Anne Sajdera

As a pianist, composer bandleader and accompanist, Anne Sajdera is a creative force whose music encompasses an unusually far-flung array of traditions. With musical roots spanning the globe, she melds American and Brazilian jazz to her training in European classical music, creating an utterly personal sound that’s melodically verdant, harmonically sophisticated and rhythmically compelling. Her first release, Azul (Bijuri Records, 2012) was co-produced by Ray Obiedo and featured a performance from percussion legend Airto Moreira, earning a spot on JAZZIZ Magazines Top Ten Critic’s Poll for 2012, and inclusion in Latin Jazz Corner’s Great Latin Jazz Albums for the same year. Her most recent release, New Year (Bijuri Records 2018), features two young composer/instrumentalists from Prague, a special guest appearance by the renowned sax player Bob Mintzer, as well as some of the finest musicians from the SF Bay Area. Also produced by Ray Obiedo, it was chosen by Down Beat Magazine for the December 2018 Editor’s Pick list, and can be heard on jazz radio stations throughout the US. She has performed in many of the Bay Area’s most frequented venues including The California Jazz Conservatory, Herbst Theater, Piedmont Piano Company and SFJAZZ. In 2020, she performed with Hindustani master violinist Kala Ramnath for the Global Fusion concert in Dubai. Sajdera has received a grant from Intermusic SF to fund her next recording project scheduled to be released in 2023.

Ms. Sajdera holds a Bachelor's degree in composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and has been teaching and performing (classical and jazz) in the Bay Area for three decades. She is a member of the Music Teachers Association of California and works with both independent students and students enrolled in the Certificate of Merit program.

Students studying with Ms. Sajdera build a firm musical and technical foundation with the European classical masters while simultaneously learning the improvisatory traditions of American music.

“...compelling, melodious compositions” – Bobby Reed, DownBeat Magazine

“What Sajdera builds with [her] masterful technique...is sturdy post-bop constructs.” –Suzanna Lorge, DownBeat Magazine