Michael Sarian's ESQUINA

Trumpeter and composer Michael Sarian, praised for his "endlessly renewable strain of lyric improvisation regardless of context or material" (Downbeat Magazine), was born in Toronto and raised in Buenos Aires. Based in New York since 2012, he has performed at iconic venues and festivals including the Montreux Jazz Festival, the Kennedy Center, Yankee Stadium, The O2 Arena, the Blue Note Jazz Club, and is now thrilled to add PizzaExpress Live to that list.

Born in Toronto and raised in Buenos Aires, Sarian moved to New York City in 2012 and has since performed on some of the world’s most iconic stages, including the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the O2 Arena in London, and Teatro Colón in Argentina, as well as beloved NYC venues and festivals such as the Blue Note, Jazz at Lincoln Center, BRIC JazzFest, Festival of New Trumpet Music, the Beacon Theatre, Yankee Stadium, Barclays Center, and Central Park SummerStage. He has appeared on WNYC’s Soundcheck, NPR’s World Cafe, and more.

Michael's artistic output is as diverse as his background. He has released several albums with his long-standing acoustic quartet, including Live at Cliff Bell’s (Shifting Paradigm Records), which was named one of the best live albums of 2024 by The New York City Jazz Record, praising the quartet as “a band that’s developed the kind of telepathy only the road can build… there’s a late ’70s–early ’80s feel to the music throughout, more akin to the ‘stadium jazz’ of V.S.O.P. or Milestone-era McCoy Tyner” (Philip Freeman).

His latest project, ESQUINA (out now on Greenleaf Music), shaped by Sarian’s Armenian heritage, Argentine upbringing, and deep grounding in jazz and improvisation, blends layered synths, extended trumpet techniques, and graphic scores into immersive performances rooted in memory, dislocation, and ritual, “with the mysterious groove and haunting delay on his trumpet lines carrying the lessons of Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew into the 21st century” (George Grella, Bandcamp Daily).

In 2023, Michael joined the Jonas Brothers on their world tour, performing at sold out arenas and stadiums across the globe, and appears on their ‘Live From the O2 London’ album. He has also recorded and toured extensively with artists such as soul powerhouse Bette Smith and progressive jazz orchestra The NYChillharmonic.

His artistic and compositional pursuit has led Michael to attend residencies at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (2026), Millay Arts (2025), and Art Omi: Music (2024), and was an artist-in-residence at Culture Lab LIC during the winter/spring 2022 season. In 2026, he continues his creative journey as a National Arts Club Fellow.