Hailed in the International Trumpet Guild Journal as “one of the best up and coming jazz musicians on the globe”, 21 year old trumpeter and composer Kellin Hanas of Wheaton, Illinois is a Jazz Trumpet BM student at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, studying under legendary trumpeter Ingrid Jensen (ARTEMIS). Currently, Hanas splits her time between being a full-time student, performing artist and educator in New York City, touring with celebrities such as Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award Winning Actor Darren Criss, and playing alongside Disney Channel star Garrett Clayton. She is the leader of her own band, the Kellin Hanas Quintet, which debuted for the first time in the Summer of 2022 in the upstairs of the iconic Birdland Jazz Club in NYC. She has worked with venues such as Carnegie Hall and Jazz at Lincoln Center, and has worked with jazz greats such as Sean Jones, Wycliffe Gordon, and Christian McBride. She also is a regular member of the Grace Fox Big Band, and was a featured soloist on the band’s debut album Eleven-O-Seven.
Recently Hanas has been touring with the DIVA Jazz Orchestra and the 11x Grammy Award® winning vocal group The Manhattan Transfer. She also joined the DIVA Jazz Orchestra for their four night 30th anniversary run at Dizzy’s Club in NYC. Hanas was also selected by JAS Aspen this past summer to spend two weeks all expenses paid in Aspen, Colorado studying with legendary bassist Christian McBride. Hanas was a two-time member of various national honor ensembles, including Carnegie Hall’s NYO Jazz Band, Monterey Jazz Festival’s Next Generation Jazz Orchestra and Women in Jazz Combo, and the Jazz Band of America, as well as an alumnus of the highly selective Vail Jazz Workshop. She also is the recipient of a DownBeat Magazine Student Improviser Award. Through social media, Hanas has amassed 160,000+ followers on TikTok, as well as over 40,000 followers on Instagram. She hopes to use her platforms to inspire young women to get involved in the music industry and fight against discrimination.
