Sean Imboden is an American saxophonist and composer whose music brings a contemporary, original voice to the modern jazz big band. A leader with three albums to his name, he directs the Sean Imboden Large Ensemble (SILE), a 17-piece group that reimagines traditional big band instrumentation through bold composition, rich orchestration, and dynamic ensemble interplay.

SILE released its debut album in 2025 to international acclaim, earning a four-star review from All About Jazz and a feature in Modern Drummer Magazine. As a composer and bandleader, Imboden’s work frequently bridges jazz with classical and interdisciplinary performance. He has been commissioned by the Elkhart Symphony Orchestra to compose two original works and perform as featured soloist on the opening concert of its 2024 season, and he has premiered original compositions for string quartet and saxophone featuring members of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, alongside dancers from Indy Ballet and Dance Kaleidoscope.

As a performer and collaborator, Imboden has worked with GRAMMY-winning artists and jazz luminaries including Slide Hampton, Taylor Eigsti, Mike Rodriguez, Sean Jones, Emmet Cohen, and Ryan Keberle. An in-demand sideman across multiple genres, he has appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and performed with the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, the All-American Rejects, Barry Manilow, Johnny Mathis, Idina Menzel, Bob Newhart, Sandy Patti, The 5th Dimension, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, the Anderson Symphony Orchestra, and the Columbus Indiana Philarmonic.

Imboden spent eight years touring internationally with Broadway productions including Hairspray, A Chorus Line, Young Frankenstein, South Pacific, and Flashdance. He toured Japan twice as a featured soloist with Blast! II M.I.X., appeared on Fuji TV’s SMAPxSMAP, and performed aboard Carnival Cruise Lines. While living in New York City, he performed with the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, the Valery Ponomarev Jazz Big Band (of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers), and the Jack Jeffers NY Classics Big Band.

Deeply rooted in the Indianapolis music scene, Imboden has been a highly active sideman over the past decade, performing with artists and ensembles such as Tucker Brothers, Kenny Phelps, Steve Allee Big Band, Buselli-Wallarab Jazz Orchestra, Tad Robinson, Pharez Whitted, Cynthia Layne, Steven Jones, Rob Dixon, Sam Butler, Charlie Ballantine, Sarah Scharbrough, Jesse Wittman, Hickey-Shanafelt 9ollective, Butler Generations Ensemble, and the Al Cobine Big Band. He also served as horn section leader and arranger for an 11-piece gospel band at New Life Worship Center.

In addition to his performance career, Imboden is a dedicated educator. He is currently on faculty at Butler University and Ball State University, where he teaches private lessons for saxophone, piano, and improvisation, as well as courses in Jazz Arranging and Jazz Improvisation, and directs Jazz Combo and Jazz Ensemble. He is a former faculty member of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and teaches students worldwide through the Sean Imboden Virtual Studio. He is a Conn-Selmer artist, and plays a Selmer Balanced Action tenor saxophone, a Conn soprano, Jody Jazz mouthpieces, and Vandoren reeds.

Imboden holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where he studied with Tom Walsh and David Baker, and a Master of Arts in Jazz Studies from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, where his primary teachers were Antonio Hart and Michael Mossman. In addition to his four albums as a leader, he appears on numerous recordings as a sideman, including releases with Tucker Brothers, Andrew Danforth, Skyler Floe, Hickey-Shanafelt 9ollective, Preston Fox, The Liberation Music Collective, and Blast! II M.I.X.