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Blake Adams is a saxophonist from Birmingham, Alabama. He is currently pursuing his Master’s degree from Florida State University under the tutelage of Dr. Geoffrey Deibel. He is an active competitor on his instrument, winning the Alabama All State Solo Festival in 2016, multiple MTNA state division young artist solo competitions, and the University of Alabama Huxford Orchestra Concerto Competition. He is a founding member of Duo Ferula, a saxophone and clarinet duo whose mission is to further expand the musical horizons by performing new and engaging works written for the duo. He received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama.When he is not engaging with the saxophone, he enjoys things such as reading, rock climbing, and hiking.
In demand as a soloist and chamber musician, Andrew J. Allen has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France, and Croatia. As a concerto soloist, he has appeared with the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra, the Oklahoma State University Chamber Orchestra, and the University of Arkansas Wind Symphony, among others. More than two dozen works have been dedicated to him from such composers as François Rossé, Robert Lemay, Fang Man, Jesse Jones, Greg Simon, and Jay Batzner. His recordings include Step Inside: New American Music for Saxophone and Percussion (recorded with percussionist Gordon Hicken) and The Avenging Spirit (as soprano saxophonist of the SAGA Quartet), both on the Equilibrium label. He is also a featured soloist on Spring Shadows: Electronic Solo Works by Anne Neikirk on Ravello Records. He is an assistant professor of saxophone and coordinator of woodwinds, brass, & percussion at Georgia College.
In demand as a soloist and chamber musician, Andrew J. Allen has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France, and Croatia. As a concerto soloist, he has appeared with the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra, the Oklahoma State University Chamber Orchestra, and the University of Arkansas Wind Symphony, among others. More than two dozen works have been dedicated to him from such composers as François Rossé, Robert Lemay, Fang Man, Jesse Jones, Greg Simon, and Jay Batzner. His recordings include Step Inside: New American Music for Saxophone and Percussion (recorded with percussionist Gordon Hicken) and The Avenging Spirit (as soprano saxophonist of the SAGA Quartet), both on the Equilibrium label. He is also a featured soloist on Spring Shadows: Electronic Solo Works by Anne Neikirk on Ravello Records. He is an assistant professor of saxophone and coordinator of woodwinds, brass, & percussion at Georgia College.
Lori Ardovino has been a guest recitalist at a number of colleges and universities and international and national festivals including the International Clarinetfest, The International Alliance for Women in Music Congress, NACWPI , NACUSA ,Southeastern Composers League, the North American Saxophone Alliance Conference, the College Music Society and the Alabama Music Educators. She is an active composer and has had her works performed across the United States, Japan, Italy and Canada. She is a graduate of Minnesota State University-Moorhead (BM, BA), Michigan State University (MM) and the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music (DMA).
She is an Artist/Clinician with Conn-Selmer Company, D’Addario Woodwinds and is a Fulbright Specialist. Currently, she is Chair and Professor Music at the University of Montevallo where she teaches clarinet, saxophone and woodwind methods and ensembles. She performs with the LeBaron Trio, the Meàllo Trio, the Vinna Trio and the Cahaba Saxophone Quartet.
Saxophonist, composer and educator Rahsaan Barber has entered the ranks of the nation’s premier jazz artists following several celebrated releases, most recently including “MOSAIC,” a double-disc collection of original works released in April of 2021. Barber is also an in-demand saxophonist for recording sessions and touring work, most recently completing a year-long tour with pop icon Kelly Clarkson and multiple tours with Lauren Daigle. An in-demand educator, as well, Rahsaan serves as Assistant Professor of Jazz and Saxophone at the University of North Carolina. Barber has also given masterclasses and concerts at numerous colleges and universities, including the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Indiana University, The University of Wisconsin (OshKosh), the University of Evansville, and many more. In addition, Rahsaan has served as Vice-President of the Tennessee Jazz and Blues Society since 2016, and as a board member for the Nashville Jazz Workshop’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion panel.
Saxophonist and composer Rahsaan Barber has entered the ranks of the nation’s premier jazz artists following several celebrated releases, most recently including “MOSAIC,” a double-disc collection of original works released in April of 2021. Rahsaan currently serves as Assistant Professor of Jazz and Saxophone at the University of North Carolina. Barber has taught extensively at the collegiate level, including eight years of instruction at Belmont University and Tennessee State University, collectively. Barber has also given masterclasses and concerts at numerous colleges and universities, including the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Lipscomb University, Indiana University, The University of Wisconsin (OshKosh), the University of Evansville, and many more. In addition, Rahsaan has served as Vice-President of the Tennessee Jazz and Blues Society since 2016, and as a board member for the Nashville Jazz Workshop’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion panel.
Rhett Bender teaches Saxophone and Music Theory at the Oregon Center for the Arts at Southern Oregon University. He directs the Siskiyou Saxophone Orchestra and performs with the Globe Saxophone Quartet, Rogue Valley Symphony, Britt Festival Orchestra, Quintet of 7 Reeds, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. His live performances have been broadcast over KING-FM in Seattle, Peach State Public Radio, Iowa Public Radio, and Jefferson Public Radio. He is one of the featured saxophonists on AUR’s seven volume CD set, America’s Millennium Tribute to Adolphe Sax. His solo saxophone CDs Transformations and Meldings were distributed by mp3.com. Bender is a guest artist-teacher at the Sichuan Conservatory in Chengdu, China; and Visiting Professor at the School of Arts of Yantai University. He earned degrees from Iowa State University (BM) and the University of Georgia (MM, DMA) where he was a student of Kenneth Fischer. Rhett Bender is a Selmer Artist Clinician.
Kaylee is a second-year master’s student in Saxophone Performance and Music Theory at Michigan State University. She completed her Bachelor's of Music Education at Central Michigan University with Professor John Nichol. Music is highly expressive and Kaylee enjoys sharing these experiences with others whether it is through analysis, teaching, performance, or collaboration. Her goal is to not only create impactful emotional experiences through her performances, but to also provide young musicians with the tools to express themselves. In addition, she has begun to explore her own identity as a female saxophonist through her musical studies. She aims to work towards more representation in the field of music so that students can see their identities and perspectives represented and valued.
Dr. Kurt Bertels (1989) is postdoctoral researcher and professor of (historical & modern) Saxophone at LUCA School of Arts Campus Lemmens (Belgium). As a performer, he was already invited in Europe, Asia, Oceania and in the U.S. He is a member of Kugoni Trio (saxophone/violin/piano). As a soloist, he obtained prizes at national/international competitions and was awarded with the Fuga Trophee of the Union of the Belgian Composers for promoting Belgian music. His postdoctoral research focuses on dedicating music for Elise Hall and Sigurd Rascher. He has given lectures/masterclasses in Belgium and abroad.
Bertels released CDs with 19th-century Belgian saxophone music: The 19th-Century Saxophone in Brussels and Works for Saxophone and Orchestra by Paul Gilson. His discography also includes Through Time (2013), Timelapse (2016), Essence by Kugoni Trio (2019) and Classics Revisited (2021).
Bertels is an endorsing artist of Légère Reeds.
Dr. Kurt Bertels (1989) is postdoctoral researcher and professor of (historical & modern) Saxophone at LUCA School of Arts Campus Lemmens (Belgium). As a performer, he was already invited in Europe, Asia, Oceania and in the U.S. He is a member of Kugoni Trio (saxophone/violin/piano). As a soloist, he obtained prizes at national/international competitions and was awarded with the Fuga Trophee of the Union of the Belgian Composers for promoting Belgian music. His postdoctoral research focuses on dedicating music for Elise Hall and Sigurd Rascher. He has given lectures/masterclasses in Belgium and abroad.
Bertels released CDs with 19th-century Belgian saxophone music: The 19th-Century Saxophone in Brussels and Works for Saxophone and Orchestra by Paul Gilson. His discography also includes Through Time (2013), Timelapse (2016), Essence by Kugoni Trio (2019) and Classics Revisited (2021).
Bertels is an endorsing artist of Légère Reeds.
Nathan Bogert is Assistant Professor of Music Performance (Saxophone) at Ball State University. As a standout saxophonist of his generation, Nathan is in demand as a performer and clinician. His performances have taken him to venues on five continents as both a soloist and member of various ensembles. Described as “unbelievably stunning” by Sequenza 21 of the Contemporary Classical Music Community, Nathan’s musical endeavors as both a classical and jazz saxophonist have distinguished him as one of the more unique saxophonists of the younger generation.
As a soloist, he has appeared with many orchestras and bands including the top concert ensembles at both Ball State University and the University of Iowa. Nathan’s commitment to commissioning new compositions has enabled him to premiere compositions by composers Aaron Perrine, Jody Nagel, Benjamin Fuhrman, and Israel Neumann among others.
Myles Boothroyd is a performing artist dedicated to promoting the versatility of the saxophone across traditional genre boundaries. He has earned multiple awards across the US, including top prizes at the MTNA solo and chamber competitions, NASA solo competition, and Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition. He is a sought-after artist and clinician in the classical and jazz communities who provides numerous clinics at universities and public schools each year. Boothroyd also distinguishes himself as a researcher and scholar. He serves as assistant editor for The Saxophone Symposium, and his publications include articles for Nota Bene and The Eastman Case Studies.
Boothroyd teaches as Assistant Professor of Saxophone and Music Theory at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He holds a DMA (Saxophone Performance), MM (Saxophone Performance), and MA (Music Theory Pedagogy) from the Eastman School of Music. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Central Michigan University.
Active as a teacher and performer, Dr. Ann Bradfield is Associate Professor of Saxophone at the University of Northern Iowa. As a soloist, she has performed and given master classes across the United States, Canada, England and Australia, and her solo CD, Variations, is available on Mark Records. She has also been featured in performance at the World Saxophone Congress, North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial Convention, and North American Saxophone Alliance Region 2, 3, and 4 Conventions.
Dr. Bradfield completed her doctorate in saxophone performance at the University of North Texas. At UNT, she also earned a Master of Music in saxophone performance and Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies, and had the opportunity to work with artists including Maria Schneider, Michael Brecker, and Bob Brookmeyer. Dr. Bradfield has served on the faculties of Eastern New Mexico University, Cameron University, Oklahoma State University, and Oklahoma Christian University.
Carolyn Braus performed as the baritone saxophonist in the Capitol Quartet from 2015 to 2016 before assuming her current position as the baritone saxophonist in The United States Air Force Band in Washington, D.C. She earned her BM in saxophone performance from North Dakota State University, her MM from Arizona State University, and her DMA from the University of Maryland, where she also served as the interim saxophone professor in 2021. A lover of many musical genres, Braus released her first album of original music for guitar and voice in 2020 entitled Guitar Songs. This was followed by her recently released classical saxophone album [Name (TBD)]. The album features music that is based on or inspired by the traditional folk music of various cultures.
Emily Brewer is a saxophonist and educator based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from St. Norbert College and a Master of Music degree from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.
Emily is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion in music education, and new music. She has joined commissioning projects to promote underrepresented composers within the classical music realm.
Recipient of first prize in the Richard Chandler YouTube Recording Competition, Emily is also the recipient of a prize from the Schubert Club Woodwind Competition.
Emily is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree and a Music Education Certificate at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. As an educator, she serves as the instructor for Woodwind Techniques at the University of Minnesota and maintains a studio of private lesson students in the greater Twin Cities area.
Dr. Robert Brooks is a jazz saxophonist and educator dedicated to cultivating the tradition of jazz education. He holds a DMA and MM from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a BM from Central Michigan University. He currently serves as Lecturer in Jazz Studies at Ohio State. Robert’s most recent releases, “Accidental Nomad” and “New Standard Duo” on Ropeadope Records, have received critical acclaim. He has also performed with jazz legends including Bob Mintzer, Bobby Shew, Tom “Bones” Malone, Jeff Hamilton Trio, Jim Pugh, Nathan Gunn, The Temptations and more.
Brooks' passion for jazz performance and pedagogy comes through the lens of small-ensemble performance and a focus on exploring improvisation within the language of jazz and from other disciplines. In addition to his expertise in jazz improvisation, he also has strong roots in the tradition of classical saxophone, clarinet and flute.
From his 30+ million views across social media to his appearance on international television and NPR’s Weekend Edition, Billboard-charting saxophonist/innovator Derek Brown and his one-of-a-kind solo “BEATBoX SAX” project has been exploding across the world music scene.
Derek has performed solo concerts and workshops in all 50 United States and over 25 countries around the world (over 200 total international shows)! His ongoing music videos and tutorials on YouTube have been enormously popular among saxophonists and music lovers alike (over 150,000 Youtube subscriptions), leading to endorsements with Legere, JodyJazz, P.Mauriat, BG France, and Austrian Audio.
Previously the director of jazz studies at Abilene Christian University for six years, Derek received his BM in Music Performance (Classical and Jazz) from Hope College in 2006 and his MM in Jazz Studies at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music in 2008.
