Colin Stetson
Colin Stetson (born March 3, 1975) is an American saxophonist, multireedist, and composer based in Montreal. He is best known as a regular collaborator of the indie rock acts Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, Bell Orchestre, and Ex Eye. In addition to saxophone, he plays clarinet, bass clarinet, French horn, flute, and cornet.
Colin Stetson

Tore Sætre · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Colin Stetson
- Born
- 3 March 1975
- Birthplace
- Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- saxophonist · horn player · musician · composer · wind instrument player
- Fields
- music
- Education
- University of Michigan
- Languages
- English
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Documentary summary
Colin Stetson (born March 3, 1975) is an American saxophonist, multireedist, and composer based in Montreal. He is best known as a regular collaborator of the indie rock acts Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, Bell Orchestre, and Ex Eye. In addition to saxophone, he plays clarinet, bass clarinet, French horn, flute, and cornet.
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Colin Stetson (born 1975) is a composer, film score composer and horn player, among other activities, of American nationality. The composer was born in Ann Arbor.
Colin Stetson was educated at University of Michigan. Activity centred on music.
The work spans jazz. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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museum · 22b2f6dc-fcc2-490d-a462-f972a692ce12 · wikidata · Q2982657 · wikipedia · Colin Stetson
In this article
Biography
Biography
Stetson has released various solo releases, including his debut and subsequent albums New History Warfare Vol. 1, 2, & 3, a collaborative studio album with violinist Sarah Neufeld entitled Never Were the Way She Was (2015), Sorrow: A Reimagining of Henryk Górecki's 3rd Symphony (2016), and All This I Do for Glory (2017). Since 2013, Stetson has contributed the scores to several films and television series.

Colin Stetson, moers festival 2010
Nomo michael hoefner /

Colin Stetson at Sled Island, 2013, the night before Calgary flooded.
etherbug
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Colin Stetson • Landscape — yes • Born — 3 March 1975 • Birthplace — Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S. • Genre — * Jazz • experimental • avant-garde • indie rock • Instrument — * Bass saxophone • saxophone • clarinet • bass clarinet • French horn • flute • cornet • Label — * Constellation • 52 Hz • Associated Acts — Ex Eye, Bon Iver, Sarah Neufeld, Arcade Fire, Bell Orchestre, Tom Waits, Timber Timbre, Chemical Brothers • Website — colinstetson.com
Background
Background
Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and currently based in Montreal, Quebec, Stetson started taking lessons at age 15. He attended the University of Michigan School of Music with a full scholarship, where he joined Transmission Trio. He also played with the groups Boostamonte and the People's Bizarre. Stetson has performed and recorded with dozens of artists, including Tom Waits, Arcade Fire, TV on the Radio, Feist, and Bon Iver. His extended saxophone techniques cover advanced circular breathing, multiphonics, altissimo, microtones, (reed) vocalizations, percussive valve-work, clicking keys, and growling. The overall effect led The New Yorker film critic Anthony Lane to describe Stetson's score to the film Hereditary as having been seemingly "scored for violins, percussion, a humpback whale, and bats."
Solo career
Solo career
• Illustration — Colin Stetson at Sled Island Music and Arts Festival, Calgary, 2013. His first solo album, New History Warfare Vol. 1, was released in 2008. His second and third albums, New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges and New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light, were released by Constellation Records in early 2011. On June 16, the album was named as a longlisted nominee for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize, and shortlisted on July 6. Stetson was chosen by Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival that he curated in December 2011 in Minehead, England. The final album of the trilogy, New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light, was released by Constellation Records in April 2013, and was a longlist nominee for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize. April 2015 saw the release of Never Were the Way She Was, the first recording of Stetson's duo project with his then wife and long-time collaborator Sarah Neufeld. Stetson's album All This I Do for Glory was released on April 28, 2017. In 2022 he released the drone-inspired album Chimæra I. It was followed a year later by the minimalist When We Were That What Wept for the Sea. In September 2024, Stetson released The Love It Took to Leave You.
