Godwin Louis

Alto saxophonist Godwin Louis was born in Harlem, New York, and began playing saxophone at age 9. He grew up in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Port au Prince, Haiti. He was a finalist in the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Saxophone competition and has performed around the globe in countries including Mali, Senegal, Togo, France, and Finland, among many others. A graduate of Berklee College of Music and the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute for Jazz Performance, he has studied and performed with Herbie Hancock, Clark Terry, Roger Dickerson, Ron Carter, and Al Foster, among other renowned musicians.

In addition, Louis has performed as a sideman and guest soloist, and has conducted clinics and master classes worldwide. As a composer, he has received the Jerome Foundation Emerging Artist Grant and the Jazz Gallery's New Works Commission. As an educator, humanitarian, and ambassador, he has traveled from Benin to China to help promote cross-cultural understanding and introduce thousands to America’s art form of jazz through public concerts, master classes, and jam sessions. The founder of Experience Ayiti, a nonprofit educational multidisciplinary arts organization, his debut album as a leader, Global, was released in February 2019.