The Cedar Commissions
MEET OUR 2026-2027
CEDAR COMMISSIONS COHORT!
M. Ada Jamison
M. Ada Jamison is a musician, composer, and engineer whose work has been viewed at institutions including The Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; The Shed, New York; Park Avenue Armory, New York and Sommerset House, London. Jamison’s first lead album production credit- Ms. Boogie's The Breakdown- scored a 7.4 Pitchfork review and went platinum in the streets. Her first feature length film composition- Newsome's Rashaad Assembly- premiered at SWSW and has since been screened at festivals in over 6 countries and 40 cities. In 2026 she - alongside Yonci Jameson - opened Minneapolis' first Black Trans & Queer owned & operated recording studio, "Studio Arisaema". M. has a cherished history producing and composing music for Black trans and queer cultural pioneers such as; Kamilla Love, Blu Bone, Trannilish, Denaisha, Jada Amina, and Ms Boogie. Her ethos has always been to elevate the voices of her community.
M. Ada Jamison assembles a team of sonic explorers, Glory Yard, Kamilla Love and Yonci Jameson. Representing the sound of Minneapolis' Black Queer/Trans underground music scene, "Modal Root System" will explore the relationship between modal music theory and Black gender queerness. A conversation between artists of unique gender identities, communicating to each other in a language crafted ourselves. Each artist in the ensemble composes pieces for this performance, referencing one of the 21 (Major, Melodic Minor & Harmonic Minor) modes. Each artist crafting sonic language, communicates the intricacies of their gender identity and how it relates to their Blackness with the rest of the ensemble made of artists who have been in community and collaboration with each other for a decade+. The complexities of the Modal Root System, intertwined and underground, will be revealed for a live audience to also understand and resonate with what it means to hold many identities. Black, Caribbean, Dominican, Puerto Rican, Black American, Trans femme, Fem Queen, Stud, Masc, Non Binary, Lesbian, Queer, Woman, etc... In an era of gender fascism, we the Modal Root System urge you to listen, learn, feel, mourn, rejoice with us.
Se’Anna. on da Mic
Se’Anna. on da Mic is a Minneapolis-born MC using Conversational RAP (Rhythm And Poetry) to spark transformative dialogue that spreads more life, truth, and light in the world. She’s been privileged to grace the stage with her immersive lyrical content and mind-regulating Hip Hop storytelling from renowned spaces like the Ordway, Soul of The Southside, and the SOTA movement to your favorite local open mics and showcases.
Her intention in her work is to challenge harmful narratives and identities built through adversary and create songs that pay homage to the wealth of Black resilience. Altogether, her soulful psalm-like style is a nod to her family’s Delta roots and the black culture as a whole that has informed her craft.
Se’Anna. on da Mic will expand her repertoire by creating an original work that juxtaposes Hip Hop storytelling with black media anecdotes shaped by contemporary news, film, pop culture, and futurism.
A bonafide Mic Controller and Minister to Community, she boldly renders Hip Hop her medium of choice for narrative-led systemic change.
Christian Rasmussen
Christian Rasmussen (he/him) is a multi-instrumentalist and composer from Bogotà, Colombia. A transnational adoptee, Christian was raised in Madison, Wisconsin where he first fell in love with performing. After studying double bass performance and religious studies at Lawrence University, he moved to Minneapolis and quickly dove headfirst into the local music scene. He’s played bass with many local artists, including rappers, jazz singers, psychedelic jam bands and nearly everything in between.
His current project is the culmination of years of varied musical experiences, intertwined with his journey as an adoptee.
On a journey to reclaim his roots and culture, transnational adoptee Christian Rasmussen (he/him) will create new fusion music that bridges traditional Colombian music and American R&B and Jazz. The addition of stage design, costuming, and projected visuals will aid in crafting a narrative exploring the reconnection to Colombian land, culture, and family. He hopes it not only helps further understanding of his own story, but inspires other adoptees to be proud of their stories as well.
Ross Clowser
Hailing from the prairies of Iowa and currently based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Ross Clowser is an American composer, improviser, scholar, and guitarist. Working in multiple genres, mediums, and formats, he combines a wide array of influences, approaches, and modalities to his compositions and collaborations. Influenced by the legacy of jazz, post-rock, improvised music, American experimentalism, electronic music, and his interest in musicology, his work reflects the past and looks toward the future, while being anchored in the present moment.
His work includes jazz composition, electronic music programming, through composed music, free improvisation, and visual art.
His current projects include The Ross Clowser Quartet, featuring Joe Strachan, Josh Granowski, and Tarek Abdelqader, Starflower, a collaboration with Toby Ramaswamy and Anna Dolde, People Electric, and audio visual collaboration with his sibling, artist Anna Clowser. He has played and collaborated with a number of artists including Erik Fratzke, Mitch Towne, Nathan Hanson, Steve Hirsh, Max Wanderman, Chris Hepola, Leyna Marika Papach, and more.
Niloufar Shiri
I am Niloufar Shiri, a composer and improviser from Tehran, Iran. I began my musical studies in Persian classical music, where I was introduced to and guided through the practice of bedāheh (improvisation). My work draws inspiration from Persian folk stories, poetry, and Iranian mythological creatures, while engaging with extended techniques, microtonality, and noise.
I often explore the space between structure and spontaneity, tradition and experimentation, using music as a way of telling stories and creating imagined worlds. As a composer and improviser, I am interested in creating spaces where performers retain agency and where musical form can remain fluid and responsive. I bring together written structures and improvisational processes, allowing each performance to become a distinct encounter between sound, time, and the performers involved.
A selection of my work and collaborations is available at niloufarshiri.com.
Willow Waters
Willow Waters is a neurodivergent, genderfluid, queer multi-instrumental singer-songwriter and composer residing in South Minneapolis. She makes expressive, heartfelt music drawing from a wide array of influences, from jazz to folk to rock to experimental and everywhere in between. Her music is deeply political and environmentally grounded, with songs that reflect the myriad manifestations of the more-than-human world.
The voice of the wind through the trees; the speech of rain on the rooftop; the gift of shade from a large stone; the endless interplay between the perceiver and the perceived. I will craft a musical journey from a perspective that coalesces the intersection of my nature-based spirituality that honors the interconnection of all things, my practice of traversing diverse styles of music, references to various texts that illuminate my animistic perspective, and my experience as a genderfluid person living in community. The aim of my project will be to create a musical and visual landscape that reminds the listener of their place within the more-than-human world. The music and visual elements will enhance our collective awareness of the life in all things, exploring the concepts of animism and interconnection, reciprocity, and community care.
ABOUT THE CEDAR COMMISSIONS
The Cedar Commissions is our flagship program for local emerging artists made possible with a grant from the Jerome Foundation. Since the program began in 2011, the Commissions have showcased new work by over 90 Minnesotan emerging composers and musicians, including Dessa, Aby Wolf, Theo Langason, Maria Isa, Carlisle Evans Peck, Sarah Larsson, Dameun Strange, Vie Boheme, and many more.
Commissioned artists are selected by a panel composed of Cedar community, staff, and past participants of this program. Artists receive a $4,500 stipend, as well as professional development, administrative & marketing support from Cedar staff, and mentorship from an artist-determined individual. Performances include a tech rehearsal, high-quality professional photos, multitrack recording, and video documentation.
For this program, The Cedar selects six emerging artists working across musical genres who we believe are capable of telling stories through music and sound that carry the potential to advance and expand upon our mission of intercultural understanding. Consideration is given to an artist’s ability and intention to push artistic boundaries, forge new collaborations, and deepen community connections.
The Cedar Commissions is made possible in part by a grant from the Jerome Foundation.