Kasey Knudsen is a San Francisco–based saxophonist, composer, and educator. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, she has been described as “one of the region’s most esteemed saxophonists” (San Francisco Classical Voice) and “one of the essential voices in the Bay Area jazz scene” (East Bay Express). She has appeared in Paste Magazine’s “10 Female Instrumentalists Who Redefine Jazz” and on CBS’s “Best Female Jazz Musicians in the East Bay.” Knudsen leads several of her own groups and co-leads ensembles including the Schimscheimer Family Trio, the Holly Martins, and the Klaxon Mutant Allstars. Her collaborations include Tune-Yards, Fred Frith, Charlie Hunter, Erik Jekabson, and the Electric Squeezebox Orchestra. As an educator, she emphasizes improvisation through harmony, transcription, tone production, phrasing, and ear training. She teaches at the Jazzschool and has served as a guest clinician at festivals and schools throughout California.