Ali Ryerson Quartet

With a career spanning over five decades, jazz flutist Ali Ryerson consistently ranks among the top flutists in the prestigious Downbeat Jazz Poll. Born in 1952 in New York, Ali grew up in a musical family. Her father, Art Ryerson, was a renowned jazz guitarist who got his start during the Big Band era with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, and later, became a top studio/session player in NYC, recording with everyone from Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Errol Garner, Sarah Vaughn, Frank Sinatra, to Elvis Presley. He was also the first electric guitarist to perform and tour with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra of New York. Ali has successfully carried on the family tradition, becoming an international touring and recording artist, with performances ranging from Carnegie Hall to the famed Blue Note jazz club (NY and Japan) to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., plus festival and club appearances worldwide. Ryerson has released over two dozen albums on major labels, including Concord Records, Capri Records, and Red Baron (for legendary jazz producer, Bob Thiele). Ryerson has worked with jazz greats such as Red Rodney, Hubert Laws, Roy Haynes, Kenny Barron, Frank Wess, Holly Hofmann, Stephane Grappelli, Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, as well as classical artists Julius Baker and, while principal flutist with the Monterey Bay Symphony, with Luciano Pavarotti. Ryerson had a long-time collaboration with renowned jazz guitarist, the late Joe Beck, with whom she toured and recorded for nearly a decade. Ali, a classically trained musician, studied with Harold Bennett (principal flutist with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra) and John Wion (principal flutist with the New York City Opera Orchestra), and earned her performance degree from the Hartt College of Music (University of Hartford). She has served as Jazz Chair and Low Flutes Chair for the National Flute Association, was the founder of the NFA Jazz Flute Big Band and was NFA Program Chair for the 2023 National Flute convention in Phoenix. As an educator, Ryerson’s ‘Jazz Flute Practice Method’ is widely acclaimed. She conducts master classes worldwide in addition to her long-running annual masterclass in California, and teaches a popular online series for Lessonface. As a composer, Ryerson has received numerous commissions. Her flute works, ranging from solo to large flute ensemble, are published by Tetractys, Theodore Presser, Edition Kossack and ACR Music, and performed internationally by numerous artists and ensembles. Ryerson has an autograph series of flutes (C and alto) made by Gemeinhardt Musical Instruments. Ali Ryerson is a Sankyo Flute Artist. Additional Ticket Information