Anna Webber

Anna Webber (b. 1984) is a New York-based flutist, saxophonist, and composer whose interests and work live the overlap between avant-garde jazz and new classical music. Her new album, Clockwise, featuring a septet comprised of several of the most creative musicians working in New York’s avant-garde, will be released on Pi Recordings in February 2019. Webber is joined on Clockwise by Jeremy Viner, Jacob Garchik, Chris Hoffman, Matt Mitchell, Chris Tordini, and Ches Smith.

In addition to this septet, Webber also leads the critically acclaimed Simple Trio, featuring drummer John Hollenbeck and pianist Matt Mitchell, with which she has released two albums on Skirl Records: Binary (2016) and SIMPLE (2014). She has furthermore recorded for Munich’s Pirouet Records with the now defunct Percussive Mechanics. Her other projects a big band co-led with Angela Morris; Jagged Spheres with Devin Gray and Elias Stemeseder; EAVE with Erik Hove, Evan Tighe, and Vicky Mettler; and The Hero of Warchester with Nathaniel Morgan and Liz Kosack.

Webber is a 2018 Guggenheim Fellow. She has additionally been awarded grants from the Copland Fund (2021 & 2019), the Shifting Foundation (2015), the New York Foundation for the Arts (2017), the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, and the Canada Council for the Arts and residencies from Exploring the Metropolis (2019), the MacDowell Colony (2017 & 2020), the Millay Colony for the Arts (2015), and the Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts (2014).

Webber has performed and/or recorded with Dan Weiss’ Sixteen; Jen Shyu’s Jade Tongue; Matt Mitchell’s A Pouting Grimace and Sprees; Dave Douglas’ ENGAGE; the John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble; Ches Smith’s Laugh Ash; Adam Hopkins’ Crickets; Geof Bradfield’s Yes and...; the Chris Tordini Quartet; Ohad Talmor’s Grand Ensemble; Fabian Almazan’s Realm of Possibilities; Noah Garabedian’s Big Butter and the Eggmen; the Erik Hove Chamber Ensemble; a sextet from Bang on a Can All-Stars member Ken Thomson; Harris Eisenstadt’s Recent Developments; and the Marike van Dijk Stereography Project. She performed in the world premiere of Sila: The Breath of the World by Pulitzer Prize-winner John Luther Adams at the Lincoln Center.

Originally from British Columbia, Webber studied music at McGill University in Montreal before moving to New York City in 2008. She holds master’s degrees from both Manhattan School of Music and the Jazz Institute Berlin.

Awards

Prix Francois-Marcaurelle, L'OFF Festival du Jazz 2010

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