Kaleigh Wilder is a baritone saxophone and bass clarinet improviser and sound sculptor based in Detroit, MI. Originally from Northwest Indiana, she moved to Michigan for graduate school where she then found refuge in Detroit’s music community. Wilder’s trajectory was mostly classical, but she played jazz throughout middle and high school. She ultimately attended the University of Michigan for graduate school, and it was during these two short years that she returned to her childhood roots of improvisation and reimagined her voice to perform fully on baritone saxophone. She also had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to Ghana to do ethnographic fieldwork at the Dagara Music Center and with the AFRIMUDA Foundation. During her one month in Ghana, Wilder studied gyil, djembe, Ewe drums, and dance. The embodiment of Ghanaian music and dance still impacts her work today. She leads a baritone saxophone and drum duo and is a member of Gnostikos, a quartet whose music ranges from strictly notated material to free improvisation. Last year, Wilder was appointed as a Kresge Artist Fellow.

Website: https://www.kaleighwilder.com/
Instagram: @thewildersideofthings