Guest Instrumentalist

Guest Instrumentalist

Multi-instrumentalist and comedian Erica von Kleist has led many lives as a musician and producer, leading the charge as woodwind specialist, pianist, writer, and educator. After receiving the first jazz bachelor’s degree in the history of the Juilliard School, Erica went on to tour and record with Sean Jones, Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, spent time on Broadway in the pits of The Addams Family, Chorusline and Gypsy, and recorded on five Grammy-Nominated recordings.

In 2012 Erica relocated from NYC to the big sky state of Montana where she started several business initiatives, penned a music theory textbook, and also, well, found her funny bone. During the #MeToo movement, Erica reminisced on her experiences as the only female in countless professional situations in jazz, and began writing songs about the struggles that women face. From mansplaining to manspreading, Erica’s lyrics began to encompass her history as a female in a male-dominated world which eventually snowballed into her side-splitting musical comedy show she affectionately titled “BOOBS!” In addition to her solo show, she also wrote and produced a staged musical entitled “Sorry! A New Musical” which debuted at Alpine Theatre Project in 2021. During Covid Erica joined forces with David Blair (The Triangle, The Freefall) and Mikey Winn to write the musical theater film “Your Musical is Cancelled. The Musical!” featuring Mike Eldred (Les Miserables, The Civil War), Tracy McDowell (Rent), C.E Smith (The Color Purple) among many other Broadway luminaries. The film went on to win “Best Feature” at the SoCal Film Awards and “Best Comedy” at the Toronto Alternative Film Festival, and was an official selection for the New York Independent Film Festival. Erica is currently embarking on a nationwide BOOBS tour through 2023, which will include a live recording of her next album.