Megan Lewis is a queer, mixed Kanien’kehá:ka woman and member of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, currently serving as Director of the Centre for Indigenous Policy and Research at Indigenous Youth Roots. Based in Ottawa, she leads national initiatives that center Indigenous youth voices in policy and research. 
Megan’s approach draws on lived experience as a vital part of advancing equity, self-determination, and community-led solutions. She is committed to making policy spaces more accessible and to uplifting youth leadership through advocacy, research, and relationship-building that help shape more equitable and responsive policy systems.

Jonathon Wilcke was generously supported by the Judith Anne LaRoque Scholarship Endowment.

Jonathon Wilcke is a saxophonist, composer, and community organizer whose music ranges through strict forms, jazz, free and structured improvisation, text-sound, and vocal accompaniment, in both solo and group situations. Wilcke combines a well-rounded musical vocabulary drawing from jazz, contemporary composition, and various lineages of free improvisation with a high level of proficiency in the outer ranges of their instrument’s possibilities. Based in Calgary/Mohkintsis, Wilcke has collaborated on many musical projects, including Eating Speed with Rob Oxoby (bass) and Eric Hamelin (drums), the Chris Dadge (drums) and Jonathon Wilcke duo, Circular Sparrow, Robots on Fire, ffffffft!, The Real Featuring the UnReal, Midnighties, and Mechanics Who Can Drive. He has shared the stage with players such as Joe Morris, Peggy Lee, Mats Gustafsson, Eugene Chadbourne, Jens Lindeman, John Butcher, Han Bennink, and Jack Wright, and is the co-producer of the long-running Bug Incision Presents series.

Paddy Walter was generously supported by the Marshall M. Williams Endowment.

My name is Patrick Walter (he/him), I am a 23 year old drummer from Melbourne/Naarm, Australia, currently finishing my Bachelor of Music at the Melbourne Conservatorium.  I have had the good fortune to study extensively with many of the country’s most accomplished drummers; Dylan Van Der Schyff, Felix Bloxsom, Danny Fisher and Dave Beck. I have performed with local luminaries such as Ben Robertson, Matt Hoyne, Joel Trigg, and most notably Sam Anning, Brett Williams, and Julien Wilson. Williams has been a mentor of mine, over the course of 2025 we worked closely together; gigging, rehearsing and communicating regularly. In 2025 I also performed with two artists in residence, Melissa Aldana, and then later, Danilo Perez. Both visits featured multiple rehearsals and culminated in live performances, the latter of which featured a sold out Jazzlab show on the opening night of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival. The experience was extremely special and I am endlessly grateful for the mastery, passion, and kindness that Melissa and Danilo shared with us. The opportunity to perform such meaningful and intricate tunes with the composers who created them was a truly humbling experience and one that I will carry with me forever.

Mindaugas Stumbras was generously supported by the Banff Centre Artist Award.

Mindaugas Stumbras (b. 1996, Vilnius, Lithuania) is an internationally active guitarist, composer, and bandleader celebrated for his expressive musical voice that blends contemporary jazz with world‑music influences and narrative storytelling. Based in Vilnius, he is recognized for his rich improvisation, lyrical depth, and harmonic imagination.

Stumbras completed advanced studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, earning a bachelor’s degree in jazz guitar in 2019. Since then, he has performed extensively across Europe at prestigious jazz clubs and festivals, collaborating with a wide range of international musicians.

As a recording artist and bandleader, Stumbras has released several acclaimed albums, including Inspirations (2021), Among the Pines (2023), and the guitar duo project Strung Out (2025). His latest album, The Spinner of Yarns (2025), presents a sonic tapestry where each composition unfolds like a story, intertwining improvisation with delicate melodies, contemporary harmonies, and world‑music textures.

Through his performances, Stumbras explores both intimate acoustic settings and dynamic collective improvisation, continually expanding the expressive possibilities of the modern jazz guitar

Julia Stein was generously supported by the Helen Graham Artist Award.

She is a violinist and improviser focused on developing a personal musical language through experimentation and collaboration. She holds Master’s degrees from AMUZ in Poznan and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where she further developed her violin practice. It was during her studies in London that she discovered improvisation, which became central to her artistic work.

She is an active member of the European improvised music scene, including the Wroclaw Improvised Orchestra, where she explores real-time composition and collective creation. She has performed at international festivals such as JazzFest Berlin and the Jazz Festival in Saalfelden, and regularly collaborates with artists at the Jazztopad Festival, performing in the House Concerts series.

She co-creates improvised projects including the ambient duo Miki i Julka and the ensemble Kołysanki. She also developed the project Przeczucia, inspired by Jack Wright’s The Free Musics. Her work is rooted in attentive listening, openness, and collaboration.

Natalie Song was generously supported by the Helen Graham Artist Award.

