Yamaha Artist, saxophonist Sonya Jason, is an internationally acclaimed recording artist and performer. Best known for her all original Warner Music Discovery release, "Tigress", her accessible, passionate style of contemporary jazz has made a huge splash on radio stations worldwide and garnered rave reviews from the media. Winner of ASCAP's Popular Music Award in Composition, she has released 4 instrumental jazz albums as a solo artist and contributed her saxophone sound to more than 140 additional recordings.

A summa cum laude graduate of the distinguished Berklee College of Music in Boston, Sonya has led her own bands in thousands of live performances worldwide. She has appeared at more than 60 music festivals including the Golden Jubilee International Jazz Festival in Bangkok where she played for the King of Thailand. In addition, she has been a featured soloist with a variety of other artists, such as the funky Brothers Johnson, big band trumpeter Ray Anthony, The Meters' drummer Joseph "Ziggy" Modeliste, singing actress Debbie Reynolds and many more.

Sonya currently resides on the Coastside south of San Francisco where she has developed a thriving music teaching studio, conducts music clinics at local schools and has created a popular series of ongoing Jazz Workshops, all while remaining active as a performing and recording musician.

Tigress (Warner Music Discovery) * The Supper Club (Sugo Music/Tambourine) * Feels So Good: Live in Half Moon Bay (Saja Music) * Secret Lover (Saja Productions)

Shiela E. * Yellowjackets' Jimmy Haslip * Temptations' Louis Price * Santana's Jorge Santana, Karl Perazzo, Benny Rietvald , Raul Rekow and Greg Errico * The Tonight Show's Vicki Randle * Grant Geissman * Pete Escovedo * Irish Rovers' Will Millar * Eric Rigler * Alphonso Johnson * Luis Conte * Vinnie Colaiuta * Chester Thompson * Michael O'Neill * John Pena * David Goldblatt * Joe Heredia * Munyungo Jackson * Tollack Ollestad * Kevin Ricard * Ciro Hurtado * Bill Cunliffe * David Garfield * John Beasley * John Santos * Linda Tillery * Deuce's Jean Fineberg and Ellen Seeling * Perla Batalla * Joyce Cooling * Michael Ruff * Chris Camozzi * Ali Khan Band * Christopher Lukert * Misha Segal * Marcos Loya * Monalisa Young * Peter Horvath * Stan Keiser * Jorge (George) Bermudez * and many more...

The Brothers Johnson * The Meters' Joseph "Ziggy" Modeliste * Ray Anthony * Narada Michael Walden * Tower of Power's Herman Matthews, Mic Gillette, Ron E. Beck, Bill Churchville and Norbert Stachel * Debbie Reynolds * Monica Mancini * Maureen McGovern * Barry Manilow * Shirley MacClaine * Mary Tyler Moore * Rose Marie * Carol Channing * Dick Van Dyke * The Rippington's Kim Stone and Steve Bailey * Rob Mullins * Ray Obiedo * Mindi Abair * Braxton Brothers' Nelson Braxton * Santana's Jorge Santana, Karl Perazzo and Raul Rekow * Pete Escovedo * The Tonight Show's Vicki Randle * Expose's Kelly Moneymaker * Stevan Pasero * Carlos Reyes * Linda Tillery * Deuce's Jean Fineberg and Ellen Seeling * Mimi Fox * Roger Glenn * Francine Reed * Chris Camozzi * Freddie Ravel * Pamela Rose * Bill Cantos * Rebecca Coupe Franks * Glenn Walters * Anthony Paule * Michelle Sell * Roger Neumann * and many, many more...

Earth Wind and Fire * Ramsey Lewis * Smokey Robinson * Natalie Cole * Lionel Hampton * Lou Rawls * Pastor Shirley Caesar * Tom Scott * Stanley Clarke/George Duke Project * Mose Allison * Grover Washington, Jr. * Sergio Mendez * Diane Schuur * Spyro Gyra * David Sanborn * Manhattan Transfer's Janis Siegel * Chuck Berry * Tower of Power * K.C. and the Sunshine Band * Dave Valentin * Jeff Lorber * Bobby Caldwell * Richard Marx * Bryan White * Rita Rudner * Paula Poundstone

