BRIA SKONBERG – BIO

Hailing from Chilliwack, BC, and now living in New York City, award winning trumpeter/vocalist/ composer BRIA SKONBERG is “poised to be one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation.”- Wall Street Journal. She has recently been honored with a New York Bistro Award for “Outstanding Jazz Artist”. In 2013 she earned a Jazz Journalists’ Association nomination for “Up and Coming Jazz Artist of The Year” and is included in DOWNBEAT Magazine’s Rising Star Critics‘ Poll for 2013. Her first professional gig was as a big band singer at age sixteen doubling on trumpet and she has since performed as a bandleader and guest artist all over North America, Europe, China and Japan. Since arriving in New York three years ago she has headlined at venues such as Dizzy’s Coca-Cola, Symphony Space, The Iridium and Birdland. She has been featured on Wycliffe Gordon’s projects and is a co-founder/producer of the New York Hot Jazz Festival. Bria focuses on innovating while honoring tradition: She has studied with Warren Vache, experimented with fuzz pedals and presented a gig fusing jazz and stand up comedy. Best known for her knowledge of classic jazz and pursuit of worldwide adventure, she is creating a lyrical style all her own rooted in swampy New Orleans grooves, soul and world music. Her debut US release SO IS THE DAY, peaked at #7 on the US National jazz charts; it features mostly original material and an all-star ensemble including John Pizzarelli, Victor Goines and Wycliffe Gordon. Released on Random Act Records, 10% of all proceeds go to support the Jazz Foundation of America. She currently tours the world, headlining major clubs and festivals as well as programming music education workshops for all ages. She is an active volunteer at the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Corona, Queens