UNIVERSITY PARK — As a grade-school musician, Bria Skonberg ditched the piano for an instrument with more bebop attitude — the trumpet. Two decades later, the self-described small-town girl from Chilliwack, British Columbia, is “shaking up the jazz world,” according to Vanity Fair, and earning rave reviews as a musician and vocalist. Skonberg will make her Penn State debut at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, in Schwab Auditorium. She will perform a variety of standards and original compositions with her quintet.
“She has a beautiful voice — both soul sultry and innocent sweet — and an instrumentalist’s feel for melodic line and rhythm,” wrote an All About Jazz critic.
According to a Wall Street Journal writer, ‘With her outstandingly satchel-mouthed trumpet solos, charismatic singing and sunshine personality, (she) continues to shine a light on the New Hot Jazz movement.”
In addition to fronting a high school-era ska band and jazz ensembles — including Mighty Aphrodite Jazz Band, The 51st Eight and Bria’s Hot Five — Skonberg has performed with notable musicians throughout North America. She has shared the stage with guitarists Bucky Pizzarelli and Howard Alden, clarinetist Anat Cohen, Vancouver’s King of Swing Dal Richards, Woody Allen (at Café Carlyle) and multi-instrumentalist Wycliffe Gordon. She’s “the full package,” Gordon said. In addition to her musical knowledge and talent, “she lights up on stage and automatically gets your attention.”
In 2012, Skonberg teamed up with Prohibition Productions to found the New York Hot Jazz Festival, an annual jazz bash that celebrates all forms of the genre. In May, she kicked off her N.Y. Hot Jazz Camp New Orleans-style music workshops.
In September, she released “Bria,” her major label debut and fourth release overall since 2009. In addition to the praise her recordings, live performances and collaborations have brought her, she has been recognized by a number of award committees. She won Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Swing! Award, New York Bistro Award’s Outstanding Jazz Artist and numerous 2014 Hot House Jazz Awards. She was also named a Rising Star and one of “25 for the Future” by DownBeat Magazine.
For more information, visit the cpa.psu.edu/events/bria-skonberg-quintet or call (814) 863-0255.
