SHANNON MOWDAY (she/her)
(SOUTH AFRICA /NORWAY)
Performer, Composer, Director, Educator
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/shannymow/;
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1JPX5agw7DnFWLK1UuAGoz?si=tqAcHG3iTi6wPaQwDRbv3g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auE9X2HvzaA
South African born performer, composer, director and arranger, Shannon Mowday was introduced to music from an early age by her father. She obtained a Bmus Honours in Jazz Performance from the University of Cape Town (cum laude) and completed a Masters of Improvised Music at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. She also studied composition/arrangement and conducting with Geir Lysne. She was awarded the prestigious Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Jazz in 2007 and was granted a distinguished talent visa for residence in Australia. She was awarded Norsk jazz forum’s Storband (Big Band) prize in 2018 and Norsk Jazz Forum's Ungjazzprisen (Youth jazz prize) 2023 for her contribution to developing youth jazz in Norway. She plays all woodwinds but specializes on baritone and bass saxophones and contra-alto clarinet. Shannon relocated to Norway 2009 where she currently resides but continues to work internationally.
Shannon currently is currently the Inclusion and Diversity Representative (Likestillings-øg Inkluderingsombud) for the Norwegian Composers Association. (Norsk Komponist Forening-NKF).
As a performing artist and composer, she has a strong focus combining her South African roots, Norwegian aesthetics, life/travel experiences with a deeply feminological perspective. Her explicit aim is to blur boundaries of stylistic genres and break conventional moulds within the jazz /improvised music genre and to present different perspectives of life and music.
Shannon’s recent Bigband commission ‘Colourful Houses ‘with Bergen Bigband at Vossa Jazz (2024) received outstanding reviews from audience and critics alike. They will repeat the performance of the work at National Jazz Scene (March 2025) and festivals later in the year.
Shannon has performed internationally with her own projects and music -LILA, African Eyes, Galumphing, Shannon Mowday Quartet, MØTE, The Land In-Between, Shannon Mowday trio, QI/CHI,Galumphing Duo as well as other local and international collaborations.
She has performed on concerts and jazz festivals throughout Africa (South Africa, Namibia, Egypt, Swaziland); Europe (throughout Scandinavia, Finland, Switzerland, Germany, Paris); Australia ; Malaysia (Borneo, Genting) and America and has been an ambassador for South African jazz along with fellow Standard Bank Artist Award winners. (Lord Mayor's Gala Guildhall, London; World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland, South African Expo in China).
Smaller ensemble projects include Galumphing Duo together with trombonist Jørgen Bjelkerud.They released 'Contrast of Opposites' in 2023 on AMP label and toured extensively in both Norway and Cape Town (2023/4).Her project ‘LILA’ is a collaboration with some of Scandinavia’s finest improvising artists; Helge Lien, Johannes Eick and Erik Nylander. LILA was featured at the Joy of Jazz Festival 2019 and performed throughout Norway. They released ‘The Land In-Between’ in October 2020 on Bugge Wesseltoft’s OK Worldlabel. ’Supposing’ from the album was selected for the 10th edition of ‘Jazz out of Norway’ cd compilation.Shannon Mowday’s CHI/ Qi -an international collaboration featuring Jeroen van Vliet, Hilmar Jensson and Torstein Lofthus toured North Norway(2019). She recorded her debut cd ‘African Eyes’ in Australia along with fellow leading Australia jazz musicians and with multi-instrumentalist James Morrison as guest artist.(2004)
Shannon has a special focus on large ensembles and in Norway she has performed and composed/arranged for Ensemble Denada, Bergen Bigband, Brazz Brothers, North Sea Big band, Det Nye Norske Storband, Ett Fett, Stabbsmusikk, Bajazz, Ski Big band, Police Orchestra, Hamar Orchestra, Eikeblaas, Elverom Big Band, Jazzå, Sandvika Storband, Nes, Føyka,Starlight Big band ,Norges Musikhøgskole Big band, Hemnesberget Big band (Afhild’s Balkon Deluxe),Equinor Storband,DIOC Big band,Ett Fett Bigband, Bjergsted Jazz Ensemble, Equinor Storband. She composed for the 'Ballbreaker Ensemble' in Switzerland for Jazzwerkstatt festival 2012 featuring Andreas Schaerer. She has an upcoming project with her music and Sointi Jazz Orchestra (2025/2026).
Aside from her own projects, she has had several commissions for projects including works for Det Nye Norske Storband, Stabbsmusikk, Ensemble Denada, a commission for Cimbasso and Small jazz ensemble.Her commission for Taffelpikene (woodwind trio) is part of their ADA project and appears on their ADA hun som skaper cd (2024).She composed and performed music for award winning tv documentary series, Impresario and also award winning Jungle Beat. Her composition ‘Woza Waltz’ was selected for the South African Jazz Real Book and ‘Woza Waltz' and ‘African Eyes’ selected for the South African Jazz Collection
In South Africa, she performed with all the major symphony orchestras as soloist with her music- Cape Town Philharmonic, Eastern Cape Philharmonic, Durban Philharmonic, Johannesburg Festival Orchestras.
Notable projects she has been involved in: Toured internationally with Ensemble Denada (South Africa, Italy, America, Norway, Germany, England )as well as performances with Maria Schneider and a live performance cd production with Torun Eriksen ‘Live in Bremen’. She arranged for the ensemble in a project featuring renowned Norwegian bass player, Arild Andersen. She performed with Marius Neset and Bergen Bigband with his commissioned work for Nattjazz (2021) .She was a member of 'Elin Rosseland Quintet' and recorded with her music and the Trondheim JazzOrkester (EKKO) conducted by Erlend Skomsvoll. She has been part of a project with NDR Bigband under leadership of Geir Lysne. She was a member of Jazz Baltica ‘All-star Bigband’ and ‘Baltica Allstars’ created by Nils Landgren and also recorded and performed in other projects he has initiated (Peter and the Wolf, Tales of Bremen).She instigated the international project BURN! which is a collaboration of Norwegian, South African ,French, German, Swedish and Danish female jazz musicians which has toured extensively internationally.She worked extensively with South African Diva, Sibongile Khumalo (deceased) and composed and arranged for her projects at local and international festivals. (Makanda National Arts, Cape Town International,Joy of Jazz). She also performed on her ‘Sibongile Khumalo LIVE’ cd/ dvd.(2008).
