Patrick Cornelius
Over the course of 20 years in New York City, alto saxophonist and composer Patrick Cornelius has cultivated a substantial body of work as a composer and bandleader, and performed his original music in some of the world’s top jazz venues. Hailed as “self-assured” and “resourceful” by The New York Times, “Elegant” and “Extraordinary” by DownBeat Magazine (in whose annual Critics Poll he has been listed among the “Rising Stars” multiple times), and “Bold and Gifted,” by All About Jazz, Cornelius’ discography of eight albums as a leader or co-leader features established veterans (like Jeff Ballard, Ben Allison, and Frank Kimbrough) and well as rising stars (including Gerald Clayton, Aaron Parks, Kendrick Scott, and Miles Okazaki).

As a composer, Cornelius has earned an array of awards and commissions, including four consecutive ASCAP “Young Composer Awards,” (now Herb Alpert Award) and Chamber Music America’s “New Jazz Works” in 2012, and has been commissioned to compose and arrange original music for ensembles across the globe. Cornelius’ latest album, ‘Acadia: Way of the Cairns’ (Whirlwind Recordings, 2020) reunites his longtime transatlantic partnership with London bassist Michael Janisch, Estonian pianist Kristjan Randalu, and Luxembourgish drummer Paul Wiltgen after ten years apart. Praised as one of the best albums of 2020 by BBC Music Magazine, and “thoughtful and ambitious” by JazzTimes, ‘Way of the Cairns’ showcases a suite of original music inspired by the natural beauty of Acadia National Park in Maine.

An active music pedagogue, Patrick (who received a Bachelor’s Degree from Berklee College of Music, a Masters Degree from The Manhattan School of Music, and an Artist Diploma from The Juilliard School), has appeared as visiting artist or guest lecturer at international institutions such as Berklee College of Music, The Royal Academy, the Birmingham Conservatoire, St. Mary’s University in Texas, The University of North Carolina, Hunter College in NYC, and Snow College in Utah. He serves on the music faculty of Snow College in Ephraim, Utah and The United Nations International School in New York City, and currently lives in Brooklyn with his wife, two children, and seven neon tetras.