Natalie Song is a pianist, improviser, and composer based in the Seattle area. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from the University of Washington, studying with Marc Seales, Ted Poor, Steph Richards, Steve Rodby, and Cuong Vu. She developed her voice performing in a variety of ensembles, both at and outside the school. Under the mentorship of Poor and Vu, Song strengthened her skills as a free improviser and composer. Her current work synthesizes jazz styles with more textural and collective approaches, with an emphasis on open improvisation.

Song performs as the keyboardist for Seattle rock artist Lucia Flores-Wiseman and is an active sideman in various other projects in the local jazz scene. Past collaborations include accompanying Bill Frisell, Luke Bergman, Todd Sickafoose, and Kelsey Mines. In addition to performing, Song works as an educator and recording engineer, capturing both live performances and studio sessions for ensembles ranging from orchestras to jazz quartets.

Conner Satyro was generously supported by the Denis Jackson Memorial Scholarship Endowment.

Conner Satyro is an eclectic musician currently based out of Calgary, Alberta.  His artistic works paired with his educational background & experience as a bandleader, solo performer, accompanist and involvement in DIY independent music communities, have culminated into an extensive resume spanning the North American underground. A reputation garnered through precise execution and an undeniable artistic voice across original, collaborative and supportive roles.  

As a drummer he has toured coast to coast nationally with Seth Anderson’s band, sessioned for gunk-pop pioneers Black Ends, performed at the 2023 Canmore Folk Fest and during his first international tour, gigged on a boat underneath the Golden Gate Bridge with Fever Feel.  He has played on recordings for Singaporean musician Gazelle, LA guitarist Benjamin Fortin, Seattle indie rock band Dusty, Oakland based songwriter Mitchell Manburg and Subway. In 2025 his former band YOY with critically acclaimed musicians Daniel Seah (Singapore) & Kogano Moe (Japan) released Three Pals from Not America marking 9 years of international collaboration.  

In 2026 Conner released 4 records, toured & played live on 90.9 CJSW with his free jazz duo Fact, performed for the provincial government at The National Music Centre and is gearing up for a three week solo US tour.

Ketija Ringa-Karahona was generously supported by the Denis Jackson Memorial Scholarship Endowment.

Ketija Ringa-Karahona is a Latvian flutist based in the Netherlands since 2019. In 2025 she acquired a Master’s degree at the Jazz Department of Conservatorium van Amsterdam. With a foundation in classical music and a love for improvisation, her musical voice bridges genres and explores various sonic territories. She has collaborated with leading jazz/improvising artists including Petter Eldh, Kit Downes, Mary Halvorson, Reinier Baas, Ernst Reijseger, and Pablo Held, among others.

In 2022 she received the Keep An Eye Outstanding Talent Award. In 2023 she was chosen as the Jonge Makers of Amsterdam Jazzfest. Featured in NRC as one of twelve art school graduates in Netherlands in the year of 2023, as well as winner of the Laren Jazz Award 2023. In 2025 she won the Mingus Prize making her the composer of residence for Paradox Jazz Orchestra.

Fall Raye was generously supported by the Banff Centre Artist Award.

Fall Raye (they/them) is a trans/non-binary saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, improviser, composer, and educator living in Boston, MA. They teach piano, saxophone, flute, and clarinet to students of all ages through Noteworthy Experiences. Fall also works as a freelance musician, playing weddings for Everluxe Entertainment since 2021, as well leading their own projects as a bandleader, show organizer, and composer, performing their original music across the US. Fall has appeared on multiple albums including Raul Molina’s Matria, Naomi Nakanishi’s Hear Me Now, and Paolo Paolo Peruzzi’s Songs from the Past and the Holy Spirit. In January 2024, fall, their debut self titled album, released on Boomslang Records. On May 9th, 2025, they released a collaborative album with Devon Gates and Raul Molina entitled, Lamento. Fall has performed with some of their musical idols, including Terri Lyne Carrington, Kris Davis, Miguel Zenon, Elena Pinderhughes, Leo Geovese, and Gretchen Parlato. Fall's artistic vision is to create work that speaks from their own experiences as a trans person, as a person healing from their own traumas, and through their interpersonal relationships, to create a listening experience where the audience can feel less alone, seen, and in community with others

Tess Overmyer was generously supported by the Helen Graham Artist Award.

Tessie Overmyer has established herself as one of the most exciting saxophone players in the Australian jazz scene. Originally from Newcastle, Australia, she is currently based in New York City.

Tessie has performed extensively throughout Australia as both a bandleader and sideperson, appearing at major festivals including the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, the Sydney Women’s Jazz Festival, and the Perth International Jazz Festival. She has played alongside Australian jazz legends like Barney Mcall, Mike Nock, Sandy Evans, Vanessa Perica, and Sam Anning. In 2025 Tessie released her debut album, Tidelines with Earshift Music.

In 2026 she released a second album, Quartet with ABC Jazz, which was the result of a composition commission from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Tessie is currently studying a Master of Music at the Manhattan School of Music, where she has had the opportunity to study with Donny McCaslin, Caroline Davis, Jaleel Shaw, Nicole Glover, and Ingrid Jensen.