From his 30+ million views across social media to his appearance on international television and NPR’s Weekend Edition, Billboard-charting saxophonist/innovator Derek Brown and his one-of-a-kind solo “BEATBoX SAX” project has been exploding across the world music scene.
Derek has performed solo concerts and workshops in all 50 United States and over 25 countries around the world (over 200 total international shows)! His ongoing music videos and tutorials on YouTube have been enormously popular among saxophonists and music lovers alike (over 150,000 Youtube subscriptions), leading to endorsements with Legere, JodyJazz, P.Mauriat, BG France, and Austrian Audio.
Previously the director of jazz studies at Abilene Christian University for six years, Derek received his BM in Music Performance (Classical and Jazz) from Hope College in 2006 and his MM in Jazz Studies at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music in 2008.
Greg Bruce is a multifaceted saxophonist, improvisor, and composer from St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. As a musical anarchist who blurs the lines between classical, jazz, folk, and pop, Greg plays with a diverse range of ensembles and can be heard on a variety of recordings. He is a consummate performer who is equally comfortable playing with street bands, at academic conferences, in bars, or in concert halls; and who has played extensively in Canada, as well as in the US, the UK, France, Italy and Russia.
As a Doctor of Musical Arts Candidate at the University of Toronto and a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Fellow, Greg is also an accomplished artist-researcher. His current research-creation innovates the relationship between analogue technology and acoustic instruments through improvisation, composition, and performance on feedback saxophone.
Brianna Buck is an active performer and collaborator who believes in championing new music for the saxophone. She has commissioned or premiered works by composers such as Marilyn Shrude, Aaron Kernis, Adam Kennaugh, and Julianna Voelker. As a collaborator, Brianna performs frequently with her duo partner, Alexis Seah. Brianna was also a member of Akōtu Quartet, which placed 3rd in the MTNA Chamber Competition in 2021. Brianna received her undergraduate degree from Bowling Green State University where she studied with Distinguished Artist Professor, Dr. John Sampen, and she received her Master's degree from Oklahoma State University under the tutelage of Dr. Jeffrey Loeffert. Brianna currently works at Oklahoma State University as the Events Specialist for the Michael and Anne Greenwood School of Music.
Saxophonist Dr. Dave Camwell has received wide acclaim for his brilliant technique, poetic expression and innovative programming, with a repertoire that ranges from Baroque to contemporary to jazz. Recently, he has collaborated extensively with Czech saxophonist Kateřina Pavlíková on a series of new works for their group Covert Ensemble.
He is Director of Jazz Studies and Associate Professor of Music at Troy University in Alabama, and is a Yamaha, D'Addario, Beechler and Key Leaves Performing Artist with over thirty publications available through Jeanne, Dorn and UNC Jazz Press.
His extensive discography covers a wide repertoire and range of styles and includes releases on the Parma, Innova, Enharmonic, Centaur, Teal Creek, and Mark labels. His latest release, “Second Wind” (Navona, 2019) features a wide range of works for saxophone with a variety of accompaniment, with works from the Baroque to the Contemporary.
Caleb Carpenter is currently pursuing a DMA in saxophone performance at the University of South Carolina, studying with Clifford Leaman. Previously, Caleb completed his MM at Northwestern University and BM at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, studying with Taimur Sullivan and Robert Young.
Caleb has seen success in many competitions across the country. In 2019 he was named the winner of Northwestern University’s Concerto Competition, and in 2018 he was selected as a finalist in both the North American Saxophone Alliance College Solo Competition and the Boulder International Chamber Music Competition. He was the national winner of the 2017 MTNA Young Artist Woodwind competition.
At UofSC, Caleb holds a graduate assistantship and teaches undergraduate music theory and aural skills. In the Fall of 2021 Caleb began teaching saxophone and music appreciation at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, SC. Caleb is originally from Harrisburg, NC.
Charlie Chadwell is an active saxophonist, chamber musician, music theorist, and educator. He currently serves as Assistant Professor of Saxophone at Western Illinois University and is completing a DMA in saxophone performance at Michigan State University, where he studies with Professor Joe Lulloff.
Throughout his career, Chadwell has championed a variety of musical mediums and styles, and his performances have taken him across the U.S., to England, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, and China. Well-versed in both classical and jazz, he has regularly participated in saxophone quartets and large ensembles, jazz bands, jazz combos and new music ensembles at Michigan State University, Oklahoma State University, and The University of Texas at Austin. He's also performed with the Austin Symphony Orchestra, the San Antonio Symphony, and the Lansing Symphony, in addition to performing as a concerto soloist with the UT Symphony Orchestra and Oklahoma State Symphony Orchestra.
Christopher M. Charbonneau completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Performance at Arizona State University in 2015. He holds a Master of Music degree from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Music degree from California State University at Long Beach. His instructors have included Dr. Michael Hester, Dr. Timothy McAllister, Dr. Otis Murphy, Leo Potts, and Dr. Joseph Wytko. Christopher recently relocated to the Los Angeles area with his wife and duo partner, Hanah Charbonneau. Duo Charbonneau has performed throughout the United States, France, and Germany premiering exciting new works for saxophone and piano by Ida Gotkovsky, Kevin Timothy Austin, Michael Markowski, Gil Dori, and Roger Przyltulski. Christopher also performs as tenor saxophonist with the Pathways Saxophone Quartet and the Upland Saxophone Quartet.
Damian Cheek is an emerging saxophonist, educator, and music theorist currently based in Fort Smith, Arkansas teaching at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. He is nearing completion of a Doctorate in Musical Arts and Master’s in Music Theory from the University of Oklahoma, and holds a Master’s in Music from Oklahoma State University (2016) and a Bachelor’s in Music Education from Tennessee Tech University (2014). Damian has been recognized as a solo and chamber performer and received first place awards at the Naftzger Young Artist Competition (2018), North American Saxophone Alliance Quartet Competition (2018), and Music Teacher's National Association Chamber Music Competition (2018). Damian has performed internationally in chamber ensembles - as a guest with the acclaimed h2 Quartet and as a regular member of the Elysian Quartet. In 2018, Elysian Quartet released their debut album, Red, under the Blue Griffin Recording label.
Angel 1 for saxophone and organ is commissioned by Southwestern Adventist University, it will premiered by saxophonist Dr. William Chien and organist Dr. Devon Howard at 2022 NASA biennial conference at Arizona State University.
The Zēlos Quartet is dedicated to performing a wide array of repertoire ranging from underrepresented contemporary works to transcriptions from the baroque, classical, and romantic eras. Committed to performing on saxophones that fit the acoustical specifications of its inventor Adolphe Sax, the Zēlos Quartet looks to connect with a variety of audiences to show the wide range of sounds and colors of the saxophone.
Zēlos has participated in summer music festivals such as Festival South (Hattiesburg, MS) and the National Music Festival (Chestertown, MD), where they connected with local audiences through public performances in retirement homes, farmers markets, and house concerts. They have also been extensively coached by Dr. Michael Hernandez of San Jose State University and the critically acclaimed Mana Quartet and have participated in masterclasses by the award winning Verona String Quartet, Shanghai Quartet and Amethyst Quartet.
This is Cynthia Cripps' 16th year of teaching at UTRGV (University of Texas Rio Grande Valley). She currently teaches applied saxophone, saxophone ensembles, woodwind methods, and is graduate advisor. She enjoys performing on bassoon and contrabassoon in university bands, chamber ensembles, and the Valley Symphony Orchestra. She organizes and directs UTRGV’s Summer Saxophone Ensemble and SUMMERFEST concert series. Dr. Cripps has presented solos and lectures at many North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) Biennial and Regional Conferences. Internationally she has presented at World Saxophone Congresses in Zagreb, Croatia (2018), Ljubjana, Slovenia (2006), and Minneapolis, MN (2003), as well as performance and teaching activities in Panama and Guatemala. In Michigan, Indiana, Panama, Florida, and Texas, she has participated in many community orchestras, concert and jazz bands, and pit orchestras. In her spare time, she advocates for TNR programs at UTRGV and in the South Texas community.
Miles DeCastro is the instrument repair technician at The Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam, where he teaches courses in instrument repair for educators, and is responsible for the repairs, maintenance, and inventory of over 1,200 instruments. Prior to joining Crane in July of 2016, he was the general manager at Bridgepoint Music in Menlo Park, CA since 2012, and was a repair technician at Maytan Music Center in Reno, NV from 2008-2011.
Prof. DeCastro holds a degree in music education (saxophone) from Mansfield University (PA), a certificate in instrument repair technology from Renton Technical College, and an MBA from Clarkson University. He has presented repair clinics in 12 states and on three continents and is also the owner and repair technician of North Country Winds, a single reed specialty shop based in Potsdam, NY.
David Dees is Professor of Saxophone at Texas Tech University. He has performed and taught in the US, Europe and at the Asia Pacific Saxophone Academy in Thailand. He is a member of the TTU Teaching Academy and is the recipient of the TTU Outstanding Faculty Award presented by Mortar Board and Omicron Delta Kappa. His students received the Gold Medal in the 2015 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and the Gold Medal and Grand Prize in 2019. His primary saxophone studies have been with Debra Richtmeyer and Frederick Hemke. Prior to TTU, he was a saxophonist in the US Army Band (Pershing's Own) in Washington, D.C. He is an Artist / Clinician for Selmer Paris Saxophones.
Geoffrey Deibel serves Assistant Professor of Saxophone at Florida State University, and teaches at the Cortona Sessions for New Music and Great Plains Saxophone Workshop. He is a champion of new music and has lectured and held residencies at conservatories in Europe, Asia, and in many US Universities. He has appeared at the Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik, Darmstadt, the International Iannis Xenakis Festival in Athens, Greece, and numerous World Saxophone Congresses. Geoff has commissioned and premiered new works by composers such as Louis Andriessen, Georges Aperghis, Caleb Burhans, Jason Eckardt, Martin Iddon, Emily Koh, Robert Lemay, Gabriela Lena-Frank, Marc Mellits, Jesse Ronneau, Hans Thomalla, and Eric Wubbels. He holds degrees in history and music from Northwestern University, and a doctoral degree from Michigan State University. His teachers have included Joseph Lulloff, Frederick Hemke, Leo Saguiguit, and Reginald Jackson. Geoff is a Yamaha, Vandoren, and LeFreQue performing artist.
Oliver DiPietro (they/them) is a first year MA student and Teaching Assistant at the University of Wisconsin Madison. They recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh with a degree in Saxophone Performance where they studied with Dr. Drew Whiting. Their recent research includes surveying LGBTQ+ composers and performing their works for saxophone. In addition, they recently completed their Senior Honors Thesis through the UW Oshkosh Honors College titled, “A Performer’s Guide to among Verticals by Yaz Lancaster.” Oliver is interested in studying the connections between gender, sexuality, and the creation of music and the history of the saxophone.
= Ashley Drago is completing her D.M.A. in saxophone performance with a minor in jazz studies at the University of Arizona. She is serving in the U.S. Army as a member of the 108thArmy Band. Drago received Bachelor of Arts degrees in both music and French Studies from South Dakota State University. She studied in France, establishing fluidity in the language and conducting interdisciplinary research incorporating French studies and the saxophone. She obtained her M.M. from Oklahoma State University, where she partook in the big band album Solid Gold. Drago has performed with the Sierra Vista Symphony Orchestra, at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago with the OSU Saxophone Octet, and at the U.S. Navy Band Symposium in Washington DC. Drago’s current projects focus on premiering and recording new solo and chamber works by composers Zachary Bramble, Josh Nichols, and Rylande Dodge and freelance teaching and performing in the Phoenix area.
South Louisiana native Jonathan Dufresne holds a BM from LSU where he studied under Dr. Griffin Campbell and Professor Doug Stone.
As a soloist, Jonathan competed in solo competitions such as the 2019 NASA Region 6 Collegiate Solo Competiton, where he placed 2nd. Additionally, he has maintained an active performance agenda by performing as a soloist with the LMEA All State Orchestra, the BRSO, church services, wedding receptions, and much more. Strongly valuing versatility, Jonathan has been hired to perform alongside cover bands and occasional celebrities, such as Ginuwine, for numerous corporate events, parties, festivals, and sporting events including the 2020 Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana.
As an educator, he has taught as saxophone instructor at Juban Parc Jr. High and Dutchtown High among others while maintaining a private studio of 11-15 students.
Jonathan is currently pursuing an MM at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign under Professor Debra Richtmeyer.
Dr. Sarah Dunbar has appeared as a soloist throughout the United States and Europe. She has won prizes in numerous international competitions on saxophone and flute, including the "Golden Classical Music Awards" International Competition, American Protégé International Concerto Competition, the North International Music Competition, the International Music Competition "Grand Prize Virtuoso," the Charleston International Baroque Competition, and the Rocky Mountain Music Competition. She has performed as a soloist at the Beethoven House in Bonn, Germany, and twice as a soloist at Carnegie Hall.
