Kristen Strom Duo

Performing at La Pastaia at 5 PM. 

With a tone that’s lithe and lustrous, Kristen Strom embodies her musical philosophy in every note she plays.

The San Jose saxophonist has been a mainstay on the Bay Area music scene for nearly two decades, and her new album, “Intention” (Open Path Music), reveals an artist whose musical world is predicated upon the primacy of beautifully rendered melodies.

A supremely versatile player, she has worked with the San Jose Symphony and performed the role of Ginger the saxophone player in the San Jose Repertory Theater’s 1988 and 1994 productions of “The 1940s Radio Hour.” She also has toured and recorded widely with the Nuclear Whales Saxophone Orchestra since the early 90s.

In addition to leading her own ensemble, the Kristen Strom Quintet, she is an integral part of some of the San Francisco Bay Area’s leading bands. She has performed with many well-known artists, including Manhattan Transfer, Roberta Flack, Johnny Mathis, Jimmy Heath, Steve Turre, Kevin Mahogany, Michel LeGrand, the San Jose Symphony, the Temptations, Natalie Cole, The Four Tops, and the San Francisco Production Beach Blanket Babylon.
Kristen is saxophone instructor at Santa Clara University, is on the faculty of the Stanford Jazz Workshop and is the Education Consultant for the San Jose Jazz Society.