Connecting Seattle's music creators to
Community, Education, and Opportunity

Studio Sessions Vol. 2

Riding high off the success of our Studio Sessions Pilot, the SCA is delighted to open registrations for Studio Sessions Volume 2. This program is designed to provide a cohort of music creators with the opportunity to collaborate with an arranger, record with professional musicians, and learn how ideas become reality in the studio world.

See the recap from Volume 1 below!

Studio Sessions Volume 2 is being hosted at Sunwave Studios, a smaller, private home studio in North Seattle engineered by Jesse Gallaway. You may recall his "Mixing Demystified" Expert Speaker Series talk, or have heard his work as one of SCA's go-to recording engineers for our Live Sessions concert series.

If you came to Avast! Recording Co. for our first Studio Sessions, you'll have met Arthur Sagami. While he was playing baritone saxophone in August, Arthur is an exceptionally talented multi-instrumentalist, well-versed on soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones, in addition to flute, clarinet, and bass clarinet.

Please read everything on this page before you submit!

How it works:

Studio Sessions registration is first come, first served. Only the first 8 artists that complete registration will be part of the Studio Sessions Vol. 2 Cohort (link at the bottom of this page).
Registration closes Sunday, September 20, or when all 8 slots are filled, whichever comes first.
Ahead of registering, we encourage you to reach out to the arranger to have a brief virtual spotting session. This is a free arrangement consultation where you and the arranger will listen through your track and talk through rough arrangement ideas and direction before the arranger begins work.
The arranger will aim to complete arrangements 1-2 weeks ahead of the studio day, ensuring each artist is satisfied with the parts the ensemble will record.
Cohort artists will be invited to attend the recording of their track on Sunday, October 18th 10:30am - 8:30pm. A schedule will be made in advance, with up to 90 minutes reserved for each artist (depending on track duration, complexity, and number of recording layers.
The studio day schedule is built around what works best for the ensemble, grouping sessions by instrument and pacing the day so our players can execute every track at the highest level. Please keep as much of Sunday, October 18 (10:30am–8:30pm) open as you can, and we'll send your confirmed time ahead of the studio day. If you have a hard constraint, you can tell us at registration and we'll do what we can.
The studio day will conclude with each cohort artist receiving professional recordings of the ensemble, ready to be mixed.

Who's Involved:

Arthur Sagami — Multi-instrumentalist

Available instruments and skill level:
Saxophones (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone): Advanced
Clarinet, Bass Clarinet: Intermediate
Flute: Intermediate

Arthur Sagami is an active woodwind multi-instrumentalist, performing and recording across genres and blending influences from jazz, classical, J-pop, and video game music, whether leading a big band saxophone section or performing as an orchestral clarinetist or flautist. He has performed with the Bob Curnow Big Band and the Yakima Symphony, appeared as a featured soloist with the Spokane Symphony, and is an active member of the pH Factor Big Band, performing with various groups throughout the Pacific Northwest. Additionally he works as a composer and arranger, writing works for jazz bands, saxophone quartets, and other ensemble formats.

Arthur received his master's degree in saxophone performance from the University of Idaho, and his bachelor's degree in saxophone performance from Pacific Lutheran University. He has studied saxophone with Erik Steighner, Vanessa Sielert, Collin Wilson, Robert Miller, and James DeJoie. Additionally he has studied clarinet with Shawn Copeland, Delores Hungerford, and Craig Rine.

Seven Sky — Arranger

Seven Sky has spent over a decade as a full-time multi-faceted music creator. As a composer, he has been commissioned to write for numerous ensembles, including string quartet, wind quintet, saxophone octet, harp and flute duo, and full orchestra.

As an arranger, Seven has added auxiliary elements such as horns, strings, and chamber orchestra to the live and recorded projects of dozens of local Seattle-based bands and artists. His contributions earned him a voting membership with the Recording Academy (the Grammys) in 2024. He has arranged for symphonies all over the country, including Greenville, Seattle, and San Francisco. He was appointed to the Seattle Music Commission by Mayor Katie Wilson in 2026.

The below reel features 8 examples for winds in jazz, theatrical, latin, funk, classical and pop styles.
Contact: sevenspillios@gmail.com

What you will need:

One track or demo for the ensemble to record to.
A rough idea for what arrangement style you're looking for (see examples below), how many total minutes of music will be arranged, and how many layers of arrangement (Maybe your track could use two parts, flute and clarinet? We can layer parts in the studio, creating a larger sound with one person.)

Need help? We recommend reaching out to the arranger to have a brief virtual spotting session before registering.

Arrangement style examples (from our horn trio Studio Sessions)

Long tones/simple

Arrangement mostly provides color, or a foundation to the track. Felt more than heard.

Interesting moments

Arrangement fills empty space with small moments, without taking over.

Consistently active throughout

The arrangement plays an important role when it's present. Fills space with parts that may become vital to the track's identity.

Give it all you got

The arrangement should be as expressive, dynamic, and interesting as possible. Unmistakably the thing a listener hears first.

Program FAQs:

Q: Who owns the recordings and arrangements?
A: Artists will own 100% of the copyright, on both the master and publishing side. The arranger, ensemble, and studio personnel will be considered works-for-hire.

Q: Do I have to be an SCA Member to join?
A: No, and the program registration includes an annual SCA membership if you are not already a member.

Q: Are there any genre restrictions?
A: No, any and all genres are welcome.

Q: Can my submitted recording be a demo?
A: Yes, but the ensemble will record to the track you submit. We highly recommend you record to a click to lock in the tempo/speed of your song. If you later want to speed the song up after the studio session (for example), you may encounter issues because the instruments were recorded at a slower tempo.

Q: Do I need to be able to understand theory or read music?
A: Not at all! This is part of the reason to involve an arranger.

Q: Can I attend the full studio day?
A: Each artist will be invited to attend the sessions directly before and after theirs.

Q: Can I use my own arrangement?
A: Yes, but in this case, an SCA Director will review the material and may suggest tweaks to improve readability, playability, etc.

Q: Can my bandmates attend the studio day?
A: Each artist will be able to bring up to one additional attendee.

Q: What if I need to cancel?
A: You can withdraw for a full refund any time through September 20. After that we can't offer refunds, because your slot is held and the arranger has begun work. You don't need to attend the studio day to receive your recordings. If your schedule changes, you'll still get everything you registered for. In the unlikely event that SCA has to cancel or reschedule the session, you'll receive a full refund or the option to move to a future date.

Q: What does it cost to register for Studio Sessions?
A: The time to arrange, learn, and record a track varies considerably, depending on an arrangement's number of parts, duration, and complexity. To ensure equitable compensation for everyone involved, this Studio Sessions' registration rate ranges from $125 to $405. Most submissions are expected to land between $160 and $260. More info can be found in the full registration form.

How many parts, and how much of the tune

	Under 2:00	2:00–2:30	2:30–3:00	3:00–3:30	3:30–4:00
1 part	$125	$145	$165	$190	$210
2 parts	$155	$185	$215	$245	$275
3 parts	$185	$225	$265	$305	$340

What you want the winds doing

Long tones/simple	$0
Interesting moments	+$35
Consistently active throughout	+$50
Give it all you got	+$65

Click here to register for Studio Sessions Vol. 2

Deadline: September 20

Questions? Email us at info@seattlecomposers.org
The Seattle Composers Alliance is fiscally sponsored by Shunpike, a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit.