Bria Skonberg

Buffalo, N.Y.- The Center for the Arts, University at Buffalo presents trumpeter and vocalist Bria Skonberg on Friday, October 14, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $33.50, students (any school) $14.50 and are on sale now.

This concert will be performed in a club setting with both the band and audience seated on the Mainstage. Seating will be general admission with tables and beer/wine available.

Bria Skonberg is described by The Wall Street Journal as one of the “most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation.” Recognized as one of “25 for the Future” by DownBeat magazine (Summer 2016), Skonberg is newly signed to Sony Music Masterworks’ OKeh Records, and will release her debut LP, simply titled BRIA, on September 23, 2016.

Wielding a unique blend of modern-day pop sensibility and sizzling musicianship, Skonberg aims for a sense of allure on the new collection. Elite jazz chops, artfully mixed with worldly rhythms and contemporary songwriting, result in a sophisticated pop sound closely resembling that of Michael Bublé, Diana Krall, and Harry Connick Jr.

To date, Bria has performed at some 100 festivals worldwide. She is the co-founder of the New York Hot Jazz Camp and New York Hot Jazz Festival. Further accolades include Best Vocal and Best Trumpet awards from Hot House Jazz Magazine (2014-15), Outstanding Jazz Artist at the New York Bistro Awards (2014), a DownBeat Rising Star (2013-15), and a nominee for Jazz Journalists' Association Up and Coming Artist (2013).

Noted by Vanity Fair as a Millennial “Shaking Up the Jazz World,” Skonberg is a self-described “small town girl” from Chilliwack, British Columbia. She left for Vancouver following high school and earned a degree in Jazz Trumpet Performance from Capilano University. But even as she absorbed the deep knowledge and disciplined work habits needed for a jazz career, she was also hustling hard to book her two bands. While in university she juggled working every weekend, traveling to festivals and shows, plus cramming in schoolwork - all while on the road.

In 2012 Bria released “So Is The Day” (Random Act Records); her first album on a U.S.-based label. That collection showcased a developing flair for original songs with just the right amount of standards mixed in, and also featured a duet with the legendary John Pizzarelli, “So Is The Day” received rave reviews from critics, drawing comparisons to Norah Jones in The New York Daily News. In 2015, a year after her second album, “Into Your Own,” was released, Skonberg received the Jazz At Lincoln Center Swing! Award.

Tickets: Center for the Arts Box Office (Mon-Fri 10 am-6 pm) and tickets.com.  To charge tickets call 1-888-223-6000.  For more information call 716-645-2787 or visit www.ubcfa.org or www.briaskonberg.com.