Published in the August 9, 2013 issue of the Bainbridge Island Review.

Jherek Bischoff didn’t know he would one day arrange orchestral pieces.

In fact, it wasn’t until about 2006 that he began to identify himself as someone who could score music.

He was filling out a Seattle artist grant application when for the first time he checked the box next to composer.

Fast forward seven years, and the Bainbridge Island native has an album featuring orchestral music coupled with such vocal legends as David Byrne and Caetano Veloso and press attention from NPR, the New Yorker, the New York Times and The Guardian.

On Aug. 16, Bischoff will return to Bainbridge for his first hometown performance since the release of his 2012 album, “Composed.”

“Composed,” much like Bischoff, started out with a somewhat unusual foundation.

Bischoff started playing bass guitar as a kid. His amp took up the entire floor space of his bedroom which was the approximate size of a storage closet inside his family’s sailboat, the Gumbo Ya-Ya.

It was 98 percent bed and about 2 percent floor space, a square footage just enough to stand inside the door.

“I think the most direct impact of (growing up in a sailboat) is how to make do with very little,” Bischoff said.

To continue reading, click here.