Scratch Night with Jahnvi Madan
Seattle’s Jazz History
Doors for this event will open at 6:30 PM.
Note: Town Hall events are approximately 75 minutes long.
Tickets to this event are free, but please pre-register.
Town Hall Seattle is proud to introduce clarinetist and composer Jahnvi Madan as our 2025 Spring Artist-in-Residence! A New England Conservatory graduate who grew up performing around Seattle’s Jazz scene, Jahnvi has performed at festivals including the D.C. Women in Jazz Festival, Seattle’s Westerlies Fest, and the Earshot Jazz Festival – as the youngest composer they have commissioned. Further, Jahnvi was recently named Earshot Jazz Festival’s Northwest Emerging Artist of the Year.
Jahnvi’s Scratch Night will take the form of a conversation with jazz journalist Alexa Peters, as they explore key moments in Seattle’s jazz history—uncovering hidden stories and sparking fresh connections to the city’s rich musical legacy. Through photos, recordings, and thoughtful questions, they’ll consider why this history matters, how Seattle has shaped jazz (and been shaped by it), and the importance of uplifting underrepresented voices. The event is inspired by Jahnvi’s personal journey to understand what it means to be a jazz musician born and raised in Seattle—and how her voice fits into the bigger picture.
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Named Northwest Emerging Artist of the Year by Earshot Jazz, Jahnvi Madan is an Indian American clarinetist, improviser, composer, and educator currently based in Seattle. As a bandleader, she has performed her original music at several well-known Jazz Festivals and local venues with her quintet. Madan recorded her debut album in November 2024 at Studio Litho in Seattle, which will be released in the Spring of 2025. As a music educator for over 9 years, Madan is committed to inclusivity, and recently planned, ran, and taught at Seattle JazzED’s Femme Jazz Day. As a member of their Anti-Racist Task Force, Madan developed and co-taught a course on Anti-Racism + Jazz in 2020. She is currently working with elementary, middle, and high schoolers through Seattle JazzED and local school districts.
Alexa Peters is a Seattle-based freelance journalist with a focus on arts & culture. Her journalism has appeared in Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, Downbeat Magazine, The Seattle Times, and KNKX Public Radio, among others. She’s currently co-authoring a forthcoming book on the Seattle jazz community with jazz critic Paul de Barros.
About Town Hall Residencies
Every year, Town Hall selects exceptional local artists and scholars for paid residencies where they engage with Town Hall programs and collaborate with our programming team to develop original events for the community. Read more about our residency program here.
Presented by Town Hall Seattle.