Roxy Coss

Women in Jazz Organization
Bloomfield, New Jersey

GRAMMY Award-winning Saxophonist, Composer, Educator and Activist Roxy Coss has been a celebrated figure on the New York scene for the past twenty years. She is the recipient of a Downbeat Critics’ Poll "Rising Star" Award, an ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award, The AFM Local 802’s four-year “Emerging Artist” grant, Jazziz Magazine’s “Artist to Watch", and Hothouse Magazine’s “Tenor Saxophone” Award. Coss is a prolific composer and established bandleader, having released six albums to critical acclaim. Her newest release, a digital and vinyl-exclusive EP, Never Meet Your Heroes, released on November 14th, 2025 (OiM).

Coss is the newly-appointed Director of Jazz Studies at Stony Brook University, as Assistant Professor of Music. She is also the Founder and President of Women In Jazz Organization (WIJO), and Co-Artistic Director of the Brubeck Jazz Summit. She recently completed a distinguished scholar position as Visiting Fellow at Wesleyan University, where she participated in the Bailey College of the Environment's Think Tank on Agency and Improvisation; researching and teaching about “Women in Jazz”.

Roxy has performed extensively around the world, headlining major festivals and venues including the Newport Jazz Festival, Sopot Jazz Festival, Melbourne Big Band Festival, NYC Winter Jazz Fest, BRIC Jazz Fest, Earshot Jazz Festival, The Appel Room at JALC, Smalls, Jazz Showcase, The Nash, The Century Room, The Royal Room, Merriman's Playhouse, Side Door Cafe, Frankie’s, and Cafe Stritch. Her working band, the Roxy Coss Quintet, has held residencies at New York City clubs including SMOKE Jazz Club and Club Bonafide.

Coss is also an in-demand side musician, and has performed or recorded with Clark Terry, Louis Hayes, Rufus Reid, Billy Kaye, Houston Person, Bill Charlap, Claudio Roditi, Helen Sung, Elio Villafranca, Mike Pope, Jeremy Pelt, Willie Jones III, Geoffrey Keezer, Maurice Hines, Ken Peplowski, Gillian Margot, Nicole Zuraitis, Dan Pugach Nonet, Ulysses Owens Jr., Lucas Pino, Erica von Kleist, Miki Yamanaka, Steven Feifke, Caili O’Doherty, Allegra Levy, Mariel Bildsten, Christian Wiggs, Bryan Carter, Altin Sencalar, Yu Sakai, The Birdland Big Band, Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, the Mingus Big Band, the Diva Jazz Orchestra, and the Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra. She was also a featured guest musician on the television show Harry (host Harry Connick, Jr.).

Disclosure information not submitted.

Presentation(s):

• Evening the Playing Field: WIJO Institutional Audits

  Thursday, January 8, 2026
  3:00 PM - 3:50 PM CST