Onstage company
Documented collaborators
Esperanza Spalding is a pioneering American bassist, vocalist, composer, and educator whose imagination has reshaped modern jazz. A Portland, Oregon native born on October 18, 1984, she has become one of the genre’s most influential voices, blending jazz with Brazilian/Latin rhythms, world music textures, funk, and avant-garde elements. A longtime educator at Harvard, Esperanza balances a prolific recording career with a commitment to mentorship and artistry as social practice. She made history as the winner of Best New Artist at the 2011 Grammy Awards, cementing a path for fearless experimentation and cross-genre collaboration.