Etix is the official ticketing source and partner of The Old Church.Twenty-five-year-old Isaiah Collier is a musical virtuoso in the truest sense of the phrase. He began playing saxophone at age 11, and his intuitive proficiency earned him attention early on. Ever since, his band Isaiah Collier and The Chosen Few has been turning ears. The New York Times recently featured his newest album with The Chosen Few as one of the best jazz albums of 2024. He was also featured in Downbeat Magazine’s 25 for the future in their 90th Anniversary issue in July 2024. He is a winner of Rising Star Award in the Downbeat Magazine’s critics poll for Tenor Saxophone (2023), and Soprano Saxophone (2024). ​ There’s a regal, elegant manner to Isaiah’s stage presence: he’s over 6 feet tall, thin, deep brown, with high cheekbones. When not playing, he is patiently waiting – not contemplating his next move, but listening to the musicians who accompany him, listening to their stories. He explains that he’s never really hearing himself, he’s hearing others play: some people have fire, others have air. Isaiah Coller’s sound is a dynamic flurry of metaphors, yet he can hold back when necessary. He plays his influences, which he describes as a “sonic time machine; you can’t really put a time or destination on it.” As far as he where he plans to take his music, Collier says, “I reach backwards, and forwards simultaneously when creating art and what is ahead of me is the past.” He has released six albums to date, The Almighty (Division 81 Records, 2024), which was chosen by The New York Times as one of the 10 best jazz albums of 2024, Parallel Universe (Night Dreamer, 2023), I AM BEYOND (Division 81 Records, 2022), Cosmic Transitions (JAZZ, 2021), and Return of the Black Emperor (JAZZ, 2018). His latest release The World Is On Fire (Division 81 Records, 2024) is receiving wide critical acclaim. A concert program in tribute to the classic quartets of John Coltrane is being planned for 2026. The Critics Speak: “Still in his early 20s, Collier is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, though he focuses on saxophones.” – Leor Galil, Chicago Reader “5 stars for Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few: Cosmic Transitions (Jazz, 2021). This offering is the third from the Chicago-based saxophonist, who at the age of 23 has transcended the realm of prodigy. It is not his age that shocks. It is what he’s playing.” – Joshua Myers, Downbeat Magazine "Parallel Universe review - an inspired homage to the giants of jazz and soul (4 stars). Recorded in single-take live performances, the Chicago multi-instrumentalist deftly throws funk, gospel, soul and his own fine voice into the mix" – Neil Spencer, The Guardian “A weighty LP featuring his quartet, the Chosen Few. He has established himself as an heir apparent to both the Chicago lineage and the post-Coltrane sax tradition” – Giovanni Russonello, New York Times.