Forums — NASA Announcements
A Message from the President, 8/3/11

Return to Forums Home | Return to Parent Topic — NASA Announcements

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT, 8/3/11 Members of the North American Saxophone Alliance: My hope and wish is that you have had a restful and productive summer; finding time to practice, travel, gig, teach/attending summer camps, research, and attend masterclasses. Now, many of us will prepare for another school year. I encourage you to read and enjoy the North American Saxophone Alliance Updates that are listed on the front page of the NASA Website. The Updates feature articles on the NASA Region II, III, V Conferences, 2011 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition Results, Eugene Rousseau Saxophone Workshop at Shell Lake, Saxophone at the Midwest, Central Michigan University Saxophone Day featuring h2 Quartet and Don Sinta, and Third Jean-Marie Londeix International Saxophone Competition. Tim McAllister and I recently met and discussed the 2012 Biennial Conference, which will be held at Arizona State University March 15-18. Host Tim McAllister and Chair of the NASA Program Committee Taimur Sullivan are working on a Call for Participation that should be released to the general membership in early September. Host Tim McAllister is also working on a NASA 2012 Biennial Conference website, which should be up in the next few months. The 2012 Biennial Conference theme will be: Innovation, Diversity, and Entrepreneurship. Special consideration will be given to applications that highlight jazz, world music, crossover, multimedia, and topic presentations that focus on professional development, business models, funding opportunities, commissioning activity, and creative marketing. The upcoming Call for Participation will provide more detailed information. In addition, please read the NASA website pertaining to the six competitions that we will host at the 2012 Biennial Conference. I hope you will pass this information on to your musical friends. Brad Leali, NASA Jazz Coordinator, and Gene Smith, NASA Jazz Competition Coordinator, created an excellent advertisement that will publicize our high school and college age jazz competitions in two important national magazines. Please look for these full-page advertisements in the October issue of Jazz Times and the September issue of SBO (School Band and Orchestra). Congratulations to members Noa Even and Joel Diegert for finishing third and fifth place in The Third Jean-Marie Londeix International Saxophone Competition recently held in Bangkok, Thailand (see Debra Richtmeyer Update article). Also, congratulations to alliance members Todd Gaffke, Megan Hendrick, Justin Bayne, and Matt Tracy for winning First Place as the Michigan State University West Circle Saxophone Quartet at the recent Plowman International Chamber Music Competition. Bravo and a sincere thank you for the work you do to promote the saxophone! Finally, I would like to draw your attention to NASA’s recently published book by author Thomas Liley. It is a wonderful and informative biography entitled Eugene Rousseau: With Casual Brilliance. Thank you Tom, for creating such an important work for us. You can find more information at the NASA website and can purchase a copy at the NASA store. Best wishes and good luck with your efforts to make beautiful music! John Nichol President – North American Saxophone Alliance