BIO 

Grant Stewart is a world-renowned jazz saxophonist, composer, and Founder and Artistic Director of the Tribeca Jazz Institute (TJI) at Church Street School for Music and Art in New York City. For more than 30 years, he has been a leading force on the New York jazz scene, known for his commanding tone, deep swing, and uncompromising dedication to the lineage of the music. Widely recognized as an influence on a generation of saxophonists, Stewart has shaped a deeply tradition-rooted yet personal approach to the instrument through both performance and teaching.

He has performed with masters including Harold Mabern, Brad Mehldau, Barry Harris, Clark Terry, Jimmy Cobb,  Al Grey, Renee Fleming and appearing regularly at premier venues such as Smalls Jazz Club, Birdland, and Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has toured extensively throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and South America.

Stewart has released over twenty recordings as a leader on international labels, the most recent being Next Spring(2025). Earlier highlights include Rise and Shine (2020) and In the Still of the Night (2007). His recordings have earned international recognition, including the German Critics Award and repeated appearances in DownBeat Critics Polls.

In addition to his work in jazz, Stewart has developed a substantial body of modern classical composition. His Requiem for Choir premiered in Europe in 2017, his Rondo for Wind Quintet was recorded in 2021 ,his Notturno for Clarinet and Orchestra debuted in the United States and Canada in 2024. He has received a commission from the internationally acclaimed Prism Quartet, with a new work premiering in New York and Philadelphia in June 2026, and his Fugue for Orchestra is scheduled to premiere in 2027/2028 as well as current projects being written for the award winning Cheng Duo and virtuoso cellist Sara Sant’Ambrosio

As an educator, Stewart has presented masterclasses and taught at leading institutions including Juilliard School, The New School, Temple University, Manhattan School of Music, and William Paterson University, as well as giving masterclasses internationally in Europe, Japan, and South America.