Named one of the “most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation” by The Wall Street Journal, award-winning trumpeter and vocalist Bria Skonberg links the present to the past with inventive arrangements of traditional jazz repertoire, clever reinterpretations of contemporary classics, and original compositions with genuine heart and dynamic flair.
Known for her fiery trumpet playing and smoky vocals, Skonberg has played with U2 at the Apollo, performed The Star Spangled Banner at Madison Square Garden, and has recently appeared on a month-long tour as a featured member of the 2019 Monterey Jazz Festival Touring Band alongside Cecile McLorin Salvant, Jamison Ross, Melisa Aldana, and Christian Sands.
Based in New York, Skonberg is a truly unique voice in the jazz-blues-crossover realm. In the last year alone she sang the music of Aretha Franklin alongside Michelle Williams (Destiny’s Child), sat in with the Dave Matthews Band, was a featured guest with Jon Batiste, and much more.
The 2017 Juno Award Winner for Best Vocal Jazz Album and 2018 Juno nominee has garnered more than six million streams on Spotify, made the Top 5 on Billboard jazz charts, was voted #2 Rising Star by DownBeat Magazine and has organically earned more than 25,000 online followers. Her latest crowd-funded recording project, produced by Grammy Award winner Eli Wolf, prominently features Skonberg’s compelling song writing skills alongside a few creative covers (Queen, a Beatles/Duke Ellington mashup). A voice for this generation, she approaches contemporary subjects of womens' rights, civil rights, frustration, despair, and hope through an overarching theme of "finding light in the darkness."
She is a highly sought out performer and educator, leader of the Sisterhood of Swing large ensemble, represents Jazz at Lincoln Center in schools, is co-director of the New York Hot Jazz Camp, and is currently creating original educational programming for the Louis Armstrong House Museum.
