b. 23 February 1971, Bad Ischl, Austria. Musically inclined through her mother, a music teacher, and her grandfather, a conductor, Strassmayer played recorder from the age of four, then piano and flute. At 17 she started on alto saxophone after hearing Cannonball Adderley, later recalling how the experience swept her off her feet. Graduating from Graz Musikhochschule with a Master’s Degree in Jazz Performance, she won a scholarship to the New School for Social Research, New York City. She became lead alto saxophonist and featured soloist with all-female big band DIVA, led by Sherrie Maricle, and is also a member of the DIVA small group, Five Play. In addition to alto, Strassmayer plays soprano saxophone, flute and clarinet. Among other bands and artists with whom she has played in concert and also sometimes on record are Lew Anderson’s All-American Big Band, Ray Anderson, Candido, Buddy DeFranco, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Art Farmer, Don Friedman, Wycliffe Gordon, Chico Hamilton, Jeff Hamilton, Sheila Jordan, Dennis Mackrel, Herbie Mann, Drori Mondlak, Michael Phillip Mossman’s NYC Latin Jazz Orchestra, Mark Murphy, Lewis Nash, Tommy Newsom, Chico O’Farrill’s Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, Flip Phillips, Bobby Sanabria’s Afro-Cuban Jazz Dream Big Band, Lynn Seaton, Bobby Shew, Clark Terry, Marlene VerPlanck, the Vienna Art Orchestra, the Scott Whitfield Jazz Orchestra, Frank Wess, Nancy Wilson, Phil Woods, and with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. Other than Adderley, Strassmayer cites as her influences Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker, Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans, Stan Getz and Kenny Garrett. A strikingly gifted musician, Strassmayer’s playing reveals not only her fluid technical skills but also considerable improvisational ability. Her very good compositions are an extension of her playing, displaying as they do the intelligence and emotional depths that characterize her work. Since 2004, she has been a member of West German Radio Big Band, Cologne. In the DownBeat Readers’ Poll for both 2004 and 2005, Strassmayer was voted into the top five alto saxophonists. In addition to her work with many leaders, in the early 00s she formed the small group, KLARO!. In the autumn of 2005 Strassmayer toured with Joe Zawinul and then with Joe Lovano.