Byron Asher is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and improviser based in New Orleans.

Raised in Maryland, he has performed across Europe and the US. Festivals include the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and French Quarter Festival, the Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland, Jazz a Vienne, France, and the Karlovy Vary Jazz Festival, Czech Republic. He has also played shows and festivals in Germany, Poland, and Slovakia and performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

As a composer, Byron’s work has been supported by the MacDowell Colony, A Studio In The Woods (New Orleans), the Jazz And Heritage Foundation (New Orleans), the Foundation for Contemporary Arts (NYC), the Marigny Opera Ballet (New Orleans), and the Puffin Foundation (Teaneck, NJ).

Byron holds an M.M. in jazz studies from the University of New Orleans and can be seen regularly performing in New Orleans. He is one-third of Nutria, a trio dedicated to original instrumental music, named in honor of the swamp rat, and leads ensembles large and small.

“What a great privilege it is to be here for this short period of time, far enough away from home to get serious work done, but close enough to know where I am and why it is such a crucial institution for New Orleans and its artistic community.”- Byron Asher

“Working with the Flint Steel Residency series was an eye-opening and fulfilling experience. My collaboration with Byron produced an amazing project that we were both very proud of.” – Sharlene Sinegal-DeCuir