Bria Skonberg Quartet
Sunday, September 21, 2025
Show starts at 3PM
Topeka Performing
Arts Center
About Bria Skonberg
New York based and Canadian born singer, trumpeter, and songwriter Bria Skonberg has been described as one of the “most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation” (Wall Street Journal). Bria has stormed onto the jazz scene with her smoky vocals, blistering trumpet, and compelling compositions and arrangements. The Juno Award winner has sung the music of Aretha Franklin alongside Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child, played with U2 at the iconic Apollo Theater, sat in with the Dave Matthews Band, was a featured guest with Jon Batiste, performed as part of The Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour, and sang the National Anthem at Madison Square Garden for a NY Rangers game.
The past few years have brought major life changes to everyone. In Bria Skonberg's case, in addition to the challenges of surviving as a professional musician during the pandemic, she experienced the joy of parenthood for the first time, two life-altering events that have together inspired her to feel a renewed sense of freedom in music making. Bria’s 2024 release, What It Means forges a way forward, in particular by returning to what inspired her in the first place: the sounds of New Orleans jazz. Recorded at Esplanade Studios during Mardi Gras of 2023, Bria is joined by an ensemble of established veterans and up and coming talent, including master Crescent City drummer Herlin Riley. This collection tells stories of life lessons that range from upbeat to down-to-earth to emotionally deep, all the while exhibiting both her mastery of the trumpet and her soulful and undeniably connective voice. Traditional jazz excursions such as "Petit Fleur" and "Elbow Bump;" a hard bop take on the Sonny & Cher hit "The Beat Goes On;" a duet with NOLA notable Gabrielle Cavassa on Van Morrison's "Days Like This;" a heartfelt dedication to her new child, John Lennon's "Beautiful Boy;" these and so many other tracks show how with her seventh studio album, Bria has solidified her artistry, mastering her signature style as one of the most distinctive artists in jazz.
PRESS QUOTES
“If Louis Armstrong and Doris Day could somehow be the same person, they’d be Bria Skonberg”
The Wall Street Journal
“Ms. Skonberg has become the shining hope of hot jazz, on the strength of a clarion trumpet style indebted to Louis Armstrong, a smooth purr of a singing voice inspired by Anita O’Day.”
The New York Times
“A millennial shaking up the jazz world”
Vanity Fair
“One of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation”
The Wall Street Journal
“On her debut US recording, trumpeter and vocalist Bria Skonberg makes a diverse musical statement - it’s clear she’s up to more than nostalgia”
New York Daily News
“Bria Skonberg confirms that she is not only indeed a triple threat musician - player, vocalist and composer - but also that that esteemed lineage, consummate entertainers all, would heartily approve her membership”
All About Jazz
