Tia Fuller

Grammy-nominated artist and accomplished educator Tia Fuller has been the featured saxophonist with pop diva Beyoncé, featured on the I Am…Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé Experience, and Live at the Wynn Theatre worldwide tours (2006–2010). In addition, she served as assistant musical director for Esperanza Spalding’s Radio Music Society tour and performed with Terri Lyne Carrington’s Mosaic Project and Money Jungle tours.

Fuller has recorded five albums: Healing Space, Decisive Steps, Angelic Warrior, Pillar of Strength, and Diamond Cut, which received a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. Her quartet has performed at festivals all over the world, including in Panama, the Netherlands, Italy, Angola, and South Africa. 

Fuller has been featured on the cover of DownBeat and JazzTimes, and in a national J.Jill campaign celebrating dynamic women in the arts. An opinion piece she wrote for NBC News, “2019 Grammy Awards: Why I’m Using My Nomination to Speak out in the World of Jazz,” has drawn widespread acclaim. She has received numerous awards and marks of distinction, winning the JazzTimes Critics’ Poll for best alto saxophonist (2018) and the DownBeat International Critics’ Poll Rising Star award (2013 and 2014). She received the Benny Golson Award from Howard University in 2018. 

A devoted educator, Fuller directs Berklee’s Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, Ariana Grande, and Micki Miller ensembles. While balancing the worlds of education and performance, she is instrumental in facilitating master classes, clinics, and lectures worldwide. Fuller holds a bachelor’s degree in music from Spelman College (magna cum laude) and master’s degree in music from the University of Colorado, Boulder (summa cum laude).