Dr. Dunbar holds a DMA in Multiple Woodwinds, an MM in Multiple Woodwinds, and a dual BM in Jazz Studies and Classical Saxophone Performance from the University of North Texas. She is the Assistant Professor of Woodwinds at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, TX.
Hailed by Fanfare magazine for his “exceptional feel for elegance, wit… and tonal beauty,” Dr. Robert Eason is a saxophonist, educator, and clinician. Eason has recently enjoyed guest artist residencies at the 2020 Rio Winds Festival (Rio de Janeiro), 2019 XVIII Encuentro Universitario Internacional de Saxofón México (Mexico City), and the 2018 SaxoBang Festival (Taipei). An advocate of new music, Eason has commissioned works from Joel Love, Viet Cuong, Corey Dundee, Karalyn Schubring, Nina Shekhar, and Carlos Simon, among many others.
Eason is the soprano saxophonist and a founding member of the Kenari Quartet, an ensemble that has garnered acclaim through engaging performances, festival and educational residencies, and commissioning projects. Recent engagements include appearances at Chamber Music Northwest, the Grand Teton Music Festival, and Chamber Music Tulsa. In collaboration with the Naxos music label, the Kenari Quartet released the album French Saxophone Quartets.
Charlee Eaves is the Adjunct Saxophone Professor at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. In high school, Charlee served as the Drum Major and placed in All-District and All-State Bands, culminating with placing 1st chair in Washington State and 3rd chair in the Hershey All-USA Band her senior year. She began collegiate studies at Central Washington University, then transferred to ODU, where she completed her B.M and M.M.E., performing recitals and winning the ODU Young Artist's Competition while studying with Dennis Zeisler. In 2015, Charlee was honored by the Virginia Symphony Orchestra as a “Top Music Educator in Hampton Roads”. Charlee has been the principal chair of the Virginia Wind Symphony since 2008, traveling twice to perform at the Midwest Clinic. Besides ODU, Charlee fosters a thriving private studio, teaches preschool music, and enjoys performing on saxophone. Charlee and her husband Pierson live in Smithfield, VA with their two sons.
Adam Estes is associate professor of music at the University of Mississippi, where he teaches saxophone and bassoon, coaches woodwind chamber ensembles, and teaches woodwinds methods courses. Most recently, he was assistant professor at Minot State University. Formerly a band director in the public schools in Mason, Texas, Estes has also held posts as visiting professor of saxophone at Furman University and the University of South Carolina, as well as instructorships at Presbyterian College and the South Carolina Governors School for the Arts and Humanities. He is a founding member of the Assembly Quartet, and maintains an active performance schedule as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician. His performing career has taken him to venues in Scotland, Ireland, Austria, Switzerland, France, and Belgium. Dr. Estes is a Legere Endorsing Artist, Yamaha Performing Artist, and has recorded on Albany Records, MSR Classics, and AMP Recordings.
Garrett Evans is a current student at Bowling Green State University, working towards his Doctor of Musical Arts in Contemporary Music Performance. As a student musician, Garrett has performed both domestically and internationally. In 2015 he travelled to Strasbourg, France and gave performances with the Lawrence University Saxophone Quartet as part of their presentation, titled Silent Sound. These performances involved group improvisation to accompany a number of silent films.
Domestically, Garrett has performed in a wide variety of locations, such as warming shelters, public schools, country clubs, parks, and malls. Garrett enjoys presenting new music wherever and whenever he can. He has premiered works for saxophone by composers Daniel Whitworth, Isaac Mayhew, David Voss, Joseph Spence, Robert Carl, Ted King Smith, Alexander Gustavo, Dominic Ellis. Garrett is also an avid lover of chamber music and has performed as a part of a number of serious saxophone chamber groups like Organism Quartet, Penumbral Quartet, and Nemesis Trio.
In addition to his experience as a chamber musician and performer, Garrett has also spent a couple of years teaching in the public schools in Northern Wisconsin. Garrett has taught middle and high school choir and band, as well as K-6 general music and strings.
Garrett has performed in masterclasses and lessons with The Capitol Quartet, James Umble and the Cleveland Duo, Steven Banks, Stacy Garrop, Marcos Balter, The Verona Quartet, and Robert Young. His primary instructors in saxophone have been Matthew Arau, Jesse Dochnahl, Steven Jordheim, Sara Kind, Sumner Truax, and Carrie Koffman.
Based in Philadelphia, Noa Even is a versatile saxophonist primarily dedicated to the creation of new music through close collaboration with composers, improvisation, and most recently, composition. Ongoing projects include atomic, a multimedia solo program exploring themes of human connection, and her duos Ogni Suono and Patchwork. Both ensembles recently released albums of commissioned music on New Focus Recordings. Noa is Lecturer and Head of Woodwinds at Rowan University, a Conn-Selmer Artist-Clinician, and a Vandoren Artist. For more information, visit www.noaevenmusic.com.
Stephen Fischer, serves as the Outreach Administrator for the University of Georgia Hugh Hodgson School of Music working with the Community Music School, String Project, and Summer Music Camps. Additionally, he has served on the music faculties of Georgia College, Clemson University, the University of Georgia, and the University of West Georgia.
As a performer, Dr. Fischer is an active member of the North American Saxophone Alliance, and has been invited to perform at the organization's national and regional conferences. He has also performed as a soloist and chamber musician at meetings of the World Saxophone Congress in Minneapolis, Minnesota (2003), Ljubljana, Slovenia (2006), St. Andrews, Scotland (2012), Strasbourg, France (2015), and most recently in Zagreb, Croatia (2018).
An avid supporter of new music, he regularly participates in the commissioning of new works through various consortiums. Commissions include pieces by Shih-Hui Chen, Halim El-Dabh, and Marc Mellits. Dr. Fischer has recently premiered new works by composers Dave Deason, Roger Vogel, Natalie Williams, Ashley Floyd, Douglas Bassett, and Howard Buss.
Matt Fowler has always enjoyed the collaboration that chamber ensembles and works by new composers have provided. When he was in high school his saxophone quartet competed in the Fischoff competition and was awarded second place in the junior wind division of the inaugural M-Prize chamber music competition.
Matt graduated magna cum laude from Lawrence University where he studied with Steven Jordheim. While at Lawrence, Matt won the university’s 2019 band concerto competition, performing Karel Husa’s Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Concert Band. Matt was a member of the Lawrence University Jazz Ensemble when the ensemble won the Downbeat award for Best Undergraduate College Winner in back-to-back years in 2018 and 2019.
Matt is working to the completion of his master’s degree at Texas Tech University where he is the graduate teaching assistant. He is currently studying with David Dees.
Todd Gaffke enjoys a diverse musical career as a performer and educator. He has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the U.S. and in Europe. His playing has garnered numerous awards including: Downbeat Magazine’s Outstanding Classical Soloist, Liberace Foundation Scholarship Competition winner, and 1st-prize in the Plowman Chamber Music Competition. He has performed in professional orchestras and concert bands throughout the Midwest. Dr. Gaffke performs frequently with the University of Akron Faculty Jazz Group. He has performed at the Detroit and Lansing Jazz Festivals, and performed with the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, Harry James Orchestra, and Lansing Symphony Big Band.
Dr. Gaffke is currently Associate Professor of Saxophone at The University of Akron. He earned a BM from Central Michigan University, and MM and DMA degrees from Michigan State University. His primary teachers include Joseph Lulloff, John Nichol, and Rob Smith. Dr. Gaffke is a D’Addario Woodwinds Performing Artist.
Xin Gao is the Assistant Professor of Saxophone and Music Theory at Truman State University. Some of his accomplishments include first place at the Music Teachers National Association National Young Artist Competition, finalist at the International Saxophone Symposium and Competition, and semi-finalist at the International Jean-Marie Londeix Saxophone Competition, and Coleman-Saunderson Prize receiver. He has performed saxophone concertos with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Orchestra, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville Orchestra, the University of Illinois - Chicago Wind Ensemble, the Duquesne Orchestra, the Truman Wind Symphony, the Truman Symphony Orchestra, and the Sichuan Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra in China. He was one of the featured artists at Chengdu International Saxophone Academy and Lanzhou International Sax & Clarinet Arts Festival. As a chamber musician, his experience includes the Sirocco Reed Quintet, the New Century Saxophone Quartet, the QuadATOMIC Saxophone Quartet, and the Road of Creativity (ROC) ensemble.
Hailed as a “highly skillful and an even more highly adventurous player” (Washington City Paper) with “virtuosity, sensitivity, and beauty of tone” (Fanfare), Noah Getz has performed and lectured worldwide, including appearances at the Melbourne Recital Centre, Carnegie Hall, The Royal Conservatory of Brussels, the Degollado Theater in Guadalajara, and Zero Point Festival in Prague. His premiere of in every way I remember you at the National Gallery of Art was acclaimed as “spectacular and wonderfully provocative” (Washington Post).
Getz has performed with the National Gallery New Music Ensemble, the Zohn Collective, The 21st Century Consort, and members of the International Contemporary Ensemble. He received a first-round Grammy nomination and his albums Crosscurrents, exploring jazz and classical music, and Still Life are available on Albany Records. He has also been featured on The Salon Sessions with Robert DiLutis. He is a Musician-In-Residence at American University.
Derek Granger is a soloist, chamber musician, and music educator currently pursuing his DMA in Saxophone Performance under Carrie Koffman at The Hartt School. Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, he earned a BME from the University of Arizona, studying with Timothy McAllister and Kelland Thomas. Granger taught high school choir and music theory at Flowing Wells High School in Tucson, Arizona for six years, garnering top ratings at state and local festivals, while also leading an active freelance career and played alto saxophone with the Presidio Quartet. He earned an MM from Indiana University in 2019 while serving as an Associate Instructor in the studio of Otis Murphy. Selected competition awards include regional and national MTNA competitions, Indianapolis Matinee Musicale, and the Hartt Chamber Music Competition. Granger serves on the summer faculties of Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and Rocky Ridge Music Center.
Brian Handeland is an in-demand saxophonist, woodwind doubler, and educator based in Minneapolis, MN. He is well versed in a variety of musical styles and genres. His current musical projects include the BS Project, Shirts & Skins (pop/rock/top 40), Fuzzy Math (original/modern jazz quartet), the JazzMN Orchestra (jazz big band), and The Soul Shack (70s & 80s funk/soul/R&B). He also played woodwinds on the 2016 International tour of Shrek the Musical, as well as on North American tours of the musicals Elf and Flashdance, and performed with pianist Lorie Line and her Pop Chamber Orchestra on her 2016 Holiday Tour. Brian studied at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and the University of North Texas, where he played and recorded with the DownBeat award winning UW-Eau Claire Jazz Ensemble I, the DownBeat award winning UNT Latin Jazz Ensemble, and the Grammy-nominated UNT 1 O'Clock Lab Band.
Evan Harris is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Michigan State University, where he received a University Distinguished Fellowship. Previously, Evan completed a Bachelor of Music degree at Central Michigan University (2016), and a Master of Music degree from the University of Oklahoma (2018).
In addition to performing, Evan tries to expands the repertoire for saxophone through musical transcriptions and arrangements. These transcriptions and arrangements have been successful in competitions and a few have been recorded. Trio Sonata Op. 1, No. 12 “La Follia” by Antonio Vivaldi arranged for saxophone quartet has been recorded by the Elysian quartet and I need your love by Calvin Harris ft. Ellie Goulding was recorded by Group 2. Evan has also given performances, and presentations of his arrangements, across the United States, and Europe.
Dr. Drew Hays has toured throughout the US and in Europe as the baritone saxophonist in the New Century Saxophone Quartet, and can be heard on the group’s 8th studio album, Weekend Travelers. He recorded his own debut album, Saxophone Premiere: The Saxophone Music of Sherwood Shaffer with renowned tenor saxophonist, James Houlik. Drew has performed with the Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Charlotte, Roanoke, and Eastern Music Festival Symphony Orchestras, and has given recitals and/or masterclasses at USC, Trinity, Truman State, Carthage, Boise State, Youngstown State, BYU, Duquesne, UNC-Greensboro, and the University of Illinois-Chicago. He also regularly performs as a jazz saxophonist throughout North Carolina and is a founding member of the Piedmont Triad Jazz Orchestra. Drew serves as Chair of the Music Department at Guilford College in Greensboro, NC, where he teaches saxophone, jazz studies, and music theory. He studied at UNC-Greensboro and Duquesne University.
Miranda Henry is from Belleville, Illinois. She studied with Dr. Kenneth Tse at the University of Iowa and graduated with honors in May 2020 with a BM in Saxophone Performance and Arts Entrepreneurship. Currently, she is pursuing a MM in Saxophone Performance at the University of Tennessee under the tutelage of Dr. Allison Adams.
