Music
Colin Stetson
born 1975 · saxophonist, multi-reedist, composer
Ann Arbor–born saxophonist, trained at the University of Michigan, known for circular-breathing solo records and work with Arcade Fire and Bon Iver.
- Born
Ann Arbor, Michigan
age 51- Detroit years
- 1975–late 1990s
- Field
- Music
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Colin Stetson was born in Ann Arbor and began saxophone lessons at 15. He won a full scholarship to the University of Michigan School of Music, where he played in the Transmission Trio. After moving to the San Francisco Bay Area, then New York and eventually Montreal, he became an in-demand player in indie rock, recording and touring with Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, Bell Orchestre and many others. His solo albums, the New History Warfare trilogy, use circular breathing, contact microphones and the bass saxophone's full body to build dense, trance-like pieces played live in one take. He also recorded Never Were the Way She Was (2015) with violinist Sarah Neufeld and a reimagining of Górecki's Third Symphony (2016). Since 2013 he has scored films and television series, including the horror film Hereditary.
Highlights
- Full scholarship to the University of Michigan School of Music
- Collaborator of Arcade Fire and Bon Iver
- Solo trilogy New History Warfare Vol. 1–3
- Film scores since 2013, including Hereditary (2018)
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Studied here · 1990s
University of Michigan School of Music
He studied here on a full scholarship and played in the Transmission Trio.