Conor Cantrell

Born in Galway, Ireland, Conor embarked on his professional musical career at the age of fourteen, establishing himself as a versatile multi-instrumentalist, composer, and songwriter. His development as an artist has been profoundly shaped by his beginnings as a trumpet player and the opportunity to study under and receive masterclasses from some of the world’s most distinguished musicians and educators, including Steve Waterman, Gene Calderazo, Phil Robson, Dave Liebman, Mark Turner, Rufus Reid, Jonathan Kreisberg, Ari Hoenig, and Jerry Bergonzi, among many others.

Throughout his career, Conor has had the honour of performing and recording alongside various internationally acclaimed artists and ensembles such as The Commitments, Imelda May, The Republic of Loose, the Brexit Big Band, Brian Priestly, the Matt Roberts Bigband and Louis Stewart.

An Honours graduate of Trinity Laban conservatory, Conor later established himself in Berlin, where he has achieved notable success as a Guitarist and composer, with three album releases to his name and extensive airplay on major radio stations such as MDR Kultur, Deutschlandfunk kultur and DR P8 Jazz across Germany and Europe. As a performer, he maintains regular collaborations with prestigious ensembles, including The Brandenburger Symphoniker and can be heard performing regularly at the major jazz clubs of Berlin.

Having completed his master’s degree with distinction from BIMM University Berlin, Conor is devoting his creative focus to his septet, jazz guitar trio and compositional visions. After many years working as a sideman and developing his craft, Conor’s voice as an artist, bandleader, composer and guitarist has finally emerged with his recent debut album ‘A Place Between Homes’ having being released in October 2024.

Awards

Honors Degree from Trinity-Laban Conservatory of Music and Dance, London

Masters Degree from BIMM University, Berlin

Gear

Gibson ES-175

Pic: Dunlop Ultex 1.14

Strings: D'Addario

Amp: DW Mark little Jazz cobo

Pedals: Holy Grail reverb, MXR Delay

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