Mary Halvorson is a Brooklyn-based guitarist, composer and recording artist for Nonesuch Records. Her distinctive sound and innovative approach to her instrument have earned her widespread recognition, including a 2019 MacArthur Foundation fellowship, featured performances at venues and festivals all over the world and Guitarist of the Year honors from the DownBeat Critics Poll, International Critics Poll and the Jazz Journalist Association's JJA Awards. When not leading her own ensembles, she can be heard in a wide variety of creative partnerships and on more than 75 releases as a co-leader or sidewoman.

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"Her development as an improviser, bandleader, and composer has been astonishing," writes Peter Margasak in his recent survey of her discography for Bandcamp Daily, "and more than two decades later that progress shows no signs of stopping." Her latest release, About Ghosts, the third to feature her flagship sextet, Amaryllis, was selected as the best new jazz album of 2025 by NPR Music, Slate and the 20th Annual Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll among others. And, her "beguiling and fascinating" (Kevin LeGendre, Jazzwise) collaboration with trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, Slo-Mo Neon Luminate Hoverings, was just released in June.

 

After years of focusing on writing and arranging for larger projects, she recently returned to the small-group format with Canis Major, featuring trumpeter Dave Adewumi, bassist Henry Fraser and drummer Tomas Fujiwara. This "stellar new group" (Lou Fancher, East Bay Express) has performed at venues ranging from Dizzy's Club (NYC) to the National Concert Hall (Dublin, Ireland) to the historic Teatro Olimpico (Vicenza, Italy), as well as at festivals such as Big Ears, Pickathon and the Vision Festival. Canis Major's debut release will be out in 2027 following another round of international tour dates this fall. 

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Mary Halvorson plays a Flip Scipio guitar, and uses Apollo picks and D'Addario strings.