Assistant Professor
Jazz Studies

B.Mus. (Jazz) (Universität der Künste Berlin)
M.Mus. (Manhattan School of Music)

fhoefner@mun.ca
Room MU-2015
(709) 864-2640
http://www.florian-hoefner.com/

Born and raised in Germany, trained in New York City, and now based in Canada, Juno Award–winning pianist and composer Florian Hoefner has forged a unique voice in modern jazz, shaped by a broad range of influences. Praised by The New York Times as a “composer-bandleader of insightful resolve” and described by Downbeat as a “harmonically daring pianist […] reaching toward new sonic territory,” he continues to make his mark as an inventive creator and performer of contemporary jazz.

His most recent trio release as a leader, Desert Bloom (Alma Records/Universal, 2022), features his Canadian trio with Andrew Downing (bass) and Nick Fraser (drums). The album presents seven original compositions alongside two inventive arrangements of indie rock and bluegrass songs, highlighting Hoefner’s signature lyricism and dramaturgical flair. Desert Bloom won the 2023 Juno Award for Jazz Album of the Year: Group and received two East Coast Music Award (ECMA) nominations. It follows First Spring (2019), a Juno nominee and two-time ECMA winner.

With his quartet, the Florian Hoefner Group, he has released three acclaimed albums on Origin Records. The latest, Luminosity—featuring saxophonist Seamus Blake—was praised as “a starkly picturesque album […] that makes profound statements from quiet moments” (Downbeat), “the real deal” (Jazz Journal, UK), and “a total experience” (New York Jazz Record). Luminosity was nominated for Jazz Recording of the Year at the 2017 East Coast Music Awards. Earlier, the Group received the Stingray Rising Star Award following their performance at the 2015 Montréal Jazz Festival.

Hoefner’s discography also includes his 2017 solo album Coldwater Stories and, more recently, Seascape (2025), the debut album of the Atlantic Jazz Collective, which he co-leads with saxophonist Mike Murley and bassist Jim Vivian. Featuring Norma Winstone on vocals and Joe La Barbera on drums, the album has been widely reviewed and received international airplay.

Hoefner has also appeared as a sideman on numerous recordings, including a Fresh Sound Records collaboration with guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel. He has shared the stage with Jerry Bergonzi, Rich Perry, Christine Jensen, Laila Biali, John Hollenbeck, John Riley, and Milena Casado.

As a composer, his work includes the Iris Trio’s celebrated chamber album Project Earth: The Blue Chapter, and a forthcoming large-scale collaboration with saxophonist/composer Quinsin Nachoff for jazz quartet and chamber orchestra, scheduled for release in 2026. His arrangements have been recorded by artists such as Till Brönner, Jasmin Tabatabai, and Peter Fessler, while his big band works have been performed by ensembles including the New York Jazz Orchestra, Lucerne Jazz Orchestra, and the German Youth Jazz Orchestra.

Since 2014, Hoefner has been based in St. John’s, Newfoundland, where he is Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies at Memorial University.