Felix and the Cats

A native of Bethesda, MD, Will Anderson has been playing clarinet and saxophone since the age of 10. During high school, Will performed and recorded with a jazz band that appeared often in the metropolitan area, specializing in the music of Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, and Jelly Roll Morton, among others.

At the age of 14, Will toured with the band throughout the United Kingdom playing at festivals and clubs. In 2005, the band attended the Thelonious Monk Institute Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Academy, and was selected to play at the North Sea Jazz Festival. While earning his Bachelor's and Masters degree at the Juilliard School’s Jazz Studies program, Will was lucky to study with artists including Joe Temperley, Loren Schoenberg, Frank Wess, Benny Golson, Joe Wilder, Hank Jones, and Kenny Washington. In the summer months Will had the opportunity to travel to Japan and Costa Rica with the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra, where he was able to perform for mass audiences, as well as facilitate jazz clinics to inspire young underprivileged musicians.

Recently in 2009, Will was selected for the "Betty Carter Jazz Ahead" and the "Young Artists Ravinia" jazz residencies, which culminated with multiple performances of his original compositions at the Kennedy Center and the Ravinia Jazz Festival.

In 2006, Will won second place in the Fish-Middleton Scholarship Competition at the East Coast Jazz Festival, played lead alto saxophone in the All-Eastern Jazz Ensemble, and received an outstanding jazz soloist award from Downbeat magazine. He is a two-time Honorable Mention recipient from the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts (NFAA) talent search. On clarinet, Will has been a featured soloist with the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra and Stan Rubin Orchestra playing the music of Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Woody Herman, and others. Will has recently appeared with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, The Village Vanguard Orchestra, Vince Giordano's Nighthawks, the Chris Byars Octet, lead alto with The Loren Schoenberg Big Band, and performs regularly at Smalls Jazz Club. Will co-leads the "Anderson Twins Quintet" with his brother Peter; this group has performed at many venues including Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, the Iridium, and D.C.'s Blues Alley.