Grammy-Winning Trombonist Ryan Keberle Returns with Catharsis in Honesdale

Grammy Award–winning trombonist Ryan Keberle is returning to the region this weekend with his ensemble Catharsis, bringing a genre-blending sound that draws on modern jazz, chamber music, South American folk traditions and indie rock.

Catharsis, which Keberle formed in 2010, has developed what he describes as a “unique sound” shaped by the identities of its members and years of performing together.

“I’m very, very lucky to have gotten to play with these unbelievable musicians for almost 15 years now on a very regular basis and each brings a unique identity, musical identity to the band,” Keberle said. “Because we’ve had that opportunity to perform so many gigs together and to really tour the world multiple times, we have found a sound that really is beyond anything I could have come up with as a bandleader.”

Joining Keberle on stage at The Cooperage on Saturday are guitarist and vocalist Camila Meza and bassist Jorge Roeder. Both musicians, he said, play a key role in shaping the group’s sound, particularly through their connections to South American musical traditions.

“Both of them were instrumental in bringing their love and fluency of South American music and in particular folk music,” Keberle said, noting he has also long been drawn to 20th-century folk traditions from countries including Chile, Peru and Brazil, in part because of their social protest elements.

The ensemble’s origins also reflect Keberle’s experience outside traditional jazz settings. He formed Catharsis after touring with indie musician Sufjan Stevens, an experience that broadened his perspective on audiences.

“I was really inspired … by the very large young audiences that we were playing night after night around the country that seemed to just have this deep appreciation and maybe just a bit starved for quality sophisticated creative music,” he said.

Catharsis blends those influences within a jazz framework, reflecting the members’ shared training as professional jazz musicians. Over time, Keberle said, the group has connected with audiences in a wide range of settings, from large festivals to smaller venues like The Cooperage.

The upcoming performance will feature music from the group’s 2024 album Music Is Connection, which explores the idea of music as a unifying force.

“All of the music on that album was written or arranged to try and take advantage of the power that music has to bring us together, to make us better listeners, not only to music or sound, but perhaps to each other as well in these deeply divided times,” Keberle said.

Beyond Catharsis, Keberle leads several projects and has collaborated across jazz, classical and indie genres. He said those experiences — along with lessons learned from bandleaders like Stevens and jazz composer Maria Schneider — have shaped his approach to leading an ensemble.

“They don’t teach you about being a band leader in music school,” he said. “So I had to figure that out on my own.”

He emphasized the importance of balancing technical detail with a broader artistic vision, particularly in live performance.

“When it comes to telling a story musically, especially connecting with an audience over the course of a 90-minute concert, it’s really important to also keep those big-picture ideas at hand,” Keberle said.

In addition to performing, Keberle directs the jazz program at Hunter College in New York City, where he said he tries to pass along those lessons, even if they are not formally part of the curriculum.

“It’s important as artists to learn how to cut through that and learn how to connect with our audiences,” he said, pointing to the challenges of shorter attention spans and an increasingly crowded media landscape.

Image: Ryan Keberle leads the ensemble Catharsis, who are returning to The Cooperage in Honesdale for a concert May 2, 2026. (ryankeberle.com)