Sofia Avelino is a Brazilian-Canadian musician and music educator with a passion for fostering community through ensemble music-making. She grew up singing in choirs, playing piano, and began playing saxophone at 12 years old. Sofia holds a B.Mus in Jazz Studies from Capilano University and a B.Ed. in Music Education from UBC.

Sofia developed a passion for jazz and big band music in her teens after taking up swing dancing and watching local musicians play at dances.  She has a love for choral singing and has previously sung with ensembles such as the Vancouver Youth Choir, performing at the American Choral Director’s Association conference in Kansas City, World Choral Symposium in Istanbul, Turkey, and at Carnegie Hall in New York City. In addition to The Leading Ladies Little Big Band, Sofia plays baritone saxophone with Dean Thiessen’s Stranger Friends Orchestra and the Christopher Berner Jazz Orchestra.