied classical and jazz trombone with Ken Cloud, Stu Dempster, Julian Priester & Slide Hampton. He studied voice with Jay Clayton (jazz), Yo Jin Chong (Korean) & Ki Wasitodipuro (Javanese), and composition with Michael Young. Marc has a BFA from CA Institute of the Arts and is a long-time member of the AFM. He has performed with Big Joe Turner, the Funk Brothers, Carlos Santana, Eddie Henderson, Type A, Mark Levine, Wilbur Morris, Sam Shepard, Julian Priester, Buel Neidlinger, Rick Mandyke, Sonny Simmons, Eyvind Kang, Marc Graham and Baby Gramps. His playing encompasses many styles including jazz, latin, Brazilian, collective improv, klezmer and R&B.