STEPHANIE CHOU QUINTET takes the audience on a sonic journey from North America to Asia, and features a program of culturally-curated, jazz-inflected vocal music in Mandarin/English, alongside elegantly-arranged instrumentals. The show is an exploration of what it means to be Asian-American today, and includes fresh takes on classic Chinese folk songs, excerpts from Chou’s “Comfort Girl” song cycle, other originals exploring math and literature, jazz classics, and more. While there’s a strong element of Asian culture, it’s meant to reach all audiences and invite people to experience music as a key unifying force. It celebrates music’s cross-cultural power to unite us.

The material includes jazz reinventions of classic Chinese folk songs and tongue-twisters, and features a unique combination of traditional Chinese violin (erhu) with vocals, sax, viola, rhythm section. The band has an energetic stage presence and connects deeply with the audience. This show is appropriate for all-ages and includes audience participation. Workshops and masterclasses can be given standalone or with schools, festivals, music programs, cultural institutions, and more.

Stephanie Chou is a composer/saxophonist/singer who blends influences from her Chinese heritage with Western jazz and pop, fostering immediate cross-cultural connections and emphasizing audience engagement. She’s performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Joe’s Pub, City Winery, and in music festivals across North America and Asia where her music creates immediate cross-cultural connections. Her quintet combines saxophone and vocals in Mandarin/English with Chinese violin(erhu), viola, and a jazz rhythm section, amplifying the universal appeal of her music to her ever-expanding fan base.

Comfort Girl, her bold, innovative song-cycle inspired by true stories of Asian women abducted into sexual slavery during WWII, premiered at Joe’s Pub. It is not only a groundbreaking fusion of East-West musical traditions, but has also sparked public dialogue on a formerly taboo subject that still resonates globally for women today. DownBeat called it, “A stunning work that…shines light on a dark chapter of history.” A studio recording of Comfort Girl will be released in 2025, and it’s been commissioned as an opera by the American Opera Project.

Chou’s albums include Prime Knot and Asymptote, which focused on jazz reinventions of classic Chinese folk songs. Her jazz-ballet CforG was commissioned by ABT ballerina Susan Jaffe. She has received commissions and grants from American Composers Forum, Chamber Music America, New York State Council on the Arts, OPERA America, MAP Fund, Jerome Foundation, and more.