NO COVER 4:30pm Show
Photo by Andrea Canter
Sophia Kickhofel and Jackson Wheeler will be exploring electronic soundscapes and the avant-garde with a nod to familiar jazz traditions. The two musicians met in high school and have been making music together ever since. Although Sophia lives in New York City and Jackson resides in Chicago, they still share their growing musical knowledge and passions throughout their personal developments.
Sophia Kickhofel is an alto saxophonist from Apple Valley, MN. She started studying classical saxophone at the age of 10 and began learning jazz music at 13. Sophia started to study solely jazz saxophone once she entered high school. During Sophia’s time in high school, she studied and performed with national honor bands, including NYO Jazz and the National Association for Music Education Jazz Band, and received national awards, including YoungArts Finalist and the Irv Williams Fellowship. Sophia has performed across the Midwest with bands including her quartet and quintet. Sophia currently attends the Juilliard School in New York City, where she studies with bassist Ben Wolfe and saxophonist Bruce Williams. During her time in New York, she has had the opportunity to perform alongside Sean Jones, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ulysses Owens Jr., and Victor Goines at venues including Carnegie Hall, the Library of Congress, Lincoln Center Shanghai, and Dizzy’s Jazz Club. Sophia strives to compose and perform music that evokes empathy within and community among audiences.
