Sean Croal

Sean Croal is an upright and electric bassist, as well as a composer, bandleader, and educator. Sean was born in Alberta but left at a young age to study bass in Doha, Qatar, under renowned bassist Matteo Gaspari of the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra. During his music degree, Sean was selected for an exchange to Finland in order to further develop as an educator and performer. Now based in Toronto, Sean is quickly establishing himself as one of the most active names in Canada's music scene, playing alongside the likes of PJ Perry, Melissa Aldana, and Jocelyn Gould to name a few. Sean splits his time between various bands and has opened for a number of high-profile acts such as Cory Henry, Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, and Old Crow Medicine Show.

Sean leads his own ensemble whose performances take an eclectic and genre-crossing approach to the jazz quartet, incorporating baroque, hard-bop, and contemporary jazz. This trio featuring Gareth Gilliland on guitar, and Biboye Onanuga on drum kit has been sharing the stage weekly for over four years in Edmonton and has travelled as far as Helsinki playing music together. 

Outside of his own ensembles, Sean plays as a sideman in several ensembles across various styles, including New Standards, The Ruen Brothers (United Kingdom/Kentucky), Don Berner Big Band, and many others. Sean continues to establish himself throughout Alberta, whilst still being a part of the development and education in the music community throughout Canada and beyond.