Business Solutions
for Creative Professionals
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Artists
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Sieczka (See-ska) or (Shech-ka)
“A tireless and professional manager. Her no-nonsense, “the buck stops here” attitude means she’s someone I always rely on for the latest details and balanced insights.
“One of the most organized individuals I know. A master at efficiency and excels at building business infrastructure from ground up (e.g IT, HR, finance).
Over 20 years experience providing business solutions for non-profit and private arts and cultural organizations, independent artists, as well as small and large corporations. Specialties include comprehensive business operations and administration management, organization and infrastructure development, project management, as well as event production, tour planning, bookkeeping, human resources management, marketing, and web design.
Loyola University Chicago - BBA, Bachelor of Business Administration: Human Resource Management
Columbia College Chicago - Music Business
Portfolio
Founded in 2007 by Chicago teaching artists, Intercultural Music Production is a cultural arts organization committed to empowering global communities through music, dance, theatre, and visual performance, as well as education and production. The partners and artists at Intercultural Music specialize in Middle Eastern, North African, Andalusian, Greek, Turkish, South Asian music and more. We work extensively with children in the Chicago and suburban school districts, local and national colleges and universities, consulates, intercultural/interfaith groups, as well as with international arts organizations and artists. Intercultural Music has strong ties to the international music community through years of performing and teaching and also provides referrals and consultation for world music education and cultural events.
The International Voices Project champions the work of global playwrights by creating opportunities to experience new and contemporary international plays in urban settings and on stages throughout Chicago. We celebrate the mother tongue, and foster work that brings native languages to the forefront. From its inception, Chicago was conceived as the crossroads of the country. The rail lines that crossed the city now symbolize the role that Chicago will play in the future: as the center of international dialogue and design, creating opportunities for artists and audiences alike to experience the most engaging and provocative new plays from around the world. We foster new translations, support the work of translators, and create ongoing relationships with playwrights from the five continents.
The award-winning Funkadesi blends Indian music (bhangra, bollywood, folk) with reggae, funk, and Afro-Caribbean grooves. The Chicago-based band's “one-family” vibe makes for an enthralling live shows. For the past 23 years, Funkadesi's vision has been clear: This festive, virtuoso experience of cultural unity wows crowds through danceable grooves and brings communities together through education and dialogue. Insisting that we all belong – One Family, Many Children.
ORIGINAL INDO-AFRO-ARAB-FLAMENCO MUSIC & DANCE: Founded by Veena artiste Saraswathi Ranganathan, the group has been performing for the past 8 years, delighting audiences with lush rustic soundscapes of flamenco music and Afro rhythms woven into the rich sounds of Indian Classical ragas, Turkish Maqams, embellished with blues and folk melodies. Performances often include both music and dance from the Indian, African, Spanish flamenco traditions. Surabhi Ensemble features an outstanding line-up from Chicago’s music / theater scene.
interculturalmusic.com/surabhi | surabhiensemble.com | facebook
East Meets Middle East is a musical collective across continents celebrating the rich traditions of the Middle East and South Asia. From India, Subrata Bhattacharya (tabla) and Abhisek Lahiri (sarod) collaborate with Ronnie Malley (Oud) and George Lawler (percussion) to create a cross-cultural palette of improvisations and original compositions. The group transcends boundaries as they move through raga and maqam, tala and iqa, the music theories and rhythms found in South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa.
Lamajamal, a palindrome for jamal, the Arabic word for beauty, is an ensemble that explores classical, folk, and sacred music traditions from around the world. With each member trained in various musical traditions and instruments, the group has an extensive repertoire from the Middle East, North Africa, Balkans, Turkey, Greece, and South Asia. For over ten years, Lamajamal has established itself as a vanguard in the world music market performing at international festivals, renowned venues, interfaith events, as well as houses of worship for Jewish, Christian, and Muslim services. Lamajamal’s core mission is to identify historical and social commonalities among different musical styles, cultures, and religions to foster a sense of global citizenry.
Lamajamal members are also educators of the music traditions they play and have provided all-ages workshops, artist residencies, and lectures at well known institutions including Chicago Public Schools, University of Chicago, Northwestern University, DePaul University, Georgetown University, and more. The group’s diverse discography consists of original, folk, and commissioned works ranging from Middle Eastern, North African, and Roma dance music to Turkish classical and sacred repertoire, and even includes an entire album of Kashmiri folk music. From ancient to electronic, Lamajamal’s versatility embodies a creative energy without borders.
MUCCA PAZZA assembled itself in a steel mill parking lot along the Chicago river. Combining marching band traditions and street theater experience with rock band sensibilities, Mucca Pazza quickly found a home for its 30-odd members in the thriving Chicago underground music scene. Their eccentric, frenetic visual presence, and genre-bending original compositions earned them critical praise and a loyal local following. Before long, with their live show’s reputation preceding them, Mucca Pazza began to branch out nationally, appearing on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and performing at numerous national music festivals like Lollapalooza, Lincoln Center’s Out of Doors and the Montreal Jazz Fest.
Despite the drums and brass, cheerleaders and uniforms, Mucca Pazza seldom marches, musically or physically. The uniforms do not match. The cheers are strange. There are no recognizable patterns, no discernible formations, no militant airs. However, the force and presence of a marching band remain, both sonically and theatrically. The brass harmony, rich and powerful, the drums, tight and idiosyncratic, combine as a sum greater than its parts. The band might even move from point A to point B. But this is where similarities end. Mucca Pazza dances, flails, tumbles, and spins in circles. Amplified by speaker helmets, the freak section wields violins and cellos, accordions and guitars - instruments that have no business whatsoever being in a marching band. The cheerleaders rouse, encourage and confound the audience with asynchronous absurdity. The music moves from Balkan to brass band groove to noise-rock to avant-garde game show themes without missing a step. Performances can induce geeky freak-outs and nerdy rapture, from either audience or band members, often both. The American tradition of the marching band - whether as presidential entourage, half-time show, or second line party favor - receives both fresh love and artful abuse from Mucca Pazza.
muccapazza.com | facebook | youtube | twitter | soundcloud
Kalapriya's mission is to support, celebrate and present to a wide range of audiences the dance and music of India through performances, workshops, educational outreach programs, and formal dance instruction.
Mozaik opened in 2005 to curate cultural exhibitions for local artists in Paris. Exhibitions represented literature, art, food, and music from various cultures.
