Capital Music Awards — Dossier de candidature
Somerset Jams
Programmateur·trice de spectacles de l’année
Aperçu du (de la) candidat·e (biographie, présentation, etc.)
Somerset Jams is an Ottawa-based concert series in Centretown offering intimate, listening-room experiences for audiences while providing a platform for emerging and diverse artists. We program with intention, create a warm and attentive space for artists and audiences alike, and are committed to fair artist compensation.
Description de la philosophie de programmation et des activités
Somerset Jams is built on the belief that how you program matters as much as who you book. Our curation starts with an equity lens, actively seeking out artists from underrepresented genres and communities, including West African kora, Lebanese pop, Arabic classical, and Kurdish Kamanche fusion. We intentionally pair artists across genres to encourage shared audiences and organic discovery, and we prioritize fair compensation and high-quality performance capture so the music reaches beyond the live setting.
Artists choose Somerset Jams for the listening-room feel, the acoustics, and an audience that is fully present. We shape our programming through referrals and direct artist discovery. We are always looking for voices that should be heard more widely, and we believe Ottawa's music scene is stronger for hearing them.
Résumé de l’impact des programmations durant la période d’éligibilité
In 2025, Somerset Jams hosted four shows featuring 10 artists, 7 of whom were artists of colour, and welcomed 116 attendees across the season, with 3 of 4 shows selling out. We contributed $2401.92 to the local music economy through artist fees, videography, and photography.
Programming spanned four languages: English, French, Arabic, and Mandinka. Artists consistently reported gaining new fans through cross-genre audience exposure, and our most recent concert highlight reached 7,000 views within two weeks, extending each show's reach to audiences who couldn't be there. More than just numbers, these shows have built a small but loyal community of listeners and a growing roster of returning artists.