As an active saxophonist, Miranda has performed at many festivals and events nationwide such as the NASA Biennial conferences, Saxophone Unite Day, Iowa Honors Band, Illinois Honors Concert Band, National Honors Concert Band and others. During her time at the University of Iowa, she performed with the Iowa Saxophonists’ Workshop playing both alto and tenor. As a member of the Anemoi Quartet and Ardente Quartet, she has performed in many venues. Miranda enjoyed being a member of the University of Tennessee Wind Ensemble for the 2020-2021 academic year, and she is thrilled to be the newest member of the Resiliano Quartet on soprano for the 2021-2022 academic year.
Michael Hernandez has been described as “one of the finest soprano saxophone artists of the present generation.” He has been heard in concert halls throughout Germany, Switzerland, Poland, France, Holland, Austria, Italy, the UK, Canada, and the United States. He has also been broadcasted several times nationwide on NPR’s Performance Today. Recently Hernandez has appeared with the San Jose Chamber Orchestra, Echo Chamber Orchestra, Espressivo Chamber Orchestra, Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, The Phoenix Symphony Guild, The Brooklyn Symphony, The Redwood Symphony, The San Jose Wind Symphony, New Century Chamber Orchestra, The Santa Cruz Symphony, The National Music Festival Orchestra, The Hot Springs Music Festival Orchestra, North Valley Symphony, Musica Nova Orchestra, The Monterey Symphony, and the West Valley Symphony.
Hernandez is a founding member of the critically acclaimed MANA Quartet and an endorsing artist for Key Leaves, Lefreque, and D’Addario Woodwinds. He is also the founder and co-owner of MANA Mouthpieces. Michael currently serves on the faculty of San Jose State University and is Principal Saxophonist of the Santa Cruz Symphony.
Saxophonist and new music curator Andrew Hosler is pursuing a MM in Saxophone Performance, a MM in Chamber Music, and a Certificate in Arts Entrepreneurship & Leadership from the UMich. He holds a BM in Saxophone Performance from BGSU. In addition to his studies, Drew also serves as the Assistant Managing Director for the Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project, an assistant for the Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities, and an intern for the Akropolis Quintet.
Andrew is an advocate for contemporary music, having commissioned over one-hundred pieces by award-winning composers from all over the world including Andrew Mead, Jamie Leigh Sampson, Spencer Arias, and Marilyn Shrude. His upcoming debut solo album, delta waves, features thirteen world premiere recordings of 21st century works for the tenor saxophone. Drew is a founding member for the new music ensemble, The _____ Experiment. In March 2020, they released their debut album, Conversations.
Along with his percussion colleague, Daniel Myers, he formed the chamber ensemble the Hutchens/Myers Duo. This new music chamber ensemble places a focus on outreach and the creation of new works that challenge the social and technical norms of each instrument. As an advocate for new music, Andrew is constantly involved in the commissioning and premiering of new music, including works by Robert Honstein; Baljinder Singh Sekhon, II; Viet Cuong; and Stacy Garrop. His principal teachers have included Ian Jeffress, Clifford Leaman, with additional jazz studies with Bryson Borgstedt and bassoon studies from Will Peebles.
Kyle Jones, saxophonist, is a performer, teacher, and curator whose natural curiosity
towards music leads him to challenge the parameters of his craft. An advocate for new music, Kyle actively collaborates with composers and performers from a variety of styles and genres. Recently, he has been involved in a commissioning project with Dr. Nathan Mertens with the composer Anthony R. Green, as well as leading a consortium for a new work for saxophone and clarinet by composer Gabriela Ortiz. He is currently a doctoral student of Zachary Shemon at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory, as well as Adjunct Professor of Saxophone at MidAmerica Nazarene University.
In addition to his performing activities, Kyle serves as a Co-Director for Fast Forward Austin,
Development Lead/Publicist/Artist Liaison for Less Than <10, and manages and produces his own
podcast entitled “Pay to Play.” He holds degrees from The University of Texas-Austin, Peabody
Conservatory, and East Tennessee State University
Kyle Jones, saxophonist, is a performer, teacher, and new music advocate whose natural curiosity
towards music leads him to challenge the parameters of his craft. An advocate for new music, Kyle actively collaborates with composers from a variety of styles and genres. Recently, he has been involved in a commissioning project with Dr. Nathan Mertens with the composer Anthony R. Green, as well as leading a consortium for a new work for saxophone and clarinet by composer Gabriela Ortiz. He is currently a doctoral student of Zachary Shemon at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory, as well as Adjunct Professor of Saxophone at MidAmerica Nazarene University.
In addition to his performing activities, Kyle serves as a Co-Director for Fast Forward Austin,
Development Lead/Publicist/Artist Liaison for Less Than <10, and manages and produces his own
podcast entitled “Pay to Play.” He holds degrees from The University of Texas-Austin, Peabody
Conservatory, and East Tennessee State University
Patrick Jones has performed as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician around the world. As a featured soloist he has performed with the Grammy award-winning ensemble Imani Winds, Zagreb Saxophone Quartet, Erie Philharmonic, and Erie Chamber Orchestra. Other performances include the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra with broadcasts on Performance Today, NPR's St. Paul Sunday and WCLV, home of the Cleveland Orchestra. With nearly twenty years of teaching experience, Jones has publications ranging from the Instrumentalist magazine to BandDirector.com. His solo recording "La Souplesse", includes music for saxophone and piano with introductory notes by Richard Ingham. Jones is an active performer, educator, clinician, Yamaha Performing Artist in addition to performing on E. Rousseau mouthpieces.
Jones currently teaches saxophone at the University of Idaho. Other faculty appointments include Edinboro University, University of Iowa and the Allegheny Summer Music Festival. For more information, please visit www.pjsax.com.
An active saxophonist and music educator, Elissa Kana has performed in festivals and conferences worldwide. Most recently, the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) presented Elissa as a featured classical solo artist at their 2021 Region 3 Conference. In 2014, Elissa was named second-prize winner of the International Saxophone Symposium and Competition (ISSAC).
A passionate chamber musician, Elissa holds the alto chair of the Colere Quartet, which was awarded the Gold Medal at the 2020 Fischoff National Chamber Music and the First Prize in Winds, Brass, and Percussion at the 2019 Plowman Chamber Music Competitions.
Currently, Elissa is an Instructor of Saxophone at the University of Northern Iowa and is finishing her doctoral studies at the University of Iowa. Since 2018, she has spent her summers teaching at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. Previously based in Chicago, Illinois, Elissa served on the woodwind faculty at the Merit School of Music.
An active saxophonist and music educator, Elissa Kana has performed in festivals and conferences worldwide. Most recently, the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) presented Elissa as a featured classical solo artist at their 2021 Region 3 Conference. In 2014, Elissa was named second-prize winner of the International Saxophone Symposium and Competition (ISSAC).
A passionate chamber musician, Elissa holds the alto chair of the Colere Quartet, which was awarded the Gold Medal at the 2020 Fischoff National Chamber Music and the First Prize in Winds, Brass, and Percussion at the 2019 Plowman Chamber Music Competitions.
Currently, Elissa is an Instructor of Saxophone at the University of Northern Iowa and is finishing her doctoral studies at the University of Iowa. Since 2018, she has spent her summers teaching at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. Previously based in Chicago, Illinois, Elissa served on the woodwind faculty at the Merit School of Music.
Beth King-Bennett is the Adjunct Instructor of Woodwinds at Chipola College. She maintains an active teaching studio and serves as a clinician and adjudicator in Florida. She performs with the Civitasolis Reed Quintet, which is dedicated to engaging audiences through interactive and innovative performance experiences. Beth received her Doctor of Music at Florida State University, where she was a saxophone Teaching Assistant, her Master’s from the University of Iowa, and Bachelor of Music Education from DePauw University.
Carrie Koffman is Associate Professor of Saxophone at The Hartt School of Music, Dance and Theater at the University of Hartford and Lecturer of Saxophone at the Yale School of Music. Prior to this, she held positions as Assistant Professor of Saxophone at Penn State University, Assistant Professor of Saxophone at the University of New Mexico, and Lecturer at Boston University. She has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in 30 states, 1 federal district, 17 countries and on 5 continents. Commissions and premieres include 68 compositions. Her students have placed in over 120 performance competitions including winning 23 university concerto competitions at all five of the universities where she has taught. Koffman is a certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher and teaches Yoga for Musicians. She is also a Selmer and Vandoren artist/clinician.
Geoffrey Landman has performed across North America, Europe, Asia, and in New York City’s most well-known venues including Carnegie Hall, Miller Theatre at Columbia University, The United Nations, and The Morgan Library. He is the Artist/Teacher of Saxophone at Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, MA, where he also leads a graduate entrepreneurial musicianship class.
Geoffrey is the saxophonist of the Either/Or Ensemble, NovusNY, Wavefield Ensemble, and has performed with groups including Prism Saxophone Quartet, JACK String Quartet, and Talea Ensemble. He is one half of the Landman/Stadler Saxophone Duo along with German saxophonist Patrick Stadler. For 8 years Geoffrey performed with the New Thread Saxophone Quartet, an ensemble he co-founded in 2011.
He studied at the University of Michigan (BM), University of Cincinnati (MM), Hochschule für Musik Basel in Switzerland, and New England Conservatory where he was the first ever DMA in saxophone performance in the school’s history.
David Larsen is the director of instrumental studies at Spokane Falls CC. He holds a PhD from Washington State University and degrees from Pacific University, University of Oregon, and Western Oregon University. David has been a presenter/performer for the Jazz Education Network, North American Saxophone Alliance, and several other conferences and festivals.
David has performed with Ken Peplowski, Francisco Torres, Dave Glenn, Ron Vincent, Bill Mays, and Dean Johnson. David’s releases indlude Deviate from Standards, The Mulligan Chronicles (2021), Borrowed Time, and One of a Kind. David appeared on the Origin Records release New Normal (2021) by Greg Yasinitsky and was featured on the award-winning Halie Loren album Butterfly Blue (2015).
As a composer, David has won numerous awards including JW Peppers Editor’s Choice for 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. His compositions and arrangements have been played by Washington State University, University of Oregon, and others around the country.
Eric Lau serves as Professor of Saxophone and Dean of the Honors College and University College at the University of New Mexico. An active performer and teacher, Dr. Lau has presented concerts, masterclasses, and clinics throughout the United States, Europe, Puerto Rico, and Brazil. His commitment to new music has led to his presenting premiere performances of more than two dozen works. With Iridium, a saxophone quartet that he co-founded, he can be heard on four professional CDs that include eight world premiere recordings. He also recorded Journey, an album of unique vocal transcriptions for saxophone spanning five centuries. Dr. Lau is a regular performer with the Santa Fe Opera, the New Mexico Philharmonic, and the Santa Fe Symphony. Dr. Lau received the Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from Michigan State University and his Bachelor of Music Degree from Louisiana State University.
Critics have hailed Clifford Leaman as “an artist of the first order…intuitive, exciting, and enthralling." (Paul Wagner, The Saxophone Journal) Leaman reveals himself to be {an} artist of technical brilliance and emotional commitment." Associate Dean, Director of Graduate Studies, and Professor of Saxophone at the University of South Carolina, Leaman has recorded four compact discs with piano, and two additional discs with percussionist Scott Herring as the RoseWind Duo. In addition to his work with piano and marimba, Leaman has performed as a concerto soloist with numerous Wind Ensembles and Orchestras and has recorded concerti by Brant, Bassett, and Dahl.
An avid supporter of contemporary music, Leaman has commissioned and given the world premiere performances of over 35 works, including concerti by William Bolcom, Leslie Bassett, Frank Ticheli, Stacy Garrop, and Michael Colgrass. Leaman is an artist-clinician for D’Addario and the Conn-Selmer Company, Inc. and Tea Leaves.
Critics have hailed Clifford Leaman as “an artist of the first order…intuitive, exciting, and enthralling." (Paul Wagner, The Saxophone Journal) Leaman reveals himself to be {an} artist of technical brilliance and emotional commitment." Associate Dean, Director of Graduate Studies, and Professor of Saxophone at the University of South Carolina, Leaman has recorded four compact discs with piano, and two additional discs with percussionist Scott Herring as the RoseWind Duo. In addition to his work with piano and marimba, Leaman has performed as a concerto soloist with numerous Wind Ensembles and Orchestras and has recorded concerti by Brant, Bassett, and Dahl.
An avid supporter of contemporary music, Leaman has commissioned and given the world premiere performances of over 35 works, including concerti by William Bolcom, Leslie Bassett, Frank Ticheli, Stacy Garrop, and Michael Colgrass. Leaman is an artist-clinician for D’Addario and the Conn-Selmer Company, Inc. and Tea Leaves.
