Asha Parkinson is a London-based composer and saxophonist whose work regularly crosses the boundaries between traditions. 

She was three semi-finalist in the BBC Young Jazz

Musician competition and was shortlisted in the 2016 BBC Inspire Composers Competition. Asha runs the Kalpadruma collective exploring connections between Contemporary Classical, Jazz and various World music traditions. To date, the group has performed at many prestigious venues across the country, including hosting a monthly residency at the Ritzy in Brixton, London Jazz Festival, Ronnie Scott’s, the Union Chapel, and the Jazz Seven Leeds series. Their debut album will be released at the Spice of Life in June 2022. 

Expressing social conscience through creative projects was reflected early in Asha’s compositional career when, at the age of 17, she created Voices Beyond Divisions, a cross-cultural peace project, involving a children’s choir bringing together religious minorities. As a result of this, she was one of 20 young people to be presented with the international Diana Legacy Award at St James’ Palace in May 2017. In 2021, Jazz South commissioned Asha to write Encounters, a powerful suite bringing together the collective, members of the Orchestra of Syrian Musicians and the feminist poetry of Maram al-Masri.