Karolina Strassmayer, born on February 23, 1971, in Mitterndorf, Steiermark, Austria, is a jazz musician, alto and soprano saxophonist, and flutist. She learned piano and flute before discovering jazz through Cannonball Adderley's improvisations on Kind of Blue. Strassmayer studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz and played in the folk fusion group Rauhnacht. After earning her diploma, she won a scholarship to the New School for Social Research in New York City, where she was named Outstanding Musician of the Year. She worked with Chico Hamilton's band, contributing to his albums and receiving critical acclaim for her saxophone and flute solos. Strassmayer collaborated with notable artists such as Nancy Wilson, Diane Schuur, Clark Terry, Phil Woods, and the Duke Ellington Orchestra. In 2004, she became the first woman permanently employed by the WDR Big Band Köln and was recognized as one of Downbeat magazine's "Top Five Alto Saxophonists."