The University of South Carolina Saxophone Ensemble performs music of a wide variety of styles, showcasing music of various cultures. Performances of works form the Classical traditions via transcriptions, and the most recent works, whether avant-garde, pop, or jazz stylistically, are hallmarks of our concerts. The ensemble consists of saxophonists currently studying at the University of South Carolina at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and are directed by Clifford Leaman, professor of saxophone.
American-Canadian saxophonist Paul Lessard is at home in a wide range of styles, from classical and jazz to funk and punk. As a soloist, he has performed with the Hagerstown (MD) Municipal Band, the University of Florida Concert Choir, and both the Gettysburg College Symphony Orchestra and Wind Symphony. Dedicated to the promotion of new music, Mr. Lessard has worked with a growing number of composers to bring their works to international audiences.
Mr. Lessard has performed across North America and Europe, including solo recitals at North American Saxophone Alliance conferences and the 2019 World Saxophone Congress in Zagreb. He holds degrees from the University of Florida and Gettysburg College. Mr. Lessard currently lives in Toronto, Ontario, where he is a doctoral student in composition at the University of Toronto and maintains a studio of private woodwind students.
The saxophone studio at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory maintains a tradition of excellence established over the past several decades. The studio is now led by Zach Shemon of the renowned PRISM Quartet. Alumni of the Conservatory saxophone studio have gone on to win positions with top military bands, have been appointed to faculty positions at universities across North America, and have placed at prestigious national and international saxophone competitions.
The Saxophone Ensemble promotes unique and inspiring programming while maintaining an active schedule through various scholastic and extra-curricular performance opportunities.
Jeffrey Loeffert serves as Professor and Director of the Michael and Anne Greenwood School of Music at Oklahoma State University. A dedicated teacher, Loeffert is a past recipient of the OSU College of Arts & Sciences Junior Faculty Award for Scholarly Excellence, Wise-Diggs-Berry Award for Teaching Excellence, and Friends of Music Distinguished Music Professor Award. Loeffert graduated summa cum laude from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Music double major in Saxophone Performance and Jazz Studies. A Frank Huntington Beebe Scholar, Loeffert studied in Paris at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Cergy-Pontoise and the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Boulogne-Billancourt. Loeffert completed graduate studies at Michigan State University where he received a Master of Music degree and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Saxophone Performance as well as a Master of Music degree in Music Theory Pedagogy. Loeffert is a Yamaha and Vandoren Performing Artist.
Kimberly Goddard Loeffert is a saxophonist, music theorist, and equity advocate who serves as Assistant Professor at the Oklahoma State University Michael and Anne Greenwood School of Music. She is President-Elect of the North American Saxophone Alliance and a founding member of the NASA Committee on the Status of Women. As the baritone saxophonist with the h2 quartet, she has been awarded numerous chamber music prizes and can be heard on seven critically acclaimed discs. Loeffert earned a Ph.D. in Music Theory at Florida State University. She holds a D.M.A. and M.M. in Saxophone Performance, as well as an M.M. in Music Theory Pedagogy from Michigan State University, and she completed a B.M. in Saxophone Performance and Jazz Studies at Northwestern University. Loeffert is a Yamaha and Vandoren Performing Artist.
Dr. Courtney Long is an active saxophonist and educator performing regularly in the Denver area. She has performed and presented at the NASA Biennial and Regional Conferences several times. Dr. Long's research areas are post-tonal motivic analysis and its application to agency and narrative theories, performative analysis, and motivic parallelism in post-tonal music.
Long holds a Doctor of Arts degree in Music from the University of Northern Colorado in Saxophone Performance with a secondary emphasis in Music Theory. She also earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Saxophone Performance from Friends University in Wichita, KS, and her Master of Music degree in Music Theory and Composition from Wichita State University. She has studied with Lisa Hittle, Jean Lansing, Robert Young, and Andrew Dahlke. Long currently teaches saxophone at Colorado Christian University in Lakewood, CO and Friends University in Wichita, KS, and music theory at the University of Northern Colorado.
Yamaha and Vandoren Performing Artist Joseph Lulloff enjoys a prolific career as a saxophone artist and teacher. A recipient of the Concert Artist Guild and Pro Musicis Awards in solo performance, and the Michigan State University Beal Distinguished Faculty Award and Withrow Excellence in Teaching Awards, he is Professor of Saxophone at Michigan State University and alto saxophonist with the Capitol Quartet. Lulloff has been featured as guest soloist with the Cleveland, Minnesota, and Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestras, the US Air Force and Navy Bands and the Dallas Winds. He has also performed with Detroit, St. Louis, Minnesota, and Cleveland Orchestras in various concerts.
Equally at home in the realms of classical and jazz performance, Lulloff specializes in commissioning new works that span both idioms. During the summertime, he teaches at the Great Plains Saxophone Workshop in Oklahoma and at the Brevard (NC) Music Center Summer Music Institute. Website: www.joelulloff.com
Ben MacDonald is a recognized performing saxophonist whose musical endeavors have propelled him to the vanguard of creative and collaborative musicianship. During his career, MacDonald has received awards and recognition in multiple prestigious solo and chamber music competitions. As a champion of new music, MacDonald has premiered works from seventeen different composers including David Maslanka, Roger Zare, Christopher E. Hass, and Kevin Day.
MacDonald is a founding member of the Zenith Saxophone Quartet, a dynamic chamber ensemble focused on the development of chamber music performance through memorization and artistic staging. Their debut album, Convergence, was released in January 2021 and consists of seven works written for the Zenith Saxophone Quartet and the Zen Duo.
MacDonald holds a Bachelor of Music Education Degree (2019) from Central Michigan University, Master of Music Degree (2021) from the University of Oklahoma and is currently a doctoral student at Arizona State University. His primary teachers include John Nichol, Jonathan Nichol, Christopher Creviston, and Jay Wilkinson.
The Keller ISD Saxophone Ensemble from Keller, TX is compromised of students from both the Timber Creek HS and Fossil Ridge HS under the direction of assistant band director Daniel Malacon and Jose Barrientos. Daniel Malacon is one of the assistant band directors at Timber Creek HS in Fort Worth, TX. Daniel holds a bachelor's degree in Music Education with an emphasis clarinet studies and a master's degree in Wind Band Conducting under the guidance of Dr. Eric Wilson from Baylor University. Jose Barrientos is the saxophone private lesson instructor for both high school clusters with over 80 private lesson students in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. Jose has a master's degree in saxophone performance from the University of Iowa where studied under Dr. Kenneth Tse. Prior to moving to the midwest, he completed his undergraduate studies in music education at Stephen F. Austin State University under Dr. Nathan Nabb.
Canadian saxophonist and composer Justin Massey is an interpreter of contemporary music based in Toronto, Ontario. With an obsession of creating new sonorities and textures through the saxophone, Justin searches for obscure and unexplored sounds offered by the instrument and its unparalleled potential to create visceral and emotional music. Justin presents music of his generation in all of his performances by commissioning new repertoire and collaborating closely with composers in search of these new sounds, often through electronic manipulation of the saxophone. Recently, Justin has commissioned and premiered new works for saxophone and live electronics by Carolyn Borcherding, Camila Agosto, Brian Lee Topp, Jacob Sachs-Mishalanie, and Jason Charney. He is currently working in collaboration with Camila Agosto to create and perform the five movement Paracusia series for saxophone and live electronics.
Canadian saxophonist and composer Justin Massey is an interpreter of contemporary music based in Toronto, Ontario. With an obsession of creating new sonorities and textures through the saxophone, Justin searches for obscure and unexplored sounds offered by the instrument and its unparalleled potential to create visceral and emotional music. Justin presents music of his generation in all of his performances by commissioning new repertoire and collaborating closely with composers in search of these new sounds, often through electronic manipulation of the saxophone. Recently, Justin has commissioned and premiered new works for saxophone and live electronics by Carolyn Borcherding, Camila Agosto, Brian Lee Topp, Jacob Sachs-Mishalanie, and Jason Charney. He is currently working in collaboration with Camila Agosto to create and perform the five movement Paracusia series for saxophone and live electronics.
Canadian saxophonist and composer Justin Massey is an interpreter of contemporary music based in Toronto, Ontario. With an obsession of creating new sonorities and textures through the saxophone, Justin searches for obscure and unexplored sounds offered by the instrument and its unparalleled potential to create visceral and emotional music. Justin presents music of his generation in all of his performances by commissioning new repertoire and collaborating closely with composers in search of these new sounds, often through electronic manipulation of the saxophone. Recently, Justin has commissioned and premiered new works for saxophone and live electronics by Carolyn Borcherding, Camila Agosto, Brian Lee Topp, Jacob Sachs-Mishalanie, and Jason Charney. He is currently working in collaboration with Camila Agosto to create and perform the five movement Paracusia series for saxophone and live electronics.
Timothy McAllister is a GRAMMY-winning soloist and member of the renowned PRISM Quartet, credited with over 40 recordings and 200 premieres of new compositions by eminent and emerging composers worldwide. His rise to international fame came in 2009 with his celebrated work in John Adams’s “City Noir" and the world premiere of Adams’s Saxophone Concerto in August 2013 with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the baton of the composer in the Sydney Opera House. Critically-acclaimed performances followed with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic, New World Symphony, among others. He has toured in the U.S. and abroad with both the Los Angeles Phiharmonic and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Dr. McAllister was appointed Professor of Saxophone at the University of Michigan in 2014, succeeding his legendary mentor Donald Sinta.
Austin McFarland (he/him) is a multi-instrumentalist dedicated to helping people grow, express their passions,m and reach their highest goals. He is a self-proclaimed "musicpreneur" combining a wealth of business skills and knowledge with his love of music and music education. Austin specializes in life-sales marketing, brand and business development. He has helped businesses around the world market more effectively and reach their revenue goals.
As a performer, he is a founding member of Cynical Duo, a Fayetteville based, mainly Saxophone, single reed duo founded in 2019 to promote music in all styles. Austin also is an active woodwind doubler in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.
Besides his duties as NASA's communication officer, Austin currently manages his own marketing and business operations firm - AMM Strategies. He is the sales manager for B. Corbin Clarinet Products and maintains an active private studio in Northwest Arkansas.
Saxophone soloist and pedagogue Kyle Mechmet brings his “clear, thrilling sound” (Florida Weekly) to audiences internationally as well as his home of South Florida. Through the music of different eras, Kyle works to further cement the saxophone as a classical, concert instrument in the minds of non-saxophonists as was the intent of its creator. With Florida Atlantic University as his base, Kyle Mechmet has been working towards making South Florida a hotbed of excellent saxophone playing and teaching through regular clinics at Dreyfoos School of the Arts, Bak Middle School of the Arts, and Dillard Center for the Arts, as well as private lessons and music camps across South Florida.
American saxophonist, Nathan Mertens (he/him) has performed recitals in Japan, South Korea, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and throughout the United States. Mertens has performed concertos with the Busan Philharmonic Orchestra (Korea), Hastings Symphony Orchestra (US), The University of Texas Symphony Orchestra (US), and was recently a concerto soloist at the North American Saxophone Alliance Conference. In competition, he has been awarded Third Prize in the 14th Kurashiki International Saxophone Competition, Second Grand Prize in the North International Music Competition in Sweden, and has been a finalist for many national competitions.
He currently serves as Assistant Professor at Hastings College, Lecturer (part-time) at Baylor University, and the Marketing Director of Advertising & Development for NASA. Mertens is a D'Addario Woodwind Artist and a Yamaha Performing Artist, and performs exclusively on Reserve products and Yamaha instruments.
Sean is a saxophonist from Roseville, Minnesota who earned a Master of Arts degree in Woodwind Performance at the University of Iowa under the instruction of Dr. Kenneth Tse. He is a two-time winner of the Minnesota MTNA Young Artist Woodwind Competition, the Grand Prize winner of Vandoren’s Young Emerging Artist Competition in January 2019, and, most recently, earned 3rd Prize in the 2020 MTNA Young Artist Woodwind Competition. Sean was featured as an international soloist with the St. Olaf Band on its 2018 tour to New Zealand and Australia.
Sean is an active educator in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, serving as the Saxophone Instructor and Clinician for William J Rushing Middle School, Reynolds Middle School, and Prosper High School.
Outside of playing saxophone, Mr. Miller enjoys running when it’s a reasonable temperature, playing virtual board games with his friends, and working on his golf game.
John Nichol is Professor of Saxophone at Central Michigan University and has performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland (1997), the North Sea Jazz Festival (1997) and the Ford Detroit International Jazz Festival (2000, 2001, 2002). Professor Nichol has also performed by invitation at nine World Saxophone Congresses: Chicago, Illinois (1979), Nuremberg, Germany (1982), Kawasaki, Japan (1988), Valencia, Spain (1997) Montreal, Canada (2000), Minneapolis, Minnesota (2003), St. Andrews, Scotland (2012), Strasbourg, France (2015), Zagreb, Croatia (2018). Professor Nichol has performed with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, the Harry James Orchestra, and the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. Professor Nichol can be heard on Flights of Fancy (Centaur Recording, 2003), Caught in the Act (White Pine Music, 2007), Woodwind Echoes (White Pine Recording, 2008), and Conspiracy Theory (White Pine Music, 2010). John Nichol is a Yamaha Performing Artist, a Vandoren Artist, and is a former President of the North American Saxophone Alliance.
