Barrie Sorensen is a saxophonist, jazz composer/arranger, clinician and private educator based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
One of the most versatile and in-demand saxophonists on the Canadian West Coast, he has recently performed and/or recorded with many artists, including:
- International Pop Superstars Katy Perry, Chris Martin (lead singer of Coldplay) and Sarah McLachlan,
- Internationally renowned Canadian artists soprano Measha Brueggergosman, mezzo soprano Jean Stilwell, and trumpet virtuoso Jens Lindemann,
- Renowned Canadian artists, Jets Overhead, The Paperboys, and blues legend Dutch Mason,
- and around the Victoria area with Nick La Riviere and the Best Laid Plans, The Bluesland Horn Band, the Vancouver Island Repertory Jazz Orchestra, Damian Graham and the Best Guys in Town, Frazey Ford, Cristian De La Luna, Attila Fias, David Santana, Louis Rudner’s Fusion Throwdown, Ashley Wey, Ken Lavigne, Matt Stern, Maureen Washington, Diane Pancel, Edie Daponte, Heather Ferguson, Cities, Anthems, Lelolai Collective and Mostly Motown, among others.
Originally from Prince Edward Island on the Canadian East Coast, some of his earlier musical highlights before moving to Victoria included performing as a member of the critically acclaimed Charlottetown Festival Orchestra, Symphony Nova Scotia, the Prince Edward Island Symphony Orchestra, and being a two-time East Coast Music Award winner for Jazz Group of the Year with the band the Jive Kings.
As a composer/arranger, he has been commissioned by the CBC, many educational institutions and community ensembles, as well as commercial artists to write music for a wide variety of ensembles and musical settings, including big band, symphony pops arrangements and independent film. Many of his original tunes and arrangements have been broadcast extensively on CBC national radio.
