Melissa Aldana Quartet

Tenor saxophonist and composer Melissa Aldana is known for her profound musicality, her fearless improvisation, and her deeply personal storytelling. Born in Santiago, Chile, in 1988, Aldana grew up in a family of musicians and began performing professionally as a teenager under the guidance of her father, the renowned saxophonist Marcos Aldana. Influenced by Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, and Mark Turner, she has developed a distinctive style that blends jazz tradition with bold innovation.

In 2009, Aldana moved to the United States to study at Berklee College of Music, where she took lessons from George Garzone, Joe Lovano, and Greg Osby. Her artistry quickly gained international attention when, in 2013, she became the first instrumentalist and the first South American to win the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition—a historic milestone that catapulted her onto the global stage. As a bandleader, Aldana has released seven critically acclaimed albums. Her two most recent projects, both released on Blue Note Records, solidify her reputation as one of the defining voices of her generation.