Three Somerville Artists Receive Iguana Music Fund Grants

SOMERVILLE, MA – Three Somerville-based musical acts were among 25 artists and groups to receive a grant from the Passim Iguana Music Fund.

The fund awarded a total of $40,000 to acts in New England, which included Somerville's Aurora Birch, GennaRose Nethercott and the group San Lorenzo.

"Passim continues to provide live musical experiences for artists at all stages of their career," Jim Wooster, Executive Director of Passim, said in a statement. "The Iguana Music Fund grants allow us to help musicians complete important career-developing projects and community programs."

Birch and San Lorenzo plan to use their grants to fund their respective full-length debut albums, and Nethercott's grant will go toward a collaborative album.

The Iguana Music Fund was launched in 2008 after an anonymous donor approached Passim with the idea to provide financial assistance to local artists. It annually awards grants from $500 to $2,000 in the fields of recording or manufacturing assistance, publicity and marketing support, equipment and instruments, songwriting retreats, tour support, special projects and professional growth to musicians with a New England connection. To date, it has provided more than $300,000 in funding.

A free concert showcasing the work of the 2016 grant recipients will be held at Club Passim on April 10 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available online at www.passim.org, by phone at 617-492-7679 (9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mon.-Fri.) or at the box office 60 minutes before the show begins. Club Passim is located at 47 Palmer St. in Cambridge.

Image via Passim