Into the Aquasphere Florian Hoefner

• 1 Aerial Rivers 13:48
• 2 AMOC 13:09
• 3 Force of Nature 07:40
• Total Runtime 34:37

Info for Into the Aquasphere

Florian’s debut large ensemble album featuring a chamber orchestra conducted by JC Sanford and a jazz group. Its three original compositions explore water as a life-giving and world-shaping force, from the Amazon’s moisture systems to climate-threatened Atlantic currents. A bold, cinematic symbiosis of jazz and classical language.

Hoefner insists the two groups were written as one. "This is not a jazz quartet accompanied by an orchestra, but one ensemble, where the quartet is fully integrated with the orchestra," he said in material released with the album.

The album was recorded at Studio Piccolo in Montreal in October 2024, with JC Sanford conducting. The ensemble includes John Hébert on bass, Eric McPherson on drums, clarinetist and bass clarinetist Christine Carter, percussionist Ben Reimer, and a string section led by Grammy-winning concertmaster Nathalie Bonin. BroadwayWorld, reporting from the release materials, identifies Carter as Hoefner's wife.

The record contains three original compositions, each about a different aspect of the relationship between people and water. "Aerial Rivers" is named after the atmospheric flows of moisture from the Amazon Basin that sustain life across much of South America. "AMOC" takes its name from the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, a system of Atlantic Ocean currents that the release materials describe as threatened by climate change. "Force of Nature," which ALMA says was the first single, explores water's capacity to both destroy and soothe.

"I have always been creatively inspired by the environment," Hoefner said. "Even when I lived in Germany I always sought out nature experiences, whether it was hiking high up in the Alps or swimming in wild waters. These experiences have left a lasting impression on me, and I care deeply about protecting the natural places that inspired them."

Hoefner has also written classical chamber music, including the "Blue Chapter" of Project Earth for the Iris Trio and poet Don McKay. Other recent projects include his longstanding trio with Andrew Downing and Nick Fraser, a revived Florian Hoefner Group, and the Atlantic Jazz Collective, which he co-founded with saxophonist Mike Murley and bassist Jim Vivian. That group's debut album, Seascape, featured singer Norma Winstone and drummer Joe LaBarbera and was nominated for a Juno in 2025.

"I'm driven by the challenge of finding new ways to express my musical voice," Hoefner said. "Whether through different ensembles, collaborations, or artistic contexts, my goal is always the same: to create work that connects with audiences through performance."

Florian Hoefner, piano
John Hébert, jazz bass
Eric McPherson, drums
Chris James, flute, piccolo flute, alto flute
Christine Carter, clarinet, bass clarinet
Quinsin Nachoff, tenor saxophone
Micajah Sturgess, French horn
Ben Reimer, percussion
Nathalie Bonin, concertmaster
17-piece string orchestra
JC Sanford, conductor

Florian Hoefner
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 Magazine 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 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 Awards (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.Its busy touring scheduled has taken the group to North America, Europe and Australia so far, including a celebrated performance at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival 2019.

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 Juno nominated 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, Mike Rodriguez, Christine Jensen, Laila Biali, John Hollenbeck, Adam Cruz, John Riley, and Milena Casado.

As a composer, his work includes the Iris Trio’s celebrated chamber album Project Earth: The Blue Chapter, and his forthcoming album Into the Aquasphere with music for jazz quartet and chamber orchestra, to be released on October 23rd 2026 on Alma Records. 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, the Lucerne Jazz Orchestra, the German Youth Jazz Orchestra and the DanJam Orchestra.

Since July 2014 Florian is a resident of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, where he serves as Associate Professor for Jazz Studies at Memorial University.

Booklet for Into the Aquasphere