CSW 2021-22 Mentor
Kirsten Edkins
Kirsten Edkins is an accomplished saxophonist, recording artist, band leader and teacher who seeks to give the gift of music to empower and encourage others. Her career has taken her coast to coast as she’s followed her love of the artform and now resides in her native Southern California.
Inspired by jazz greats such as John Coltrane, Eddie Harris and Joe Henderson, she developed her own voice of thoughtfulness that is expressed on her album “Art & Soul.” The album was a culmination of her process of refining her craft and putting in the work to develop her own thoughtful voice. “Edkins plays inquisitive, unpredictable solos which have an unquestionable swing despite phrases that deliberately go against the grain of the underlying rhythm,” Jazz History Online wrote in its review of “Art & Soul.”
Edkins was the first woman to perform in Bill Holman’s Big Band and has been a member of several Grammy- award winning bands: John Beasley’s MONK’estra, the Claire Fischer Band and the late composer Johnny Mandel’s band. She’s performed on many television shows, such as “American Idol” and “The Voice” where she’s worked with artists like Pharrell Williams, Katherine McPhee, Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton.
A graduate of the Eastman School of music, Edkins’ music isn’t just for her, but to show her students everything that can be accomplished through music, from problem solving to self-expression. She understands how encouraging her students often empowers them in other areas of their life. She has a private studio in Southern California, has taught at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music, the Bill Green Mentorship for the LA Jazz Institute, the Stanford Jazz Camp and Idyllwild Performing Arts.
She is a proud endorser of D’Addario reeds and plays Retro Revival mouthpieces.
Inspired by jazz greats such as John Coltrane, Eddie Harris and Joe Henderson, she developed her own voice of thoughtfulness that is expressed on her album “Art & Soul.” The album was a culmination of her process of refining her craft and putting in the work to develop her own thoughtful voice. “Edkins plays inquisitive, unpredictable solos which have an unquestionable swing despite phrases that deliberately go against the grain of the underlying rhythm,” Jazz History Online wrote in its review of “Art & Soul.”
Edkins was the first woman to perform in Bill Holman’s Big Band and has been a member of several Grammy- award winning bands: John Beasley’s MONK’estra, the Claire Fischer Band and the late composer Johnny Mandel’s band. She’s performed on many television shows, such as “American Idol” and “The Voice” where she’s worked with artists like Pharrell Williams, Katherine McPhee, Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton.
A graduate of the Eastman School of music, Edkins’ music isn’t just for her, but to show her students everything that can be accomplished through music, from problem solving to self-expression. She understands how encouraging her students often empowers them in other areas of their life. She has a private studio in Southern California, has taught at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music, the Bill Green Mentorship for the LA Jazz Institute, the Stanford Jazz Camp and Idyllwild Performing Arts.
She is a proud endorser of D’Addario reeds and plays Retro Revival mouthpieces.
