October 2024: Melissa Aldana (CL/US)

The Artist-In-Residence in 2024 is Grammy-nominated tenor saxophonist and composer Melissa Aldana.

Grammy-nominated tenor saxophonist and composer Melissa Aldana (b. 1988) hailing from Chile and living in the United States, is considered one of the leading jazz voices of her generation. She won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition as the first female and as the first South American instrumentalist in 2013. Her jazz quartet’s first album Visions was released with rave reviews in 2019, and the second album 12 Stars received an equally glorious reception in 2022. The first reviews of the album Echoes of the Inner Prophet, released in spring 2024, have also been graceful. DownBeat nominated her as the Rising Star Artist of the Year in 2022.

Melissa Aldana is known for her smooth harmonies and compositions that respect post-bop traditions. She has already established her name among the jazz musicians such as John Scofield, Joe Lovano, Roy Hargrove, Branford Marsalis and the SFJAZZ Collective.

Read more: www.melissaaldana.net

Alongside working on her own artistic projects Aldana collaborates with local jazz professionals, performs with leading Finnish jazz musicians, and teaches at the Sibelius Academy Jazz Department.

Events during the residency:

October 6, 2024 Oulu All Star Big Band feat. Melissa Aldana, Pohjankartano school, Oulu

October 9, 2024 UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra feat. Melissa Aldana, Siltasali, Jyväskylä

October 10, 2024 UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra feat. Melissa Aldana, Möysän Musaklubi, Lahti

October 11, 2024 UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra feat. Melissa Aldana, Savoy Theatre, Helsinki