Rachel Bade-McMurphy

Tone poet and sound seeker Rachel Bade-McMurphy uses her voice, woodwinds and compositions to explore the depths of jazz and the creative world. A woman of many hats, she is a musician, teacher, presenter, radio host and arts advocate. She was awarded a 2024 Chamber Music of America Performance Plus grant for her Glass Bead Orchestra, a dynamic Jazz ensemble with lush wind orchestrations seeking to take the listener on a programmatic journey of poetic musings and the magical free association of the Art Spirit. She received her bachelor’s degree in music from Washington State university and masters degree from Eastern Washington University in Jazz studies. She is the artistic director of SAJE (Spokane All City Jazz), the woodwind specialist in the Mead school district, teaches adjunct at EWU and Whitworth, maintains a private music studio and is on staff at Holy Names Music Center. She has released two CDs of all-original music which have received international airplay and has written background music for Emmy-nominated promotional spots for KHQ-Q6 of Spokane. In addition to teaching and performing, Rachel is an advocate for Jazz and the local music scene. She is the founder of Imagine Jazz, a non-profit providing concerts, educational events and jam sessions to enrich the community. She also works for Spokane Public Radio hosting the “Afternoon in Jazz” on Friday afternoons.