The University of Oklahoma Saxophone Ensemble is dedicated to facilitating student research through arrangements, performances, and recordings. The ensemble is comprised the members of the University of Oklahoma Saxophone Studio. The University of Oklahoma Saxophone Ensemble has performed at every North American Saxophone Alliance Region IV and Biennial Conference since 2013.
JONATHAN NICHOL is an active performing saxophonist who champions new music and has presented concerts throughout the United States, Bosnia, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Serbia, Slovenia, and Thailand. He has premiered pieces by renowned composers including Marc Mellits, Charles Ruggiero, Forrest Pierce, Paquito D’Rivera, Daniel Wohl, Marvin Lamb, Jeffrey Loeffert, Igor Karaça, Tina Tallon, and Drew Baker. Jonathan was a solo-artist semi-finalist in the 2009 Concert Artist Guild Competition and a finalist with the award-winning h2 quartet in the 2012 Concert Artist Guild Competition.
Nichol is Associate Professor of Saxophone at the University of Oklahoma. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree (2010) and a Master of Music degree (2007) from Michigan State University and a Bachelor of Music Education degree (2005) from Central Michigan University. Jonathan’s primary teachers include John Nichol, Joseph Lulloff, Robbie Smith, Diego Rivera, and Rodney Whitaker. He is proud to be a Yamaha Performing Artist and a Vandoren Performing Artist.
Saxophonist and composer, Dr. Ben Nichols, has travelled across the globe, performing at large venues, intimate city concerts, and countless jazz festivals throughout North America, South America and Europe. He is known internationally for his expressive sound and energetic artistic style.
In January of 2021 Ben presented scholarly research at the Jazz Education Network Conference. He has recently published articles in the Indiana University Press Jazz Journal and NMEA Magazine.
Dr. Nichols is currently Assistant Professor of Saxophone at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where he runs the saxophone studio, directs saxophone quartets and runs a jazz combo. He has also taught as a faculty member at the University of Illinois - Springfield and at Lincoln College.
Dr. Kevin Norton is currently a private instructor and teacher in the Cincinnati metro area, serving as saxophone instructor at the School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) and as Adjunct Faculty at Xavier University. Previously, during the 2012–13 school year, he served as Adjunct Instructor at The Defiance College in Defiance, OH, teaching music appreciation and music history.
He has performed extensively at numerous NASA events since 2007, most recently the 2020 Biennial at Arizona State University and the 2021 Region 5 virtual conference hosted by Hope College. Furthermore, he has premiered works and arrangements by composers including Ian Dicke (his soprano sax arrangement of his own Chapter One, Page One), Brandon Nelson (PRN for soprano saxophone and piano), and Joel Matthys (Permafrost for soprano saxophone and live electronics).
Dr. Lindsey N. O’Connor is the Adjunct Professor of Saxophone at Southern Utah University and the College of Southern Nevada, the Woodwinds Paraprofessional for Clark County School District, and the Director of Woodwinds for the Las Vegas Youth Orchestras. As the saxophonist for The After Party featuring Joey Fatone (*NSYNC), AJ McLean (Backstreet Boys), Nick Carter (Backstreet Boys), and Wanya Morris (Boyz II Men), she has also performed with Bobby Brown, Coolio, Luis Fonsi, Ray Parker Jr., and Shawn Stockman. O’Connor is principal clarinetist of the Nevada Chamber Orchestra and will serve as the conductor for the International Clarinet Association Junior High School Clarinet Choir in 2022. She received a D.M.A. Saxophone Performance and M.M. Saxophone Performance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a B.M. Saxophone Performance from Michigan State University. O’Connor is a Vandoren Artist-Clinician and performs exclusively on Vandoren products. For more information, please visit www.lynziioconnor.com.
Conn-Selmer and D’Addario Endorsing Artist Matt Olson is Professor of Saxophone and Director of Jazz Studies at Furman University. He holds degrees from the University of Illinois and Northwestern University. He has performed with Randy Brecker, Chris Potter, Kenny Barron, Stefon Harris, Kurt Elling, Benny Carter, Wayne Bergeron, Jeff Coffin, Doc Severinsen, Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole, the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, and the Milwaukee and Charlotte Symphony Orchestras, among others. Matt will release his third solo recording, Open Spaces, on OA2 Records, in January 2022. His previous solo recordings, 789 Miles and Vortex, along with his two recordings with the Unhinged Sextet, Clarity and Don’t Blink, have received worldwide radio airplay and numerous positive reviews, including being featured on Joey Defrancesco’s Sirius/XM radio program “Organized.” Matt is also active as a clinician and adjudicator, including presenting clinics at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic and the Jazz Education Network Conference.
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Conn-Selmer and D’Addario Endorsing Artist Matt Olson is Professor of Saxophone and Director of Jazz Studies at Furman University. He holds degrees from the University of Illinois and Northwestern University. He has performed with Randy Brecker, Chris Potter, Kenny Barron, Stefon Harris, Kurt Elling, Benny Carter, Wayne Bergeron, Jeff Coffin, Doc Severinsen, Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole, the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, and the Milwaukee and Charlotte Symphony Orchestras, among others. Matt will release his third solo recording, Open Spaces, on OA2 Records, in January 2022. His previous solo recordings, 789 Miles and Vortex, along with his two recordings with the Unhinged Sextet, Clarity and Don’t Blink, have received worldwide radio airplay and numerous positive reviews, including being featured on Joey Defrancesco’s Sirius/XM radio program “Organized.” Matt is also active as a clinician and adjudicator, including presenting clinics at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic and the Jazz Education Network Conference.
Daniel Oshiro hails from Honolulu, Hawaii and is the Teaching Assistant for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Saxophone Studio under the direction of Dr. Paul Haar. As a winner of the Glenn Korff School of Music Graduate Concerto Competition, he was a featured soloist with the University of Nebraska Wind Ensemble in the spring of 2019. Mr. Oshiro holds degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Performing extensively in Hawaii, he has shared the stage with local musicians such as Kalapana, Todd Yukumoto, Jake Shimabukuro, and Eric Miyashiro. Mr. Oshiro has also performed in Japan and across the United States. He is a member of the Conical Sounds Saxophone Duo, and he has performed with honorable groups such as the United States Air Force Band, the All-Star Japan Wind Orchestra, and TCBSQ.
Ricardo Martins is a Brazilian musician who has been working as a music producer for more than 20 years. Martins is a performer and a composer with some of his compositions receiving more than 25 million views on YouTube. He received his B.Mus from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada where he is also working on his Masters in Saxophone Performance.
Described by noted American composer Libby Larsen as “fearless on stage,” saxophonist Stephen Page has garnered international prominence as one of the leading saxophonists of today’s younger generation. Page has appeared across four continents, including United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, Canada, Australia, and the United States.
Stephen has earned prizes in no fewer than ten International and national competitions, including the MTNA Solo and Chamber Competition, the NASA Solo and Quartet Competitions, the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, the YYPA, and the AUREC Saxophone Competition.
Dr. Page has released fourteen recordings as a soloist and chamber musician which can be heard on the Enharmonic, Teal Creek, Crystal Music, and AUR Labels. Stephen’s premier recording of John Mackey’s Soprano Saxophone Concerto and John Adams’ Saxophone Concerto will be released in 2019, on the NAXOS label.
Stephen Page is Associate Professor at The University of Texas Butler School of Music.
Woodwind repair specialist Will Peak strives to aid musicians with exceptional woodwind repair, maintenance, and customization. Will is trusted with instruments belonging to a variety of professional musicians, including members of the Kansas City and St. Louis Symphonies, UMKC Conservatory and other universities, and the Kansas City jazz scene.
Will’s approach to woodwind repair is guided and informed by his background as a musician. Will first discovered his interest in musical instrument repair in 2011 when he spent time with Judi Dietz of Judi’s Woodwind Shop in Leavenworth, KS. Will continued to actively pursue repair throughout his BM in saxophone performance at the UMKC Conservatory of Music where he studied with saxophonist Zach Shemon. During his time at UMKC, Will also studied clarinet with Dr. Jane Carl, performed in the jazz bands under the direction of Dan Thomas and Bobby Watson, and played in the conservatory wind bands directed by Joe Parisi and Steve Davis, playing both clarinet and saxophone.
In 2019, Will officially established Peak Performance Woodwinds, his current home-based workshop where he continues to service and repair woodwinds while developing original products and designs, which are being used by musicians around the world. Will also maintains a presence in the Kansas City area as a performer and private teacher while he continues to provide exceptional, personalized service to musicians who visit Peak Performance Woodwinds. Will remains devoted to experimenting, learning, and innovating to bring about new advancements to woodwind musicians.
Described as an “Admirably skilled player” (The News-Gazette), saxophonist WILSON POFFENBERGER is at the fore front of his generation. Mr. Poffenberger is pursuing a DMA in saxophone performance at the University of Illinois. He has garnered prizes at the international and national level, including first prize at the 2020 UISO Concerto Competition, first prize at the 2020 NASA Quartet Competition, silver medal at the 2019 Fischoff Competition, first prize at the 2019 Krannert Debut Competition, and winner of the 2016-2017 Harriet Hale Woolley award. A strong advocate for new music, Mr. Poffenberger has premiered dozens of works by composers such as Étienne Rolin, Guillermo Lago, Gregory Wanamaker, Elsie Han, David Biedenbender, and Alexis Bacon. Mr. Poffenberger received his MM from YSU and his BS in Music Education degree from IUP with additional study in Paris, France. His primary teachers include Debra Richtmeyer, Jean-Michel Goury, James Umble, and Keith Young
Samuel Pollock is a native of Crandall TX, where he graduated High School in 2018. He holds an Associates degree in Music from Trinity Valley Community College. He is a current Undergraduate Senior at The University of Texas at Tyler, where he currently lives. He is pursuing a Bachelors of Music in Instrumental Music Education, he will graduate in May of 2022. Sam is currently researching Graduate schools for entry into a Masters of Music program, involving Musicology.
Dr. Joseph Proud is an active teacher and performer currently based in Moscow, ID. He has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States and Europe. As a member of the Proud Duo, Joseph has commissioned several works for saxophone and oboe, with the goal of expanding the repertoire for this unique instrumentation by drawing from each member's unique cultural background.
Joseph received his Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Alabama, his Master of Music from Columbus State University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Central Connecticut State University. He has maintained private studios in Connecticut and Idaho, and now serves as the Instructor of Instrumental Music at Lewis-Clark State College.
Dr. Brandon Quarles is currently the Lecturer of Saxophone and Allied Areas at the University of Georgia’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music where he teaches courses on entrepreneurship, improvisation, and non-classical music. Brandon previously taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Northwestern University.
Collaboration is at the heart of Brandon’s musical work. He has given over 50 world premieres of works for the saxophone, and has performed with groups such as Eighth Blackbird and My Brightest Diamond.
Brandon was a founding member of ~Nois, a Chicago-based saxophone quartet, serving as the ensemble’s Executive Director and soprano saxophonist from 2016 to 2021. With ~Nois, Brandon was awarded top prizes at prestigious chamber music competitions such as the Fischoff and M-Prize, and performed over 75 concerts in 20 states.
He holds degrees from Northwestern University (DMA and MM) and the University of Georgia (BM)
With an extremely diverse background in classical, jazz, and popular music; Dr. Sarah Roberts has performed with a gamut of ensembles ranging from her new music trio, Essimar; to sharing the stage with such musicians as The O’Jays, The Temptations, Martina McBride, Phil Woods, Tom Bones Malone, Wayne Bergeron, and Kirk Whalum; to performing with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and New World Symphony; and all points in between! In addition to her versatile performing life, Dr. Roberts is a highly sought-after pedagogue having been invited to teach, clinic, and adjudicate throughout the United States, Europe and China. Dr. Roberts is a Selmer Paris Artist and a Vandoren Artist-Clinician and is the Associate Professor of Music in saxophone and jazz studies at The University of Texas at Tyler. To find out more information about Dr. Roberts visit her website at www.sarahlynnroberts.com.
