Asha Parkinson
is a young composer and saxophonist whose work regularly crosses the boundaries between traditions, from jazz to ‘classical’ to world musics and beyond – interests reflected equally in her work with her own Kalpadruma quintet and dodectet and her compositions for professional groups like TableMusic and the Ligeti Quartet.

She’s UK based but also internationally focused and has already received a major award for work that goes beyond music.

Saxophone took over from piano as her main instrument when Asha was 9. Within a couple of years she was winning prizes, completing her grades with distinction and gaining a jazz diploma as well as leading her first band in public performances.

Asha was a semi-finalist in the 2016, 2018 and 2020 BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year competitions. She graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with a BMus Hons (1st class) in September 2020. She was also awarded the Concert Recital Diploma for exceptional performance. Prior to this, she completed sixth-form studies at The Purcell School. Her saxophone and jazz teachers have included Mark Lockheart, Iain Ballamy , Christian Forshaw, Carlos Lopez Real, Trish Clowes, Simon Allen, Phil Meadows, Gareth Lockrane and Nick Beston.

Since working as a full-time musician, she continues to direct Kalpadruma. Her 2021 Jazz South commission ‘Encounters’ brought together Syrian musicians and members of the ensemble alongside the poetry of renowned poet, Maram Al-Masri. Writing for Jazz in Europe, Isabel Marquez described the group’s debut album ”Onwards’ (2022) as “a musical tapestry”. Playing at increasingly prestigious venues including Ronnie Scott’s, Asha has recently recorded a second album with Kalpadruma that will be released by Ubuntu Records in Autumn 2024. Meanwhile, she plays in a wide range of other ensembles including the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, the Sam Eastmond Big Band, and Issie Barratt’s INTERCHANGE.