More than 60 festivals including --
Golden Jubilee International Jazz Festival, Bangkok THAILAND
Cervantino International Festival of Music and Art, Mexico City MEXICO
Green Festival, Hiroshima JAPAN
SFJAZZ Festival, San Francisco, CA
Southern California Jazz Festival, Irvine CA
San Jose Jazz Festival, San Jose CA
Phoenix Jazz Festival, Phoenix AZ
Santa Barbara Jazz Festival, Santa Barbara CA
Jazz on the Hill Festival, San Mateo CA
Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival
Scottsdale Fine Arts Festival, Scottsdale AZ
Peacock Jazz Festival, Glendale AZ
Old Town Tempe Festival of the Arts, Tempe AZ
Best of Phoenix Festival, Phoenix AZ

Thousands of additional live performances at Performing Arts Centers, Jazz Clubs, Hotels and Wineries since 1985.

Over 50 benefits including --
The GRAMMY Foundation Concert "Mavericks in Music" -- celebrating the contributions of trailblazing women in music
Thalians Ball 1999 and 2000, hosted by Debbie Reynolds -- for Thalians Mental Health Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles
Friday Night Firefighter's Dance 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017 -- for the Tiburon Volunteer Fire Department
To Celebrate Life Gala Fundraiser 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015 and 2017 -- for those who have been touched by breast cancer
Women of Taste 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2006 -- for Girls Incorporated of Alameda County
Wine Tasting Fall Fundraiser 2013 and 2016 -- for the Our Lady of the Pillar Catholic Church of Half Moon Bay CA
Kentucky Derby Gala 2014 and 2015 -- for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Napa
Silicon Valley Heart Ball -- for The American Heart & Stroke Association
Annual Sheriff's Charity Ball -- for The Community Youth Center of Contra Costa County
Sunset Magazine Garden Concert Series -- for the Ronald McDonald House at the Lucille Salter Packard Children's Hospital
World Summit for Children Candlelight Vigil -- for children's rights
A Window Between Worlds -- for battered women and children of Los Angeles
Los Angeles Women's Police Officer Association (LAWPOA) Jazz Benefit -- for Lupus Foundation of America
A Night for Sight Benefit -- for the Lion's Club for Arizona's sight impaired
Taste '90 and '94 -- for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Phoenix
National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences (The GRAMMY Foundation) Pierfest -- for youth music programs
L.A. Zoo Benefit Concert Series -- for the Los Angeles Zoo
Black and White Event -- for the Long Beach Symphony
KSBR 88.5 FM Birthday Bash Benefit -- for public radio

Yamaha Corporation of America for alto saxophones and midi wind controller -- since 1973
Unison Saxophone for curved soprano saxophones -- since 1993
Claude Lakey Mouthpieces, Inc. for saxophone mouthpieces -- since 1987
Bari Woodwind Supplies for saxophone and clarinet reeds -- since 1988

Alto Saxophone
Yamaha Custom Z (82Z) with Claude Lakey 7*3 hard rubber mouthpiece, Bari Hard plastic reeds and a Rovner Eddie Daniels I ligature.
Soprano Saxophone
Curved Unison S200 Series with Claude Lakey 7* hard rubber mouthpiece, Bari Hard plastic reeds and a Rovner Eddie Daniels l ligature.
Sopranino Saxophone
Yanigasawa with stock hard rubber mouthpiece and ligature and Bari Medium plastic clarinet reeds trimmed to fit.
Flute
Armstrong 80E open-holed flute with gold lip plate.
Clarinet
Bundy with Buffet stock mouthpiece, Olegature ligature and Bari Medium plastic reeds.
WX5 Yamaha Midi Wind Controller
with Yamaha VL-50-m virtual acoustic tone generator and Yamaha MU100 tone generator.

ASCAP Popular Music Award for Original Compositions
Yamaha Corporation of America -- selected as Roster Artist
Arizona Commission on the Arts -- selected as Roster Artist
Downbeat Magazine Spotlights Deserving Young Musicians
Phil Woods Scholarship to Berklee College of Music
Phoenix Federation of Musicians Young Sounds of Arizona Program
18 Awards for Outstanding Musicianship from such institutions as the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE)

The Recording Academy -- voting member since 1991
American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers (ASCAP) -- member since 1989
American Federation of Musicians -- member since 1985

Berklee College of Music, Boston MA
Bachelor's Degree in Performance and Arranging
graduated summa cum laude 1985
Mills College, Oakland CA
Music Major 1981 - 1983
University of California Berkeley
music program participant 1981 - 1983

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