Colin Stetson (born in Ann Arbor, MI, in 1975) is a Canadian-American saxophonist, multi-reedist, and composer based in Montreal. He is best known as a regular collaborator of the indie rock acts Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, Bell Orchestre, and Ex Eye. In addition to saxophone, he plays clarinet, bass clarinet, French horn, flute, and cornet.
Stetson earned a degree in music from the University of Michigan in 1997. Six years in San Francisco followed, then another four in Brooklyn, NY. Over this time, he developed his techniques on saxophones and clarinets, culminating in the release of the album New History Warfare Vol. 1″ on Agoo Records in 2008.
His album New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges” will be released Feb. 22, 2011 on Constellation. The final album of the trilogy, New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light, was released by Constellation Records in April 2013, and was a long-list nominee for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize.
Aside from his work as a soloist, Stetson has brought his talents to the stage and studio with dozens of artists, including Tom Waits, Arcade Fire, TV on the Radio, Feist, Bon Iver, Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed, David Byrne, Jolie Holland, Sinead O’Connor, LCD Soundsystem, The National, Angelique Kidjo, and Anthony Braxton.
He is a regular member of the bands Sway Machinery and Bell Orchestre and has been a touring member of Bon Iver in support of their new record in 2011, on which he also appears.
A collaborative studio album with violinist Sarah Neufeld entitled "Never Were the Way She Was" was released in 2015. Subsequent albums include "SORROW: A Reimagining of Henryk Górecki's 3rd Symphony" (2016), "All This I Do for Glory" (2017), Chimæra I (2022)...