Solo albums/As leader
Solo albums/As leader
• Tiny Beast (2003) with Transmission Trio • Slow Descent (2003) • New History Warfare Vol. 1 (2007) • The Righteous Wrath of an Honorable Man 7" (2010) • New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges (2011) • Those Who Didn't Run EP (2011) • New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light (2013) • Sorrow: A Reimagining of Gorecki's 3rd Symphony (2016) • All This I Do for Glory (2017) • Chimæra I (2022) • When We Were That What Wept for the Sea (2023) • The Love It Took to Leave You (2024)
Soundtrack albums
Soundtrack albums
• Blue Caprice (2013) • La Peur (2015) • Outlaws and Angels (2016) • Hereditary (2018) • The First (2018) • Color Out of Space (2020) • Barkskins (2020) • Deliver Us (2020) • The War Show (2020) • Mayday (2021) • Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) • Among the Stars (2022) • The Menu (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2022) • Uzumaki (2024) • Martha (2024)
Collaborations with other artists
Collaborations with other artists
• Gringo Blaster (2002) with Michael Kowalski • Stones (2012) with Mats Gustafsson • Never Were the Way She Was (2015) with Sarah Neufeld • Ex Eye (2017) with Ex Eye (Greg Fox, Shahzad Ismaily, Toby Summerfield) • Radiate (2015) with The Chemical Brothers • Confessions Pt II (2016) with BadBadNotGood • The Long Road North (2022) with Cult of Luna • Void Patrol (2022) with Void Patrol (Elliott Sharp, Billy Martin, Payton MacDonald) • No Highs (2023) with Tim Hecker • Carry Them with Us (2023) with Brìghde Chaimbeul • Nethering (2026) with Greg Fox and Trevor Dunn
As sideman
As sideman
With Tom Waits • Blood Money (2002) • Alice (2002) • Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards (2006) With Arcade Fire • Neon Bible (2007) • The Suburbs (2010) • Reflektor (2013) With TV on the Radio • Dear Science (2008) With Jolie Holland • The Living and the Dead (2008) With Feist • Metals (2011) With Esmerine • La Lechuza (2011) With Timber Timbre • Creep on Creepin' On (2011) • Hot Dreams (2014) With Bon Iver • Bon Iver, Bon Iver (2011) • 22, A Million (2016) With David Gilmour • Rattle That Lock (2015) With BadBadNotGood • IV (2016) With Animal Collective • Painting With (2016) With Sarah Neufeld • The Ridge (2016) With Marcus Hamblett • Detritus (2019)
Television
Television
• Year — Title — Network — Notes • 2014 — The Blacklist The Alchemist (No. 101) — NBC — performer: " Warm Shadow" - uncredited • 2017 — Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams Human Is — Channel 4 — performer: "The rest of us" - uncredited • 2018 — The First — Hulu, Channel 4 • 2020 — Barkskins — National Geographic • 2021 — Among the Stars — Disney Plus — Composer for all 6 Episodes • 2023 — Hogan's Castle — Netflix — Composer for all 11 Episodes • 2024 — Uzumaki — Adult Swim's Toonami • 2026 — Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen — Netflix
Video game
Video game
• Year — Title — Studio • 2018 — Red Dead Redemption 2 — Rockstar Games
Identity and overview
Identity and overview
The following is established of the heading itself.
Works and production
Works and production
The following works and productions are recorded by name or by count.
Film
Film
• Year — Title — Director — Notes • 2007 — Greyhounds — Kelilyn Mohr McKeever — Short film • 2012 — Rust and Bone — Jacques Audiard — Composer, Musician: "All the Days I've Missed You (Ilaij I)" • 2013 — 12 Years a Slave — Steve McQueen — Composer, Musician: "Awake on Foreign Shores" • Blue Caprice — Alexandre Moors • 2014 — The Rover — David Michôd — Composer, Musician: "Time is Advancing with Fitful Irregularity", "As a Bird or Branch", "Groundswell", "Awake on Foreign Shores" • 2015 — La Peur — Damien Odul • Vi ska bli rappare — David Danial — Composer, Musician: "Stand, Walk" • Denis the Pirate — Sam Messer — Composed with Sarah Neufeld • It's About Time — Ivo Briedis — Short film • Closet Monster — Stephen Dunn — Composer, Musician: "The Stars In His Head (Dark Lights Remix)" • 2016 — Lavender — Ed Gass-Donnelly — Composed with Sarah Neufeld • Outlaws and Angels — J. T. Mollner • The War Show — Andreas Møl Dalsgaard & Obaidah Zytoon • 2017 — Destierros — Hubert Caron-Guay — Partial score • 2018 — Age Out — A.J. Edwards • Hereditary — Ari Aster • We — Rene Eller • 2019 — Color Out of Space — Richard Stanley • 2021 — Mayday — Karen Cinorre • 2022 — Texas Chainsaw Massacre — David Blue Garcia • The Menu — Mark Mylod • 2024 — Hold Your Breath — Karrie Crouse and Will Joines — Composer • 2026 — Mayday — Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley — Composer
Documentary film
Documentary film
• Year — Title — Director — Notes • 2012 — Shut Up and Play the Hits — Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern — cast as himself • 2014 — A City Is an Island — Timothy George Kelly — cast as himself • 2015 — An American, Portrait of Raymond Luc Levasseur — Pierre Marier • New York Never Sleeps — Alfonso Nogueroles • Scrum — Poppy Stockell • 2016 — The Devil's Horn — Larry Weinstein — cast as himself • Uncle Howard — Aaron Brookner — Composer, Musician: "In Mirrors" • 2024 — Martha — R. J. Cutler
Discography
• Illustration — Colin Stetson with Ex Eye @ Strange Matter, 2017
Collections and holdings
Where the work is held
Collections and holdings
Institutional holdings are recorded as follows.
