.composer-musician
Maria Dybbroe
(f. 1993), is an awarded, composer, improviser, saxophonist, and clarinetist based in
Oslo and Copenhagen, working in the experimental realm of the Nordic jazz and contemporary music scene.
.composer-musician
Maria Dybbroe
(f. 1993), is an awarded, composer, improviser, saxophonist, and clarinetist based in
Oslo and Copenhagen, working in the experimental realm of the Nordic jazz and contemporary music scene.
“ For me as an artist, the most important thing is to stay curious and explorative. Whether I compose, interpret or improvise on the saxophone, I try constantly to gain new territory, and challenge myself. And I believe this mentality, combined with interacting with other artists, the audience, the room and the moment, gives the possibility that something beautiful beyond words can happen. ”
In 2026-2027 Dybbroe has received the grant/ carreer programme ‘The Young Artistic Elite’, founded by Danish Arts Foundation with Bugge Wesseltoft as her mentor.
As a composer Dybbroe composes for many different kinds of ensembles ranging from duos to string quartets and bigbands, in the field between new classical music and jazz.
In 2025 she was commissioned a piece for the Norwegian percussion trio SISU as a part of Ny Musikks Komponistgruppe and in 2023 and 2024 she wrote two concerts for OJKOS - the Orchestra of Jazz Composers in Oslo, where one of the concerts were performed again at The Norwegian Jazz Prize.
Dybbroe works with traditional notation as well as graphic notation and instructions and she is a very curious and dedicated artist who is fascinated by melodies as well as more abstract sounds.
Dybbroe is the leading force of the double-trio Caktus which gave her the nomination as ‘Composer of the Year’ at the Danish Critic’s Prize ‘Steppeulven’ in 2020, as well as a nomination for ‘Album of the year’ at Danish Music Awards Jazz.
As a performer Dybbroe is known for her deep presence, her listening and very distinct voice on the saxophone.
In 2021 she won the title ‘New Name of the Year’ at Danish Music Awards Jazz with the collective band Maraton, and earlier she has received several prices and nominations for her political engagement and work for a blossoming and diverse jazz-scene in Aarhus and Copenhagen with the organisations Sun Ship and The Community.
Maria Dybbroe is both dedicated to working collectively in bands creating original music, but she is also an active free improviser travelling around Europe playing solo or in adhoc-constellations. As a soloist she has been featured in various ensembles from Danish Radio Bigband to Kasper Staub Trio, and as a sidewoman she is part of the Copenhagen Clarinet Choir among others.
Most of her work is centered around improvisation and she collaborates with dancers, poets, electronic musicians and pop-artists, among others; Jacob Anderskov,
Pia Tafdrup, P.O. Jørgens, Pat Thomas,
Marlene Bonnesen, Knut Aalefjær,
Ståle Liavik Solberg, Laura Toxværd, Mija Milovic, Merdh Laleh, ZAAR, Anja Jacobsen and T.S. Høeg.