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Bombe Fits Premiere Concert

June 25, 2026

Bombe Fits is a new chamber ensemble dedicated to the creation and performance of experimental new music with elements of non-classical genres such as rock, heavy metal, jazz, and electronic music. We hope to expand the idea of “classical chamber music” to be more inclusive, challenge audience expectations, and foster experimentation and creativity in partnership with multidisciplinary art forms.  Bombe Fits is also committed to education, community outreach, and raising awareness to social justice issues as we hope to partner with relevant non-profit organizations and educational institutions when possible.

The Bombe Fits premiere concert is scheduled for June 25th in Philadelphia, PA and will feature at least six world premiere pieces combining elements of traditional art song with other non-classical genres. The ensemble asks composers to write for voice, percussion, guitar, bass and electronic music. Some composers may use only some of this instrumentation. All musicians have the option to play acoustic or electric instruments. Composers are provided with a tech sheet which includes any gear we have access to including effects pedals, loopers, microphones, etc. The members of Bombe Fits are believers in collaboration and we will dedicate time to working with composers in advance of the performance to explore sounds and ideas for texts.

Bombe Fits Personnel:

  • Katy Avery, Artistic Director & soprano

  • Daniel Spratlan, Co-Artistic Director, Managing Director, conductor (as needed)

  • Pat Nugent, bass

  • Evan Chapman, percussion

  • Guitar, TBD

Composers for Premiere Concert:

Funding Needs: 

  • Artist Fees ($4000 total)

  • Commission Fees ($6000 total)

  • Administrative Fees ($6000 total)

  • Continuing support is encouraged for future projects

Skyspace Performance

August 8, 2026


I am curating a program which encourages performers and attendees to be present in the moment, process their emotions, and to promote connection with community and the natural world through music and art, as an antidote to living in a world so unjust that we become desensitized and disconnected. For this program, three composers are being asked to create pieces responding to the feeling of “screaming into the void”, and to consider nature and the universe in relation to our humanity. The performance will take place in the Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting House in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, home to a SkySpace installation created by contemporary light artist James Turrell, which will allow the audience to experience the sunset and night sky concurrently with the music.                   

One of these works will be composed by transmasculine composer LJ White. It stems from a collaboration with an astronomer, Becka Phillipson,  whose research on black holes underpins the program’s guiding metaphor: a black hole, like any person of a marginalized identity in our society, is a phenomenon still imperfectly understood, which becomes visible only in relation to its environment, and its broader effects and potential remain inscrutable and untapped. LJ’s music often takes inspiration from scientific phenomena and connects concepts from the natural world with social justice and mindfulness themes. Other collaborators include, Mieke Doezema, who will write a song cycle for soprano, marimba, and auxiliary percussion with extended techniques inspired by nature intended to inspire mindfulness and contemplation. My friend, soprano Liz Lang, has recently been exploring her Lebanese heritage, and has commissioned a composer from within her community, Alex Wakim, to write a song cycle for her that will explore themes of identity and community while incorporating traditional Arabic tonality and instrumentation.

This Chestnut Hill Skyspace is one of over 90 James Turrell installations of its kind worldwide. I intend to take this performance to other Skyspace locations and engage local audiences by providing things such as pre-concert talks, open forums for discussing composer/performer collaborations, voice masterclasses, and public lectures about black holes and the creation of the audible light-curve files that were used in the creation of this piece. Successful completion of this project will provide the momentum and visibility to facilitate future Skyspace projects and others similar in nature.

The premiere performance is planned for August 8th, 2026 in Philadelphia.

Collaborators:

Funding Needs: 

  • Commission Fees: $4500

  • Artist Fees: $3400

  • Administrative Fees: $6000

  • Venue rental: $1095

  • Instrument rental: $500

  • Live audio recording: $750

  • Programs: $200

  • Marketing & PR: $1000

  • Travel Fees: $1600

  • Per diem: $800

Love Between Worlds Album

Fall 2027

In October 2025, I presented two house concerts of music for soprano, harp and violin that featured a world premiere song cycle by Tim Mukherjee, two new arrangements by Scott Wheeler, another song cycle by Philadelphia-based composer Melissa Dunphy, and a rarely performed song by late 19th century composer Mel Bonis. Due to the unusual nature of the instrumentation as well as having these new pieces written for me, I am pursuing making a studio recording in the fall of 2026. Scott Wheeler has agreed to arrange the remainder of the songs from his cycle “Falling in Love with Ghosts”, originally written for soprano, Kathryn Levy and piano. Multiple Grammy-winning recording engineer Andy Kravitz has agreed to record, mix and master the recording, as well as connect us with his vinyl manufacturer, Studio 4 Vinyl. I am hoping to pursue working with New Focus recording to disseminate the album, and Philadelphia-based artist Marie Bender will work with her on creating album art.

Funding needs:

  • Studio recording/mixing/mastering with Andy: $13,500

  • Artist Fees: $2400

  • Vinyl Manufacturing: TBD

  • Record release fees: TBD

Body Image Multidisciplinary Project

Fall 2027

This project will address body image and disordered eating as experienced through the lens of female-identifying performance artists. I hope to bring awareness to the fat liberation movement as well as provide access to education on disordered eating, a much misunderstood concern that affects 28.8 million Americans. The performance will include a concert-length piece of music for soprano and chamber ensemble written by composer Emma Cardon-Wake with a libretto by Athena Kildegaard, modern dance choreographed by Lila Kushner, film projections by Kathryn Fulp, and costume design by Jess Holmes. Due to the expansive nature of this project, we are shooting a proof-of-concept film at the intended performance space with Katherine Reeves in April 2026. We will share this film with potential donors and grant providers to raise funds for the final project. Donations will go toward covering costs associated with the proof-of-concept film shoot such as paying the videographer, the artistic team, travel for out-of-town artists, and renting the space.

As someone in recovery from disordered eating, I am very passionate about this subject. I have heard countless stories from other women who have struggled with their relationship with their bodies, whether they have been diagnosed or not. I believe every body deserves to be free from the oppression of societal expectations, and we should work tirelessly to silence the voices that prevent us from celebrating the natural beauty of our unique bodies.

I am raising funds to support the creation of a proof-of-concept film to aid in securing funding for the final performance in the fall of 2027. 

Collaborators:

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