Ambrose Akinmusire

Ambrose Akinmusire is a composer and trumpeter whose work transcends genre, moving between contemporary chamber music, orchestral commissions, dance, film, and improvisation. His music has been commissioned by the Berlin Jazz Festival, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra’s Liquid Music series, the Kennedy Center, the Hyde Park Jazz Festival, and the Monterey Jazz Festival. His works have been performed internationally at Carnegie Hall, the Barbican in London, the Berlin Philharmonie, North Sea Jazz Festival, La Philharmonie de Paris and the Montreux Jazz Festival. Recent projects include an ongoing collaboration with choreographer Barton. As a recording artist and bandleader, Akinmusire has released nine albums of original music of which two were nominated for GRAMMY Awards in the Best Jazz Instrumental Album category: Owl Song (Nonesuch) and on the tender spot of every calloused moment (Blue Note). Additionally he has contributed to landmark recordings by artists as varied as Joni Mitchell, Kendrick Lamar, and Roscoe Mitchell, underscoring the breadth of his creative reach. Akinmusire’s honors include three GRAMMY nominations, the Paul Acket Award (North Sea Jazz Festival), Germany’s ECHO Award for Best International Instrumentalist, and France’s Grand Prix de l’Académie du Jazz. He was named Best Trumpet in the DownBeat Critics Poll for eight consecutive years, recognition that accompanies his growing reputation as one of the most vital composers of his generation.