U.K. saxophonist Nubya Garcia brings her ethereal sound to the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, June 28
Audience members will hear tracks off her latest album Odyssey, which honours her reignited love for composing
Nubya Garcia. Photo by Danika Lawrence
Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Coastal Jazz & Blues Society presents Nubya Garcia at Performance Works on June 28 at 7:30 pm
“COME, NEW STORY begin, rising with dawn on my skin,” sings esperanza spalding on the intro track of London-born jazz saxophonist Nubya Garcia’s latest album, Odyssey. Garcia matches spalding’s silvery vocals with her tender instrumentals, creating an altogether ethereal sound that is at once soothing and brightly intriguing.
Garcia—who is also a skilled composer and bandleader—will front a quartet to perform tracks off Odyssey at this year’s Vancouver International Jazz Festival. At the Performance Works stage on June 28, audience members will hear her transcend genres, pulling influences from the realms of classical, R&B, and beyond. Ultimately, the 2024 album is a nuanced ode to Garcia’s love for composing, a passion she recently rediscovered.
The musician began her jazz training studying under pianist Nikki Yeoh, later attending the Royal Academy of Music, the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. She released her debut solo album, Source, in 2020. It received widespread critical acclaim (including from Rolling Stone, which gave the record an “Album of the Month” mention); she also played one of NPR Music’s beloved Tiny Desk Concerts.
Garcia’s upcoming festival performance is part of the Granville Island Jazz series. Read more about the other shows in store here. ![]()
Stir editorial assistant Emily Lyth is a Vancouver-based writer and editor who graduated from Langara College’s Journalism program. Her decade of dance training and passion for all things food-related are the foundation of her love for telling arts, culture, and community stories.
Related Articles
Toronto-based artist is known for her prowess as a saxophonist and creative music collaborations
Composer and conductor Steve Hackman has no fear of crossing stylistic boundaries
At a July 20 concert, faculty lead Mark Vuorinen directs Where Wildness Lives by renowned B.C. composer Imant Raminsh
Tracks off the pair’s Juno-nominated 2024 album Confluencias trace the music traditions of Spain and India
Music director emeritus Jonathan Darlington returns to conduct this Parisian love story tested by the bittersweet passage of time
Award-winning artists reclaim Arctic sounds with soaring vocals
Although from different points on the map, pianist Omar Sosa, kora player Seckou Keita, and percussionist Gustavo Ovalles realized through improvisation that they were attuned to one another
Internationally acclaimed Hindustani classical vocalist is joined by harmonium player Mohan Bhide and tabla player Sunny Matharu
Steven Isserlis, James Ehnes, and Augustin Hadelich among the soloists hitting the concert stage
Eighty shows in all, as Italy’s Teatro Telaio sets up an ARCHIPELAGO installation, plus pow-wow, hip-hop, and massive puppets
At a concert called A Look to the Future, the piece shares a program with works by John Rutter, Jocelyn Morlock, and Tchaikovsky
Harmonizing through the decades, Vancouver choir is set to premiere six new arrangements
The Nova Scotian singer-songwriter is touring with a new multimedia show, Cradled by the Waves
Acclaimed Montreal singer and songwriter intertwines healing experiences in nature and musical history to reach toward the light
At Festival du Bois, the singer-violinist will blend Québécois fiddle tunes with an indie-folk sensibility
Percussionist Vern Griffiths leads a rare performance of the rhythmic composition
The VSO School of Music’s advanced young string ensemble Sinfonietta plays pieces by Vaughan Williams, Purcell, and more
New York City ensemble’s program for Early Music Vancouver pairs pieces by Handel with high-spirited English country dances by the British African composer and abolitionist
Acclaimed ensemble’s impressionistic sound is inspired by blues, gospel, Scandinavian folk, and church music
The long-time vocalist, pianist, and conductor is set to pass on the baton at the end of the 2026–27 season
Vancouver Bach Choir performs Canadian premiere of work that draws on both ancient tradition and the 20th-century avant garde to explore the creative act
