Sean Hong Wei is a Singapore-born saxophonist, composer, educator, and bandleader now based in New York City. A vital voice in Singapore’s jazz scene and a longtime member of the Jazz Association Singapore Orchestra (JASS), Sean has emerged as one of the most compelling young jazz artists to come out of Southeast Asia.

Sean has performed with jazz legends including Reggie Workman, Billy Hart, and Billy Harper at the 2nd Annual John Coltrane Festival, and with the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars Big Band led by John Lee at Blue Note New York. His debut album The New Jersey Sessions—a collaboration with Singaporean jazz icon Jeremy Monteiro—was released in January 2024 and features Jay Anderson, Evan Sherman, Alex Sipiagin, and Houston Person. The album reached No. 19 on the USA JazzWeek charts in July 2024.

At 13, a chance encounter with Charlie Parker’s “Yardbird Suite” planted the seed of a lifelong love and deep devotion to music. Rooted in the tradition of Black American music, he draws inspiration from saxophone greats like Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, Joe Lovano, and Ray Charles—artists whose honesty and spirit continue to guide his own sound. Over time, their influence shaped a sound that is unmistakably his—sincere, soulful, and grounded in tradition, yet always reaching toward something personal and truthful.

With JASS, Sean has performed alongside esteemed artists such as Benny Golson, Randy Brecker, Antonio Hart, Lewis Nash, Justin Faulkner, Tony Lakatos, and Carmen Bradford. His international festival appearances include the JZ Jazz Festival (Shanghai), Borneo Jazz Festival (Malaysia), EFG London Jazz Festival, Jazz Education Network Conference (USA), and Thailand International Jazz Conference.

He credits his musical development to the mentorship and guidance of key figures in the Singapore jazz community, including Jeremy Monteiro, Christy Smith, Tan Weixiang, Andrew Lim, Joshua Wan, Chok Kerong, and Louis Soliano.