photo courtesy by Anna Yatskevich
Saxophonist, composer, and educator María Grand was born in Switzerland in 1992, to a Swiss mother and an Argentinian father. Upon her moving to New York in 2011, she quickly became the protégée of legendary musicians such as Billy Harper, and Antoine Roney, as well as NEA Jazz Master Von Freeman; in just a few years, she became one of the few fresh and unique voices on her instrument. María recently completed her first orchestral work; she has composed for saxophone quartet as well as numerous pieces for her ensembles. She has lead her group DiaTribe at venues such as The Jazz Gallery; Seeds; Three Concentric Sections; Shapeshifter Lab; the Cell; in New York, and AMR Jazz Club and The Walden in Switzerland. She released her first opus "TetraWind" in February 2017. In recognition of her emerging talent, she was awarded one of three of the 2017 Jazz Gallery Commission Residencies, along with young masters Adam O'Farrill and Joel Ross; her new work will be premiered in June 2017.