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An in-demand collaborator and “one the most dynamic rising stars in jazz today” (The Wall Street Journal), bassist and composer Linda May Han Oh does not so much write music as construct complete sound worlds. Freely mixing licks from ska and grunge with bustling bebop or irreverent scat, she synthesizes influences, environments, and vibes into something wholly original yet magically familiar. For her distinct voice and confident control, she has earned a Grammy Award and an appearance on NPR’s Tiny Desk, as well as secured her place among today’s greats. Come hear a show where curiosity meets the most beautiful kind of chaos and tender moments accompany infectious joy.
About the Artist
Based in New York City, GRAMMY award-winning Linda May Han Oh is a bassist/composer who has performed and recorded with artists such as Pat Metheny, Kenny Barron, Joe Lovano, Dave Douglas, Terri Lyne Carrington, Steve Wilson, Geri Allen and Vijay Iyer.
Born in Malaysia and raised in Boorloo (Perth), Western Australia, she has received many awards including a 2022 Deutscher Jazz Preis and was voted the 2018-2021, 2023-2025 Bassist of the Year by the Jazz Journalist’s Association, as well 2022 Bassist of the Year in Jazztimes. Linda also was voted 2019 Bassist of the Year in Hothouse Magazine and was the 2020 recipient APRA award for Best New Jazz Work. In 2023 she received the prestigious Herb Albert Award for music and received an Honorary Doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music in 2024.
Linda has had five releases as a leader which have received critical acclaim, her latest – a quintet album entitled The Glass Hours on Biophilia Records. Her latest commissions include “Littoral Tales” a solo piano piece in two movements for Gloria Cheng, and “Ephemeral Echoes” written for percussion trio and piano trio as well as “Mirrors and Shadows” written for piano and bass duo.
Linda has written for large and small ensembles as well as for film, participating in the Sundance Labs at Skywalker Ranch. Most recently she scored "Sorority Story" by film maker Kathryn Smith Pyle. Linda also composed music for a collaborative film project with non-profit, “Hoperaisers” based in Korogocho, Kenya by Kizito Gamba and contributed music to his latest documentary “Calling the Shots” co-directed by Kore Abong about aspiring African women in the film-industry.
Currently Linda is working on an commission entitled "Invisible Threads" for the Melbourne Jazz Festival 2025.
Linda is currently Associate Professor at the Berklee College of Music. Linda was featured on bass in the 2020 Pixar movie "Soul" under the musical direction of Jon Batiste (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) alongside drummer Roy Haynes and was the model for the character in the film - bassist “Miho.”
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Single ticket pricing (starting June 1):
- UW–Madison Students: $15
- General Public: $72
- Wisconsin Union Members: $66
- Student (any): $20
- Youth (17 and under): $20
Hear more on Spotify!
Presented by:
Programmed By:
WUD Performing Arts Committee
performingarts@union.wisc.edu
With support from:
National Endowment for the Arts
