Shannon Barnett is an Australian trombonist and composer, currently based in Cologne, Germany.
She established herself as an important voice in the Australian scene by performing in ensembles including Vada, The Bamboos, The Vampires, and as a guest with the Andrea Keller Quartet, on the 2004 ABC Jazz release Angels and Rascals. Barnett has also appeared with the Australian Art Orchestra, Charlie Haden, Barney McAll's Mother of Dreams and Secrets feat. Kurt Rosenwinkel, and from 2009-2010, she worked as a multi-instrumentalist and composer with the contemporary circus group Circus Oz.
In 2010, Barnett released her debut album as a leader, entitled 'Country', on the Which Way Music label. After attending a workshop at the Banff centre in Canada in the same year, Barnett was inspired to relocate to New York City, where she completed a Master of Music degree. There she performed with the likes of Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, Pedro Giraudo, Cyrille Aimée and the Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra of New York and was a regular member of the Birdland Big Band.
In early 2014, she moved to Cologne, Germany, to take up a position with the WDR Big Band, which gave her the opportunity to perform with guests including Vince Mendoza, Ron Carter, Joshua Redman, Maria Schneider and Paquito D'Rivera. She has also become very active in the local scene. Her quartet, featuring Stefan Karl Schmid, David Helm and Fabian Arends released their debut album 'Hype' in 2016 on Double Moon/Challenge Records, followed by 'Bad Lover' (2022 -Toy Piano Records) and 'Alive at Loft' (2023 - klaeng records). She can also be heard with bands including LIUN + The Science Fiction Orchestra,
Meteors and Wanja Slavin's Libelle.
In addition to her work as a trombonist she has composed and presented the work 'Dead Weight' for musicians and fitness studio, and released the album Wolves and Mirrors, for voice, trombone, trumpet, cello and drums. She will release her debut album as singer-songwriter Janet Bonnet in 2024.
In April 2019 she began as Professor for Jazz Trombone at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne, Germany.
In 2020 she received the WDR Jazz Prize for Improvisation and in 2022 she received the German Jazz Prize in the brass instrument category.