Shannon has also performed and recorded with some of the leading musicians in the jazz /improvised music field eg. Maria Schneider, Danilo Perez, James and John Morrison, Ensemble Denada, Sibongile Khumalo, Busi Mhlongo, Gloria Bosman, Winston Mankunku, Bugge Wesseltoft, Johan Horlen, Jeroen van Vliet, Nils Landgren, Steffen Schorn, Jonathan Butler, Oliver Mtukudzi, John Fedchock, Geir Lysne, Erlend Skomsvoll, Elin Rosseland, Mike del Ferro, Trondheim Jazz Orchestra,Marius Nest etc.
As educator, she was instrumental lecturer at the University of Cape Town in South Africa as well as schools and also leading many community band projects in South Africa (Turfjamp, Sekunjalo, South African National School's Band, workshops with Standband Bank Young Artist Award winners). She taught at Norges Musikhøgskole, and has given many workshops throughout Norway as well as internationally (Africa, America and Australia).
She led Akershus og Oslo Ungdomsjazzorkester (AOJO) from 2016-22. AOJO performed on Molde Jazz, Oslo Jazz, Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Festival (South Africa), Jazz Baltica (Germany) and other performances in Norway. She also initiated a highly successful mass youth project (AOJO and Øvre Foss) which performed at Oslo Jazz Festival (2018) as well as other performances.A cd of AOJO and collaboration with Øvre Foss entitled ‘Oasis of Bad Vibes’ was released June 2019.A documentary was released about her work with AOJO ‘‘Om å spille sammen som seg selv’ (To play together as yourself). In 2024, she led a mass reunion concert of AOJO for its 10th year anniversary at National Jazz Scene with some of the musicians now having become the upcoming names in Norwegian jazz.
Other Norwegian youth jazz projects include : Østfold Ungdomssjazorkester, Buskerud Ungdomsjazorkester, Bergen Ungdomsstorband, Sørnorsk Ungdomssjazzorkester. Together with Gunnar Halle, she has led Østnorsk Jazz Centre’s Improv Music Camp (2023,24) with a strong focus on individual expression and a particular focus on mental, physical and creative health. This course will be repeated in next years.
’Shannon Mowday’s Bridge over #MeToo’ with Det Nye Norske Storband, had its debut in June 2021 and presents many social issues found within the music industry based on real-life stories and incidences.Aside from a personal project of healing through acknowledgement, Bridge aims to highlight prevalent issues in the jazz scene in order to initiate relevant discussions and truly address issues in the jazz milieu, especially gender imbalance.This work features her as composer, director and soloist ,together with big band and Norwegian Slam poetry champion, Olav Abildgaard on rap. She has released 3 singles with Bridge Over #MeToo: ’Who’s your Daddy?’, ‘Come on…Play like a Boy ‘ and ‘Find your Way’.The work has been performed in Oslo, Trondheim and Lillestrøm Storband Festival as well as excerpts performed in South Africa and Australia. Shannon also performed Bridge over #Me Too with Bjergsted Jazz Ensemble at Mai Jazz 2024 .
Aside from Bridge over #Me Too, she has worked actively in projects which aim at rectifying gender imbalance issues in the jazz milieu. She has led workshops with ‘Det Annet Kjønn’ (Stavanger) and represented students at CMPE talks at Nørges Musikkhøskole as well as engaged in discussions with leading female artists internationally. She created all-female youth project UBUNTU (through Østnorsk jazzsenter) and runs workshops for all the young women/gender diverse musicians of Østnorskjazzsenter’s youth ensembles. Along with renowned Australia artist Sandy Evans, she taught on SIMA (Sydney Improvised Music Association) courses and presented workshops with SPEKTRA jazz ensemble with a focus on nurturing young female and gender diverse musicians.
She continues to find ways to collaborate youths from across the world through music and in 2013 initiated a collaboration of youths from Norway with several community based projects in South Africa. In 2017 and 2019, she initiated projects from Norway to travel to South Africa and created ‘International Bands’ with the idea of sharing different life and cultural perspectives. She has also created national projects combining young musicians throughout Norway with workshops performances at festivals (eg Hemnes jazz).
Shannon is passionate about creating opportunities and platforms for musical and life ‘conversations’ with people from different cultures or life experiences. She is a strong voice for gender equality, individuality and speaks openly about issues such as Gender based Violence, and other forms of abuse in the hope to raise awareness and initiate change through her music. ‘Courtney’ from her ‘The Land In Between’ album was dedicated to slain South African toddler, Courtney Pieters, as well as the album dedicated to victims of gender based violence. ‘Woman of Africa’ was featured on Mc Coy Mrubata’s ‘The Strings Attached’ project which was composed in dedication to his daughter, Nonceba who also lost her life as a victim of GBV. ‘Expose the Man’ was written for and dedicated to Dan Weclaw in support of his case against his father for numerous charges of paedophilia.
Shannon is a single parent and very engaged about creating infrastructures that make the industry more suitable for parents.Sharing different perceptions of life and creativity is foremost in her work.She is also an active yogi and has a strong focus on each musician's personal identity and aims to create healthy musical environments to promote physical, mental and creative health.