Documents and archives
Primary material
Documents and archives
Institutional database
- MusicBrainz artist record for Colin Stetson
Scholarly · MetaBrainz Foundation
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q2982657: Colin Stetson
Scholarly · Wikimedia Foundation
reference work
- “Colin Stetson”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.BIO. Colin Stetson.
- 2.Colin Stetson biography. matrix-music.com.
- 3.Andrews, Jeff. Colin Stetson Makes You Forget Everything You Knew About the Saxophone. Vice.com. May 5, 2017.
- 4.Everett-Green, Robert. Is Colin Stetson's music Canadian enough for the Polaris?. The Globe and Mail. 2011-09-16.
- 5.Colin Stetson Reimagined a 1976 Polish Symphony as an Electronic Black Metal Opus with Saxophones. Vice.com. April 18, 2016.
- 6.Huey, Steve. Transmission Biography. AllMusic. Rovi Corporation.
- 7.Michaels, Sean. Bon Iver announces details of second album. The Guardian. 24 March 2011. 0261-3077.
- 8.Dennis, Zel. Colin Stetson - The History of Warfare Volume 2 - Judges. modernbarisax.com. February 6, 2012.
- 9.Lane, Anthony. "Hereditary" Delivers a New Kind of Horror. The New Yorker. June 8, 2018. 0028-792X.
- 10.2011 Polaris Music Prize Long List announced. AUX.TV.
- 11.Robb, John. All Tomorrows Parties December line up announced. Louder Than War. 2011-08-30.
- 12."Polaris Music Prize Unveils 2013 Long List" . Exclaim!, June 13, 2012.
- 13.Mondalski, Mateusz. Colin Stetson. Subbacultcha. August 27, 2016.
- 14.Mejia, Paula. Review: Colin Stetson, 'All This I Do for Glory'. NPR. April 20, 2017.
- 15.Blackwell, Matthew. Colin Stetson: Chimæra I. Pitchfork.
- 16.Quietus, The. Colin Stetson — When We Were That What Wept For The Sea. The Quietus. 2023-05-11.
- 17.Cook, Paul. Colin Stetson – The love it took to leave you - Joyzine. joyzine.org. 2024-09-14.
- 18.Hereditary review: The singularly most terrifying horror film in years. The Independent. 19 June 2018.
- 19.Fordham, John. Colin Stetson/Mats Gustafsson: Stones – review. The Guardian. 17 January 2013. 0261-3077.
- 20.Monroe, Jazz. Tim Hecker: No Highs review – ambient music that reflects our polluted world. The Guardian. 7 April 2023. 0261-3077.
- 21.CST080 ESMERINE: La Lechuza Constellation Records. cstrecords.com.
- 22.Empire, Kitty. Animal Collective: Painting With review – dada pop to pogo to. The Observer. 14 February 2016. 0029-7712.
- 23.Mateo, Alex. Uzumaki Anime's Trailer Reveals September 28 Premiere on Toonami. Anime News Network. July 26, 2024.
- 24.All the artists set to appear on the Red Dead Redemption 2 soundtrack. The Independent. 25 October 2018.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
Institutional database
MusicBrainz artist record for Colin StetsonMetaBrainz Foundation
Institutional witnessInstitutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q2982657: Colin StetsonWikimedia Foundation
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witness
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
This entry is compiled from 9 catalogued sources across 5 independent registers. The registers consulted are Crossref registry, Wikimedia Foundation, Internet Archive, MetaBrainz Foundation and Wikipedia. Every statement above is held against the register that stated it; where the registers are silent, the entry is silent.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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