RACC Press Releases

Thara Memory RACC Performing Arts Fellowship Winner 2005 (Photo: Dick Bogle)

The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) has announced the winner of this year’s Individual Artist’s Fellowship Award: to musician, composer and educator, Thara Memory. This fellowship, which is presented to a local artist of high merit in rotating disciplines each year, carries a cash award of $20,000. Due to budget constraints, only one Fellowship is being awarded this year.

Thara Memory is a brilliant and passionate musician, composer and educator. His contribution to the Portland music community spans over 35 years. In those years he has made a significant impact on the Portland jazz scene as one of the most talented jazz performers this area has to offer. His musicianship crosses over between classical and jazz and back again. But he is more than a trumpet player, more than a composer, Thara Memory is a master teacher. He has devoted his professional life to working with young people from all walks of life to open their eyes to the power of music.

With the Fellowship funds, Thara plans to dedicate more time and energy to his jazz clinics and workshops offered to high school band programs. He will explore ways to make music more accessible to our community and particularly young people. Thara will continue his conducting work with not-for-profit community orchestras such as Pacific Crest Sinfonietta and Diminuendo Wind Orchestra. Additionally, the Fellowship funds will support Thara as he works on his next original score; the foundation of this piece will be American Art Music infused with classical.

The RACC Artists Fellowship Award was established in 1999 as part of ArtsPlan 2000+ which recommended that the community recognize the value of some of the region’s most accomplished artists. The program is intended to help artists of high merit sustain or enhance their creative process. To apply, professional artists must have worked in their field for 10 years and have lived in the Portland tri-county area for five. The Fellowship Grant program operates in a four-year cycle in terms of the disciplines it celebrates. Next year Visual Arts (FY06-07) will be honored. For more information visit www.racc.org/grants.

Applications, which include three narrative questions, two letters of recommendation, and examples of the artist’s work, are reviewed through a lengthy panel process of community representatives from the discipline being honored. Serving as Performing Arts Panelists this year were Mike Barber, Tim DuRoche, Bobby Fouther, David Friesen, Magretta Hansen, Mead Hunter, Ann Ishimaru, Dawn Jackson, Julianne Johnson, Jon Kretzu, Vicki Pich, Kate Power, Quigley Provost-Landrum, Dmae Roberts, Michael Rohd, Christopher Stowell, Prajwal Vajracharya, John Vergin, and Tim Wilson.

“Fellowships of this size are unique in Oregon and the Northwest,” stated Eloise Damrosch, Executive Director of RACC. “They send a message to the entire community and to the nation about the significance of the contributions of individual artist to our region and our citizen’s recognition of these contributions.” Thara Memory will be officially honored at a luncheon in the Fall of 2005.

Artists who have received this prestigious award in past include:
1999, Performing Arts – Obo Addy and Mary Oslund
2000, Visual Arts – Terry Toedtemeier and Christine Bourdette
2001, Literary & Media Arts – Michele Glazer and Jim Blashfield
2002, Performing Arts – Tomas Svoboda and Keith Scales
2003, Visual Arts – Michael Brophy and Judy Cooke
2004, Literary & Media Arts – Craig Lesley and Chel White

Through vision, leadership and service the Regional Arts & Culture Council works to integrate arts and culture in all aspects of community life.
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