With an extremely diverse background in classical, jazz, and popular music; Dr. Sarah Roberts has performed with a gamut of ensembles ranging from her new music trio, Essimar; to sharing the stage with such musicians as The O’Jays, The Temptations, Martina McBride, Phil Woods, Tom Bones Malone, Wayne Bergeron, and Kirk Whalum; to performing with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and New World Symphony; and all points in between! In addition to her versatile performing life, Dr. Roberts is a highly sought-after pedagogue having been invited to teach, clinic, and adjudicate throughout the United States, Europe and China. Dr. Roberts is a Selmer Paris Artist and a Vandoren Artist-Clinician and is the Associate Professor of Music in saxophone and jazz studies at The University of Texas at Tyler. To find out more information about Dr. Roberts visit her website at www.sarahlynnroberts.com.
Matthew Robinson holds degrees from the University of Manitoba (B.Mus.) and the University of British Columbia (M.Mus.) in saxophone performance. His achievements include winning the 2015 UofM Concerto competition, the 2016 Adam N. Leckie Memorial Trophy, first place in winds at the 2018 Canadian Music Competition finals, and most recently first place in the American Protege International Concerto Competition. Matthew has performed in venues throughout Canada and as a soloist with both the University of Manitoba Wind Ensemble and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. In 2022 Matthew will make his debut performance in Carnegie Hall. Matthew is currently a performing member of the Winnipeg Wind Ensemble, The Exchange Quartet, and is a board member of Living Room Live.
A dynamic performer and educator, Dr. Brian Rodesch is an emerging voice in concert and jazz saxophone performance and pedagogy, appearing across North America. As an advocate for new music and a founding member of the Nexus Duo, Rodesch has emphasized commissioning and presenting works that focus on creating engaging musical experiences for young audiences.
Rodesch serves as Assistant Professor of Music at Simpson College, teaching saxophone and directing the jazz ensemble. He serves on faculty at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and has previously taught at: the University of Minnesota-Morris, MacPhail Center for Music, and served as a director with the Minnesota Youth Jazz Bands. He holds a Doctor of Arts degree in Saxophone Performance and Jazz Pedagogy from the University of Northern Colorado, and additional degrees from East Carolina University (M.M.), and the University of Minnesota (B.M.E). Rodesch is a Conn-Selmer and Dahlke Mouthpiece performing artist.
Bailey Ross is studying Music Education and Saxophone Performance, under Dr. Eric Troiano at the University of Arkansas, with an emphasis in Teaching Students with Special Needs. Ross has worked diligently to educate their community on inclusivity and effective allyship as Founder of Allies+ in Music- an organization dedicated to identifying barriers in music while creating safe environments for all musicians. In 2020, Bailey Ross was selected to participate in the Committee on the Status of Women 2020-2021 Mentorship Program. Ross collaborated with mentor Dr. Shawna Pennock on several projects, such as the podcast AIM for Equity, commissioning three pieces from three BIPOC/ LGBTQ+/ women musicians, hosting discussion panels and virtual premieres. Ross currently works as an aide for students that are visually impaired for the Razorback Marching Band and acts as the Music Department DEI Student Ambassador for the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.
Perry Roth is on faculty at Kent State University’s Hugh A. Glauser School of Music, The Hartt School Community Division, and is the saxophone teaching artist for the Yale Music in Schools Initiative. He holds the tenor saxophone chair in the Barkada Quartet, which he joined in the spring of 2017. As an avid performer, he has performed with the Baton Rouge Symphony, the Connecticut Valley Symphony, the Hartt Symphony, the JACK Quartet, the American Modern Ensemble, and the Hartford Independent Chamber Orchestra.
He earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in saxophone performance with a minor in music history from The Hartt School, University of Hartford. At Hartt, he was a graduate teaching fellow and recipient of the Regents’ Honor Award, the university’s most prestigious award for graduate students. He earned a Master of Music degree in saxophone performance from Louisiana State University, where he was the saxophone teaching assistant. Additionally, Dr. Roth earned a Bachelor of Music Education and a Performer’s Certificate from the University of South Carolina.
For more information please visit perryrothmusic.com
As one of America's leading concert saxophonists, John Sampen is particularly recognized as a distinguished artist in contemporary literature. He has commissioned over one hundred-twenty new works by composers such as Cage, Subotnick, Rands and Kernis and he has soloed with ensembles from all over the world. Sampen has recorded with Belgian and Swiss National Radio and is represented on the Orion, CRI, Albany, AMP and Capstone record labels. A clinician for the Conn-Selmer Company and the Légère Reed Company, he has presented masterclasses at important universities and conservatories throughout Europe, Asia, South America and North America. In addition to contemporary literature, Sampen performs traditional saxophone repertoire in recital with pianist/composer Marilyn Shrude. Dr. Sampen is currently a Distinguished Artist Professor at Bowling Green State University and is Past President of the North American Saxophone Alliance.
Saxophonist Gabriel Sanchez Porras was born and raised in Costa Rica. Currently he is a candidate for a D.M.A. in Saxophone Performance at the University of Iowa, and a Graduate Assistant of the Jazz Department.
Music has afforded him the opportunity to perform on stages in Argentina, Brazil, México, El Salvador, Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Cuba, France, Switzerland and the US. In festivals such as FNA Costa Rica, FIA Costa Rica, Cosquín Rock, Montreux Jazz Festival, North American Saxophone Conference, Sax Fest Costa Rica, ALASAX, Encuentro Universitario Internacional De Saxofón México, Festival de Música de Santa Catarina, and Oficina de Música de Curitiba.
Gabriel has performed and competed in a number of saxophone festivals in Latin America. In 2017 he was awarded the third prize of the ALASAX classical saxophone competition, in 2019 he obtanied the 2nd prize at the Concurso Panamericano de Saxofon Clásico Yucatán.
Gabriel Sanchez holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Saxophone Performance from the State Distance University of Costa Rica, and a Master of Music from Ball State University.
Henning Schröder has performed throughout Europe, Asia and North America, both as a soloist and in groups as diverse as the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Max Raabe & Palast Orchester. As baritone saxophonist of the Capitol Quartet and with his duo partner, pianist Yu-Lien The, Henning explores both the standard and contemporary repertoire of his instrument. A Yamaha Performing Artist, he has been featured in performances, lectures, clinics and as a composer at international conferences and festivals in Europe and the US. Henning holds degrees in saxophone performance and saxophone pedagogy from the University of Arts Berlin, Western Michigan University and the University of Illinois. He studied with Debra Richtmeyer, Johannes Ernst, Trent Kynaston and Chip McNeill. Henning teaches at Western Michigan University and spends his summers in North Carolina as a member of the Brevard Summer Music Festival Artist Faculty.
Henning Schröder has performed throughout Europe, Asia and North America, both as a soloist and in groups as diverse as the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Max Raabe & Palast Orchester. As baritone saxophonist of the Capitol Quartet and with his duo partner, pianist Yu-Lien The, Henning explores both the standard and contemporary repertoire of his instrument. A Yamaha Performing Artist, he has been featured in performances, lectures, clinics and as a composer at international conferences and festivals in Europe and the US. Henning holds degrees in saxophone performance and saxophone pedagogy from the University of Arts Berlin, Western Michigan University and the University of Illinois. He studied with Debra Richtmeyer, Johannes Ernst, Trent Kynaston and Chip McNeill. Henning teaches at Western Michigan University and spends his summers in North Carolina as a member of the Brevard Summer Music Festival Artist Faculty.
An award winning and five-time Grammy® considered saxophonist, Richard Andrew Schwartz has commissioned and/or premiered nearly thirty new works for saxophone, performed for regional, national and international events in North and South America and Europe and is the grand prize winner of the 1st International Henri Mancini Institute Concerto Competition and recipient of the 2010 Southeastern Louisiana University President's Award for Excellence in Artistic Activity and 2018 Eastern New Mexico University Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching. Schwartz’s most recent album Song for My Mother, distributed through SONY, features jazz titan Ellis Marsalis and nine original compositions and has received four out of five stars in Jazzwise magazine. Past president of the New Mexico Jazz Educators, Dr. Schwartz is associate professor of saxophone and jazz studies at Eastern New Mexico University and has served on the faculties of Boston University, Brandies University and Southeastern Louisiana University (2011-2013 Faculty Senate President).
Caleb Shannon is a saxophonist based in Lansing, Michigan. He has placed in numerous competitions, including third place in the 2016 Music Teacher’s National Association Woodwind Young Artist Competition and Winner of the 2016 Naftzger Young Artist Competition in the woodwinds division. He was also the unanimous winner of the 2019 Richard Kichu & Joan Sojeon Moon Scholarship by the Michigan State University Council of Korean Studies for the promotion of Korean culture at MSU. An advocate of contemporary music, his most recent projects have been the promotion and commissioning of new saxophone music by Asian composers, having recently premiered works by composers from China, South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore. At MSU, Caleb works for the College of Music as a piano technology and facilities assistant and is also on faculty at the MSU Community Music School. In addition, Caleb serves in both the English and Korean Ministry of the East Lansing Korean New Hope Baptist Church. He has given performances at the Composition in Asia Conference, North American Saxophone Alliance Regional and National conferences, the United States Navy Band Saxophone Symposium, and the 2012 World Saxophone Congress in St. Andrews, Scotland. A native of rural Bowling Green, Missouri, Caleb received a Bachelors of Music-Performance degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia, a Masters of Music-Performance and Pedagogy from Oklahoma State University, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from Michigan State University. His teachers include Professor Leo Saguiguit, Dr. Jeffrey Loeffert, and Professor Joseph Lulloff.
Vanessa Sielert is Director of the Lionel Hampton School of Music and Educational Advisor for the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival. She has also served as professor of saxophone at the Lionel Hampton School of Music and on the faculties of Pacific Lutheran University, Seattle Pacific University and Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Sielert received a Bachelor of Music in music education and performance from the University of Idaho, a Master of Music in saxophone performance from Baylor University and a Doctor of Musical Arts in saxophone performance and pedagogy from the University of Illinois. She has studied saxophone with Robert Miller, Michael Jacobson and Debra Richtmeyer.
Sielert has been featured on numerous jazz and classical recordings and most recently released a duo album with pianist Catherine Anderson entitled Duality in November of 2020. Sielert is a Selmer Performing Artist and Clinician.
Richard D. Smiley is an Adjunct Instructor of Music at Tarrant County College where he teaches saxophone, clarinet and music history classes of both classical and jazz traditions. Mr. Smiley has earned a B.M.E. degree from Cumberland College, an M.M. in Saxophone Performance from Illinois State University and has worked towards the D.M.A. in Saxophone Performance at The University of North Texas. He has studied saxophone with Ed Bingham, Eric Nestler, Jim Riggs and Eugene Rousseau.
Mr. Smiley is an active performer in both classical and jazz idioms. Recent performances include premieres of Process 63 and The Sonata of the Three Tomorrows by Eliza Williams, a performance of Die Müde in a concert featuring the works of Joseph Klein, Tweets from Texas by Mark Roberson, and performances with the Tarrant County College Faculty Jazz Combo.
Om Srivastava is the Adjunct Instructor of Saxophone at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and Xavier University. As a chamber musician, Srivastava was named finalist in the Coleman Chamber Competition (2013) and semi-finalist in the NASA Competition (2016). In 2017 he released his solo debut Antara on Teal Creek Records. In 2015, Srivastava was awarded an IndianRaga Fellowship for world music and in 2017 was named a Fellow at the New Music Sessions in Cortona, Italy.
Notable collaborations include performing alongside renowned world guitarist Fareed Haque at the Lincoln Center, and the RagaTone Ensemble at The Public Theatre in New York City. Srivastava’s most recent recording is 7th Life (2018), recorded with tabla virtuoso Jim Feist available on 12” vinyl. Srivastava holds a DMA in saxophone performance from CCM. His primary instructors are James Bunte, Nathan Nabb and George Wolfe.
Originally from the Washington, D.C. area, saxophonist David Stambler has performed numerous recitals, appearances as a symphonic soloist, and “on-call” engagements with many orchestras including the Baltimore Symphony, the Annapolis Symphony, the Bay Atlantic Symphony, the Richmond Symphony, the National Gallery Orchestra, the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, and dozens more with the Capitol Quartet. He has recorded with Baltimore Symphony, the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Capitol Quartet, and has played clarinet and saxophone on dozens of nationally broadcast radio and television commercials and soundtracks in the U.S.
Stambler received his Bachelor of Music degree in saxophone from The University of Michigan, where he was a student of Donald Sinta. He holds the Master of Music degree from the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, and the Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Maryland. He is currently Professor of Saxophone at Penn State University, and tweor saxophonist of the Capitol Quartet.
Saxophonist and conductor Andrew R. Steinberg has been recognized for his “beautiful tone” (composer Hans Kox) and his “astute and refined leadership” (Boston Musical Intelligencer) throughout North America, Asia, and Europe. As an Alice M. Ditson Fund and Aaron Copland Fund for Music grantee, Steinberg has commissioned over a dozen works for saxophone and has premiered countless more for the instrument.
