From Allyson's website:

"The area of my research is representational painting and drawing with a specialization in portraiture and the figure. In the formal discipline of painting, my work is informed by impressionism, realism, and abstract expressionism. The human experience, particularly how people engage with one another, is an important theme in my work. I create paintings that address social conflict, cultural identity, history, myth, narrative, and man’s relationship to the environment."

"I graduated with a BFA from the University of Alberta in 1998 and an MFA from the University of Calgary in 2000. I have received three Elizabeth Foundation Awards, several grants from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, BC Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, and a President’s SSHRC from the University of Saskatchewan. In the last ten years, as a representational artist, I produced over thirty large scale paintings, mounted thirteen solo, three two-person, and several group exhibitions in Canada, United States, Switzerland, Germany, Greece, the Czech Republic, India, and China. I teach as an Associate Professor (Painting/Drawing), Department of Art and Art History, University of Saskatchewan, Canada."

LARNELL LEWIS is a Grammy Award winning musician, composer, producer, and educator. Based in Toronto, has established himself among the most diverse and in-demand drummers in the world.

Since 2012, Larnell has been playing with three time Grammy Award winning band, Snarky Puppy. Larnell leads successful ensembles of his own and has toured the globe with highly reputable contemporary musicians, including Quincy Jones, Laila Biali, Jeremy Ledbetter, Etienne Charles, Gregory Porter, Benny Golson, Lalah Hathaway, Jacob Collier, John Scofield, Pat Metheny, Lisa Fisher, Kurt Elling, Gary Burton, and more. Larnell’s immense talent, fierce creativity, and evolving musical style keep him in-demand as a collaborator for artists internationally.

In June 2018, Larnell independently released his debut album, In The Moment. This project explores Larnell’s deep connection to jazz, fusion, and his Afro-Caribbean roots. The album features performances from a wide range of musicians such as fellow Snarky Puppy band mates Shaun Martin, Mark Lettieri, Juno Award winners Mike Downes, Robi Botos, and many others. His latest release, Relive The Moment, (Nov. 2020) is a reimagining of his compositions from In The Moment, with new drum performances, recorded at Jukasa Studios. In addition to his success as recording artist, performer, and director, Larnell is a dedicated Music Educator. He is a Professor of Music at Humber College, Canada’s most respected institution for post-secondary music education.

Silas Friesen is a multi-instrumentalist, arranger, composer, and educator from a musical family of eight. Active in many idioms, he has performed with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra, Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Brass Project, Music on Main, Tommy Banks, Jim Brenan, Friesen Family Band, Caspian Ensemble, and his own ensembles (Silas Friesen Group, HUTCH, Thunderbird Brass).

Silas’ writing includes numerous arrangements for the Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra, a film score for the Strata New Music Festival, and an arrangement of South African traditional “Kgomo” for big band and choir, performed by the U of S Jazz Ensemble and University of Pretoria Youth Choir at the 2016 Cantando Festival. He is currently working with California-based Project Spark Studio to score their upcoming short film, Voilà!

Raised in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, composer, performer, and educator Paul Suchan graduated with a B.Mus/B.Mus Ed (2007) from the University of Saskatchewan and M.Mus in Composition (2012) from the Université de Montréal where he studied with composer Alan Belkin. Mr. Suchan’s compositions have been performed across Canada, the United States and Europe, and he is frequently commissioned by groups of various sizes and abilities.

Paul is the Co-Founder of the Strata Festival of New Music, an annual 3 day festival dedicated to high quality performances of Saskatchewan and Prairie composers. He is currently based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with his wife Naomi and his daughter Evelyn. For more information, please visit his website at www.paulsuchan.com