ABOUT KIRA
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Bandleader, saxophonist, composer and arranger Kira Daglio Fine grew up in Lexington, MA and is currently located in New York City. She has won numerous awards and scholarships at competitions such as Essentially Ellington, the Charles Mingus High School Competition, and the Berklee High School Jazz Festival. Kira is the founder and director of the student big band at Columbia University, and she often performs throughout New York City and Greater Boston with her own groups. She has appeared at venues such as the Regattabar, the Lilypad, and Outpost 186 in Cambridge, MA as well as Cornelia Street Cafe, Symphony Space, Garage Restaurant, and Silvana in New York City. She has shared the stage with and composed for the likes of Ron Carter, Jon Faddis, Miguel Zenon, Steve Nelson, and Gary Smulyan, and has studied with musicians such as Jon Gordon, Don Sickler, Ole Mathisen, and Mike Tucker. Kira's musical influences include Cannonball Adderley, Sonny Stitt, Sonny Rollins, Duke Ellington, Thad Jones, and Miles Davis, among others.
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A Q&A with the Columbia University Music Performance Program
A video interview with Beets & Noodz at Columbia. Read the full article here
BIG BAND
THE YOUNG LIONS JAZZ ORCHESTRA
The Young Lions Jazz Orchestra is a new initiative that sprouted from the Columbia big band in the interest of performing in venues across New York City. The band is comprised of some of the best young musicians in the city, many of whom have also participated in the Columbia big band. The Young Lions offer a fresh and exciting take on the big band tradition by focusing primarily on original compositions and arrangements. They will begin performing throughout the city this fall— check out the calendar for details.
Like the Young Lions Jazz Orchestra on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and sign up for the mailing list for updates on future performances!
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY BIG BAND
Inspired by Duke Ellington, Maria Schneider, and other bandleaders that came before her, Kira knew since high school that she wanted to run her own big band. In the fall of 2015, she founded the first student-run big band at Columbia University, with the support of the school's Music Performance Program. The band consists of some of the top student musicians in the program and performs regularly on campus, primarily at the MPP's semesterly concerts and social events with the CU Swing Club. Now in her fourth year as bandleader, Kira continues to direct, manage, and perform with the Columbia big band despite having graduated in the spring of 2018.
