Hailed by the National Post as "a bassist to follow," bassist & composer Ashley Summers has spent her life collecting a plethora of musical experiences that reach well beyond her years. With her musical family as her earliest inspiration, she began to play double bass at the age of fifteen, and shortly after moved to Toronto to pursue a Bachelors Degree in Jazz Performance.

Equally passionate about composition and performance, Ashley's talents have brought her to stages all over the world. In 2003, she represented Canada when she was selected to be a member of the Sisters In Jazz All-Star Quintet, an International Collegiate Competition sponsored by IAJE and BET on Jazz. More recently, she has been busy touring venues throughout the US, from concert halls like the Kennedy Center for the Arts to Cleveland's Bop Stop, supporting such like-minded artists as Bobby Selvaggio and Paul Tynan and their original projects as well as her own.

Aside from keeping a busy performance schedule, Ashley is also an in-demand educator. Since 2007 she has served as director of IAJE Canada's "Jazzmobile", which places professional jazz musicians in Canadian schools to motivate, educate and inspire young musicians. She also frequently serves as an adjudicator, guest artist and clinician at festivals and universities throughout Canada and the US .

Currently, Ashley is working on her Masters Degree at the renowned Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where she is an Associate Instructor. She is also busy composing new music in preparation for recording her debut album and upcoming tours. Aside from her own projects, she continues to support a variety of exciting artists in other genres, both live and in the studio.