Bria Skonberg

Canadian trumpeter and vocalist Bria Skonberg delivers charismatic performances rooted in traditional New Orleans jazz, swing, and bossa nova. Emerging in New York during the 2010s, she earned acclaim for buoyant releases such as Into Your Own in 2014, the Juno Award-winning Bria from 2015, and With a Twist in 2017.

Born in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Skonberg studied piano as a child before taking up trumpet in her teens at her father’s suggestion. Her interest in jazz led her to join the school band, which included a small traditional jazz ensemble at the time. Early influences included recordings by Louis Armstrong, Nicholas Payton, Duke Ellington, Kenny Ball, Jim Cullum, and others, while Australian-born hot jazz trumpeter Simon Stribling provided key mentorship. Following high school she completed an undergraduate music degree at Vancouver’s Capilano University. In 2010 she moved to New York City and continued refining her technique through private study with traditional jazz trumpeter Warren Vaché.

An in-demand performer, Skonberg has shared stages with Wycliffe Gordon, Bucky Pizzarelli, Howard Alden, Jon-Erik Kellso, Emily Asher, and additional artists. Her solo discography began with the 2009 debut Fresh, continued with So Is the Day in 2012 and Into Your Own in 2014, then expanded after signing with Sony Masterworks/Okeh Records; the resulting album Bria received the Juno Award for Best Vocal Jazz Album. In 2017 she issued the Matt Pierson-produced With a Twist, which broadened her palette to incorporate lounge and bossa nova elements. The leaner, moodier small-group recording Nothing Never Happens followed in 2019.