Alden Hellmuth is one of the most promising musicians on the contemporary jazz scene. The New York-based saxophonist and composer studied at the renowned Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz and trained under Hancock and Ambrose Akinmusire, among others. Her debut album Good Intentions (2024), released on the Spanish label Fresh Sound Records, won the German Jazz Award for Best International Debut Album and garnered praise from publications such as UK Jazz News and Culture Jazz. Her new project, Tether, due for release in June 2026 on the Berlin-based label LEITER Verlag, features an experimental quartet with two bassists and drummer Justin Brown. Hellmuth has also won ASCAP’s Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award. She has performed at renowned jazz venues, and collaborated with major artists such as Hancock, Dianne Reeves, Moses Sumney, and Brandee Younger. At the festival, she will showcase a young, unconventional sound that both roots itself in tradition and challenges it.
