Quinsin Nachoff

Quinsin Nachoff is a composer and saxophonist whose work moves between jazz and contemporary classical traditions, blurring the boundaries between composition and improvisation. Based in Brooklyn and originally from Toronto, he has established himself as a leading figure in contemporary jazz and new music. Nachoff began saxophone at school, taking lessons with Alex Dean who encouraged him to study piano and composition, with further training notably with Joe Lovano. As a New York-based saxophonist and composer, Nachoff gained early recognition as an award-winning tenor saxophonist, parsing shimmers of Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter and Mark Turner. He won a Chalmers Fellowship in 2007, the 2004 KM Hunter Award for Music, was a semifinalist in the Thelonious Monk Jazz Saxophone Contest, and was nominated for several Canadian National Jazz Awards including Clarinetist and Saxophonist of the Year in 2007 and 2008. His JUNO-nominated group Flux features alto saxophonist David Binney, pianist Matt Mitchell, and drummers Kenny Wollesen and Nate Wood. Their second release, Path of Totality, was praised by DownBeat as a stunning, deep dive of an album and earned 4.5 stars in their Year's Top Rated Albums list. Additional accomplishments include his saxophone concerto Winding Tessellations with Turning Point Ensemble and a 2018 commission for the Molinari String Quartet. His 2020 release, Pivotal Arc, featured a violin concerto for Grammy-winning soloist Nathalie Bonin, a string quartet, and a large ensemble piece. His multimedia project Patterns From Nature bridges music, physics, and film in collaboration with physicist Dr. Stephen Morris and filmmakers. Most recently, Nachoff co-led The Way of Water with pianist Florian Hoefner, which premiered in Montreal in October 2024. Nachoff was awarded a $35,000 Ontario Arts Council Chalmers grant to spend a year immersed in New York's bustling jazz community. Nachoff was also an educator, teaching at Humber College and the University of Toronto.

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