Halley Shoenberg performs saxophone and clarinet regularly with jazz and swing bands in the Washington, DC area. As leader of her own "Halley Shoenberg Jazz Quartet," she performs in concerts, festivals, weddings, receptions and jazz clubs. She has produced two CD releases, Love Goes 'Round and Someday, which include several of her original compositions. A native of Silver Spring, Maryland, Halley earned her Bachelor's degree in Jazz Studies from Indiana University and Master's in Arts Administration from Florida State University. Audiences have enjoyed her music in many places in and outside the United States.
Halley's performance style comes from years of classical and jazz training on clarinet, saxophone, and flute, as well as jazz education and listening, and experience playing all types of music, especially jazz and musical theater.
Especially influencing her clarinet playing are Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Buddy DeFranco, and Eddie Daniels. Her saxophone style pays respect to Charlie Parker, Sonny Stitt, Art Pepper, Lee Konitz, Cannonball Adderley, Paul Desmond, Lester Young and Stan Getz. Halley is also inspired by the musical mastery of Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole and the big bands of Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Stan Kenton.
Halley started playing the clarinet at age eight after two years of learning piano and recorder. At thirteen she picked up saxophone on her own so she could join her high school jazz band the following year. In high school she continued with both instruments (later added flute) performing with school jazz bands and in local theater orchestras.
At Indiana University's School of Music Halley studied with David Baker, Dominic Spera, James Campbell, Tom Walsh, Malcolm Lynn Baker, J.B. Dyas and many more outstanding musician-teachers of performance, history, and composition. Right after college Halley first returned to the Washington, DC area to teach private lessons and to intern in the Smithsonian's jazz history department. During her arts administration graduate program at Florida State University, she performed and toured with the school's award-winning jazz ensemble and interned at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Back again in the DC area to stay, Halley began leading her own band at local jazz clubs and special events. She has also performed with jazz big bands, rock bands, musical theater orchestras, ethnic-style bands (Klezmer, German, Polish, Latin), and classical music ensembles. In the last few years Halley has performed traditional "Dixieland" jazz with the Potomac River Jazz Club's Federal Focus Jazz Band, which participated in Chilliwack Jazz Festival in British Columbia and at the French Quarter Jazz Festival in New Orleans. Her performances on saxophone in Rhapsody in Blue and the West Side Story Suite have been heard on tour in Germany with the Washington Symphony Orchestra. She has participated in numerous public jam sessions at jazz clubs and at the Women in Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center.
In addition to the Halley Shoenberg Jazz Quartet and Trio, Halley is currently a member of the Tom Cunningham (Swing) Orchestra, the James Bazen (modern-style) Big Band, the La Salle (1920's & 30's jazz) Dance Orchestra, and The Too Damn Big Orchestra (10-piece Rock band).
Halley comes from an arts-loving family of lawyers, educators, writers, counselors, and government relations specialists. Throughout her musical life she has kept a wide range of non-musical interests. Ten years of dance and gymnastics once led her to a fourth place title in her class at the Maryland State Gymnastics Championships. She was a member of her high school soccer, field hockey and swimming & diving teams, as well as a class officer and newspaper writer. A swimming instructor, soccer coach and camp counselor during her college years, Halley now enjoys traveling, international cuisines, baking, playing card games and a variety of sports. She has recently taken up swing dancing and is proud to have run the Pike's Peek 10K (Rockville, MD) in less than one hour. Halley likes walking in the park on sunny, blue days, and spending time with her family and friends.
Halley's performance style comes from years of classical and jazz training on clarinet, saxophone, and flute, as well as jazz education and listening, and experience playing all types of music, especially jazz and musical theater.
Especially influencing her clarinet playing are Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Buddy DeFranco, and Eddie Daniels. Her saxophone style pays respect to Charlie Parker, Sonny Stitt, Art Pepper, Lee Konitz, Cannonball Adderley, Paul Desmond, Lester Young and Stan Getz. Halley is also inspired by the musical mastery of Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole and the big bands of Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Stan Kenton.
Halley started playing the clarinet at age eight after two years of learning piano and recorder. At thirteen she picked up saxophone on her own so she could join her high school jazz band the following year. In high school she continued with both instruments (later added flute) performing with school jazz bands and in local theater orchestras.
At Indiana University's School of Music Halley studied with David Baker, Dominic Spera, James Campbell, Tom Walsh, Malcolm Lynn Baker, J.B. Dyas and many more outstanding musician-teachers of performance, history, and composition. Right after college Halley first returned to the Washington, DC area to teach private lessons and to intern in the Smithsonian's jazz history department. During her arts administration graduate program at Florida State University, she performed and toured with the school's award-winning jazz ensemble and interned at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Back again in the DC area to stay, Halley began leading her own band at local jazz clubs and special events. She has also performed with jazz big bands, rock bands, musical theater orchestras, ethnic-style bands (Klezmer, German, Polish, Latin), and classical music ensembles. In the last few years Halley has performed traditional "Dixieland" jazz with the Potomac River Jazz Club's Federal Focus Jazz Band, which participated in Chilliwack Jazz Festival in British Columbia and at the French Quarter Jazz Festival in New Orleans. Her performances on saxophone in Rhapsody in Blue and the West Side Story Suite have been heard on tour in Germany with the Washington Symphony Orchestra. She has participated in numerous public jam sessions at jazz clubs and at the Women in Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center.
In addition to the Halley Shoenberg Jazz Quartet and Trio, Halley is currently a member of the Tom Cunningham (Swing) Orchestra, the James Bazen (modern-style) Big Band, the La Salle (1920's & 30's jazz) Dance Orchestra, and The Too Damn Big Orchestra (10-piece Rock band).
Halley comes from an arts-loving family of lawyers, educators, writers, counselors, and government relations specialists. Throughout her musical life she has kept a wide range of non-musical interests. Ten years of dance and gymnastics once led her to a fourth place title in her class at the Maryland State Gymnastics Championships. She was a member of her high school soccer, field hockey and swimming & diving teams, as well as a class officer and newspaper writer. A swimming instructor, soccer coach and camp counselor during her college years, Halley now enjoys traveling, international cuisines, baking, playing card games and a variety of sports. She has recently taken up swing dancing and is proud to have run the Pike's Peek 10K (Rockville, MD) in less than one hour. Halley likes walking in the park on sunny, blue days, and spending time with her family and friends.
Biography: Halley Shoenberg's website