GRACE DASHNAW IS AN ACCOMPLISHED CELLIST, COMPOSER, AND MULTIMEDIA ARTIST LIVING IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. WITH DEEP SEATED ROOTS IN WESTERN CLASSICAL PERFORMANCE, GRACE MORPHS, EVOLVES, AND MULTIPLIES, BRANCHING INTO  VISUAL, THEATRIC, SCULPTURAL, AND DIGITAL MEDIUMS.

FOLLOWING A DUAL UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE IN CELLO PERFORMANCE AND COMPOSITION AT ITHACA COLLEGE (MAY 2021) , GRACE BECAME INVOLVED IN THE UNDERGROUND, DIY SCENE IN UPSTATE NEW YORK, DRAWN TO NOISE AND IMPROVISATIONAL MUSIC. THEY WERE ACCEPTED TO CALARTS IN 2023, AND COMPLETED THEIR MFA IN COMPOSITION AND EXPERIMENTAL SOUND PRACTICES WITH A CONCENTRATION IN INTEGRATED MEDIA IN MAY 2025. DURING THEIR MASTERS DEGREE, GRACE COMPLETED THREE SOLO INSTALLATION WORKS IN THE WAVECAVE, A DEDICATED INSTALLATION SPACE FOR MUSIC STUDENTS. THEIR WORK BECAME EXPANSIVE AS THEY BECAME ENAMOURED WITH ENVIRONMENT CREATION, INCLUDING SENSOR MAPPING, SET DESIGN, THEATRE, SCULPTURE, + FILM ALONGSIDE THEIR ORIGINAL MUSIC.  

AS A FIERCE CELLIST AND IMPROVISER, GRACE HAS PERFORMED WITH MANY NOTABLE EXPERIMENTAL INSTRUMENTALISTS AND COMPOSERS, INCLUDING KEIR NEURINGER, SARAH HENNIES, CHRIS CORSANO, VINNY GOLIA, AND JIM FOX. THEY FREQUENTLY RECORD AS A SESSION ARTIST ACROSS GENRES, MOST RECENTLY ON AN ALBUM BY THE L.A. OFFICE OF IMPROVISATION WITH SAXOPHONIST MA TIESENGA. THEY FREQUENTLY PERFORM IN A VARIETY OF ENSEMBLES IN THE LA SCENE AT VENUES LIKE COAXIAL, 2220, AND ZEBULON. THEY PERFORM REGULARLY IN THEIR BAND GEMZ, A TRIO WITH HARPIST ELIF DINCER AND PERCUSSIONIST MA HARMS, AND IN THE JAKOB HEINEMANN QUARTET, WITH BASSIST JAKOB, SAXOPHONIST IVAN CUNNINGHAM, AND DRUMMER GREG MILES LEWIS. IN APRIL 2025, THEY RELEASED THEIR DEBUT SOLO ALBUM, ‘WRITHE’, ON PRIME RUIN,  A TAPE LABEL BASED IN ITHACA, NY. ‘WRITHE’ COMBINES THEIR LOVE FOR THE CELLO AND SYNTHESIS, CONCLUDING WITH A TEXTURAL, HARSH, LIVE NOISE PERFORMANCE AT AVANT GARDE A CLUE FESTIVAL IN ROCHESTER, NY FROM OCTOBER 2025.  

THEIR PERSONAL PRACTICE AS AN INSTALLATION ARTIST AND COMPOSER HAS LED TO MANY FRUITFUL COLLABORATIONS OVER THE YEARS.  THEY WERE AWARDED AN INSTALLATION RESIDENCY IN COLLABORATION WITH ARTISTS MA HARMS AND GENEVIEVE CECILE IN MAY 2025 AT ORACLE EGG, AN ARTIST RUN INCUBATOR FOR NEW WORKS. THEY HAVE WORKED ON NUMEROUS FILM SCORES, MOST NOTABLY “VENUS” BY JAMIE GRIFFITHS, WHICH WAS SELECTED FOR THE NATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FOR TALENTED YOUTH (NFFTY) IN 2020.  THEY CONTINUE TO SEEK OUT COLLABORATIONS WITH ARTISTS THAT PUSH THE BOUNDARIES OF EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC AND PERFORMANCE.

GRACE’S CURRENT FOCUS IS TACTILE IMPROVISATION AND ALTERNATE TUNINGS ON THE CELLO, INCLUDING OBJECTS LIKE CHAIN, CLOTH, AND ALUMINUM FOIL. FOREVER INTERESTED IN THE VISCERAL, THEY ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON A SECOND SOLO ALBUM TO BE RELEASED IN 2027.