Sullivan Fortner
Sullivan Fortner is a GRAMMY® Award-winning pianist, composer, and educator from New Orleans, celebrated as an uncompromising individualist and one of the best pianists today. Known for his "startlingly mature" instincts, he engages harmony and rhythmic ideas with curiosity and clarity, seeking soulful and wildly inventive connections across musical styles.
Fortner has collaborated with diverse voices including Wynton Marsalis and Paul Simon, and he earned international praise for his work as a key player and producer on The Window with Cécile McLorin Salvant. His solo releases, Aria, Moments Preserved, and Solo Game, have garnered effusive critical acclaim, with the latter receiving 4-star reviews in DownBeat and France's Télérama Magazine. He is a champion of mentorship and the 2024 DownBeat Critics Poll winner for Rising Star Jazz Group: Sullivan Fortner Trio.