Since receiving his doctorate from New England Conservatory, Steinberg has presented lectures and master classes at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Georgia State University, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Boston University, the International Conference on Saxophone Pedagogy and Performance, the North American Saxophone Alliance’s 2020 Biennial Conference, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Andrew R. Steinberg serves as faculty at Palomar College, Coronado School of the Arts, and Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts and is the Music Director of the Megalopolis Saxophone Orchestra.
Woodwind Specialist Clay Steiner is dedicated to exploring the endless possibilities of music in today’s society. Clay is an advocate for a diverse musical scene extending into classical, jazz, contemporary, and pop genres, always searching for ways to push the boundaries.
Clay is a frequent on-call woodwind specialist having performed with the Milwaukee Jazz Orchestra, Sheboygan Symphony, Present Music, West Allis Players, and has enjoyed numerous performances with chamber ensembles. As a performer of new music, Clay actively works with a variety of area composers and has had the pleasure of commissioning national and international composers. In addition to his dedication to performance, Clay is an enthusiastic music educator.
Clay Steiner is pursuing a Master of Music degree in Multiple Woodwind Performance at Oklahoma City University and has a BFA in Multiple Woodwind Performance, and a minor in Business at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.
Originally from Raleigh, NC, Ben Still is an active solo and chamber musician throughout the United States. Currently, he is Visiting Assistant Professor of Music at Lenoir-Rhyne University and Instructor of Saxophone at UNC Charlotte, where he teaches applied saxophone chamber music, and courses in music theory and ear training. Ben has been a prizewinner in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, The American Prize Competition, and ENKOR Competition. Additionally, he has presented clinics and performances at the International Saxophone Symposium, Texas Music Educators Association and North American Saxophone Alliance annual conferences. Ben earned his Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from Texas Tech University and a Bachelor of Music with honors from UNC Charlotte. His primary teachers include David Dees, Stephen Jones, Will Campbell, and Wayne Leechford. Ben is a Conn-Selmer Artist/Clinician and performs on Selmer Paris saxophones exclusively.
Fifth Space is a saxophone quintet with flexible instrumentation formed by current UMKC Conservatory students. Its members include Hannah Hickman, Kyle Jones, Kate Kalina, Jonathon Nickell, and Noah Stoker. Fifth Space is dedicated to collaborating with composers and championing new works for saxophone chamber ensemble arrangements. The quintet is currently commissioning several new works by composers in Kansas City. The group is also passionate about educational work and community outreach, with members holding university teaching positions and managing successful private studios.
Matthew Storie is a jazz and classical saxophonist, teacher, and bandleader residing in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he received a MM in Jazz Performance. Before moving to Illinois, he attended Furman University where he received a degree in Saxophone Performance. He is currently completing his DMA in Jazz Performance at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he holds a teaching assistantship working with both the jazz and classical saxophone studios teaching lessons and conducting ensembles. Matthew has had the opportunity to perform with jazz legends including the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Brad Dutz, Jiggs Whigham, and Bob Moses. Matthew is the bandleader of Simply This Quintet, a two-tenor jazz quintet that performs all original music. They recently released their second album, Stepping Up on October 1st thanks to funding he received as the recipient of the Presser Graduate Award.
Australian saxophonist Yo-yo Su has been active on the international music scene for the past decade as both a soloist and a chamber musician. Alumni of CRR Montpellier, CRR Versailles, the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, and the Netherlands String Quartet Academy, Yo-yo is a DMA candidate (ABD) at the University of Iowa supported by the Iowa Performance Fellowship ands serves as the Teaching Assistant to Dr. Kenneth Tse.
Yo-yo has been a laureate of numerous national and international competitions, notably the 3MBS young performer of the year award, finalist of the Australian Young Performers Awards, Dutch Classical Talent Award, Boris Papandopulo music competition and was a semi-finalist of the International Adolphe Sax competition in Dinant, Belgium, the International Jean-Marie Londeix Saxophone Competition and the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition.
Taimur Sullivan is Professor of Saxophone at Northwestern University, and a member of the acclaimed PRISM Quartet for 28 years. His performances have taken him from the stages of Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Knitting Factory, to engagements in Russia, China, England, Germany, Croatia, and throughout Latin America. He has garnered critical praise as "outstanding...his melodies phrased as if this were an old and cherished classic, his virtuosity supreme" (New York Times), and as a player of "dazzling proficiency" (American Record Guide). Mr. Sullivan has dedicated much of his career to commissioning new repertoire for the saxophone, and has given the world premieres of over 250 solo and chamber works. Mr. Sullivan has performed with orchestras nationwide, including the Cleveland Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and has conducted residencies at leading conservatories throughout the United States including Curtis Institute and Princeton, Rice and Brandeis.
The Northwestern University Saxophone Ensemble (Taimur Sullivan, director) is dedicated to supporting and expanding recently-written repertoire and contemporary transcriptions for the medium of the saxophone ensemble.
Saxophonist Nicholas Suosso (he/him) enjoys a career as a performer, educator, and administrator in the Arkansas River Valley. A dedicated performer, Nick has presented solo and chamber recitals at regional NASA Festivals, SPLICE Festival IV, the Mostly Modern Festival, Penn State Single Reed Summit, Music by Women Festival at the Mississippi University for Women, and the New England Saxophone Festival. An advocate for new music, Mr. Suosso has premiered works by Guggenheim Fellow Felipe Salles and Christine Delphine Hedden and been a commissioning member of works by Shelley Washington, Andrew Noseworthy, and Gillian Rae Perry. He currently works as an administrator at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith's Department of Music and Theatre. His mentors include Jonathan Hulting-Cohen and Nathan Jorgensen.
Dr. Keith Talley is currently Professor of Music at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, MO and former Chair of the Music Department. He joined the faculty in 2016. Previously, he served as the Ed and Winnie Ola Berrong Endowed Chair of the Department of Music at Southwestern Oklahoma State University and was on the faculty for 10 years.
Dr. Talley received his Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in Saxophone Performance from Michigan State University. He holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Missouri – Kansas City Conservatory of Music and also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education. He has recently appeared with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic Orchestra and has performed and presented at regional and international saxophone and percussion conferences as a soloist, lecturer, and as a member of a chamber ensemble.
Rhonda Taylor is a saxophonist dedicated to the creation of meaningful sonic art. Early in her career, she was focused on generating new music for the saxophone through the process of collaborating with unique modern composers. Over the last decade, she has chosen to develop her own creative voice through the art of free improvisation. Although she often performs solo, Taylor has also had the pleasure of improvising/recording with such diverse artists as Jaap Blonk, Kyle Motl, Chris Icasiano, Tara Khozein, Tatsuya Nakatani, Ron Stabinsky, Assif Tsahar, Mark Weaver, and Neil Welch. Her solo albums are available on Bandcamp and most other online music distributors. Dr. Taylor has served on faculty at New Mexico State University since 2003, where she is the College Associate Professor of Saxophone and Music Theory. Rhonda Taylor is a Conn-Selmer artist and plays on Selmer Paris saxophones exclusively.
Described as “spirited and intellectual,” saxophonist Cecily Terhune enjoys a rewarding freelancing and teaching career based in Indianapolis, Indiana. She concertizes regularly as a proud member of Audiodacity, the Sean Imboden Large Ensemble, and the Terhune/Hood Duo among other groups. When she’s not on stage, Terhune coaches talented student musicians at Carmel and Noblesville High Schools along with her private studio.
Notable performances include a solo recital at Mukogawa Women's University in Osaka, Japan, two solo performances at the Chautauqua Institution in New York, and solo performances with the Ball State Symphony Orchestra and the Kokomo Park Band. Terhune completed her Master’s degree in music performance from the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati after previously completing both a Bachelor’s degree and an Artist Diploma in music performance from Ball State University.
Saxophonist Jack Thorpe currently serves as the saxophone studio teaching assistant at the University of Illinois where he is pursuing a DMA in saxophone performance and literature. Thorpe holds a B.M. in saxophone performance from Georgia State University where he was the recipient of the Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award and an M.M. in saxophone performance from Stephen F. Austin State University where he was the saxophone studio teaching assistant. As a soloist and chamber musician he has performed throughout the United States and Japan and has been featured as a concerto soloist with the Georgia State University Symphonic Wind Ensemble and the Stephen F. Austin State University Symphonic Orchestra. As the alto player in the Versa Quartet, he won first place in the 2020 North American Saxophone Alliance’s Quartet Competition. Thorpe’s main teachers include Jan Berry Baker, Nathan Nabb, and Debra Richtmeyer with additional study under Frederick L. Hemke
Maria is an Spanish saxophonist that is currently pursuing a Master of Music in saxophone performance at the University of Michigan where she studies with Timothy McAllister. She received her Bachelor of Music in saxophone performance in 2020 from the Fundación Conservatorio Superior del Liceo (Barcelona, Spain) where she studied with Albert Julià. She is a three-time winner of the prestigious Ferrer-Salat Foundation’s Young Promises and Excellence scholarships.
She has won several individual prizes: 1st Prize of the Concorso Internazionale de Filadelfia (Italy); 1st Prize of the Concours de Saxophone Parisien (France); 2nd Prize of the Festival Internacional de Saxofones de Palmela (Portugal); finalist of the Concurso de Juventudes Musicales de España (Spain); and the Hans-Schaeuble Award of the Arosa Music Academy (Switzerland).
She has collaborated with New World Symphony Orchestra, the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra and the European Union Young Woodwind Orchestra.
Matthew Tracy is a dynamic performer and teacher, who has received acclaim for his innovative interpretations and pedagogy. His playing has been praised in reviews as “compelling and cohesive” and with a sound that is “reliably beautiful.”
An accomplished chamber musician, Tracy has won awards in the Fischoff, Plowman, Coleman, MTNA and North American Saxophone Alliance chamber music competitions, and has performed as a concerto soloist with university and high school ensembles in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Michigan.
Tracy received MM and DMA degrees in Saxophone Performance from Michigan State University, studying under Joseph Lulloff, and a Bachelor of Music degree from Central Michigan University studying with John Nichol.
He is Associate Professor of Saxophone and Music Theory at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, where he leads a thriving saxophone studio, and teaches courses in Music Theory, Chamber Music, and 20th Century Music.
Hong Kong-born Kenneth Tse is widely recognized as one of the world's leading classical saxophonists. He has performed as a soloist on five continents. He has also been invited as a guest clinician at major music conferences and conservatories around the world. He served recently as a jury member at the prestigious 6th Adolphe Sax International Saxophone Competition. Tse has recorded 23 CDs on Crystal records, Jeanne records, MSR classics, RIAX Records, Enharmonic Records, et. al.. An advocate for new music, he has premiered and recorded over thirty works dedicated to him by many noted composers. As Professor of Saxophone at The University of Iowa, his students have garnered high recognition through teaching positions, competitions and recordings as well as concert appearances throughout the world. He is the first saxophonist ever to have been elected the presidency in both North American Saxophone Alliance and the International Saxophone Committee concurrently.
Brian Utley is Senior Lecturer in Saxophone and Chamber Music coordinator at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music.
He received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in saxophone performance, with a minor in music theory, from Louisiana State University. He also holds the M.M. from L.S.U. and the B.M. from Murray State University, and his primary saxophone teachers include Griffin Campbell and Scott Erickson. Utley is an endorsing artist for Légère Signature Series Reeds.
Paula Van Goes is "a virtuoso saxophonist that possesses excellent technical attributes and a deep understanding of the music [she] performs" (Ovación). Based in Atlanta, Georgia she enjoys a career as a chamber musician, soloist and educator. In her previous appointment as Interim Professor of Saxophone at Universidade de Brasília Dr. Van Goes was the first American to teach saxophone within the federal university system in Brazil.
In recent performances, Paula has shared the stage with Branford Marsalis and the Orquestra Sinfônica do Teatro Nacional Claudio Santoro in Brasília and presented at the 2018 World Saxophone Congress in Zagreb, Croatia. As a Selmer-Paris Artist and Clinician she has toured and lectured throughout Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Canada, China, Croatia, France, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Scotland, Ukraine and the United States.
Texas-based, Australian Classical Saxophonist, education specialist, coach, business owner and creative thinker, Jess Voigt Page is known for her truly unique perspective and ability to solve problems across industries. Versatile and dedicated to everyone she works with, Jess Voigt Page is an empathetic leader, communicator and team member, set on helping others achieve their goals.
As a saxophonist and educator, Jess has served on faculty at Baylor University, The University of Texas at Austin, Concordia University of Texas, and has maintained a private saxophone studio (most recently, Saxophone Academy Austin) for over 15 years. In addition to saxophone, Jess focusses on enabling young musicians to achieve their own versions of success through music business, entrepreneurship and professional development coaching.
Jess is a Yamaha Performing Artist, D’Addario Woodind Artist, Beaumont Music Artist, and Key Leaves Artist, and is currently serving as President of the North American Saxophone Alliance.
Dylan Ward is a saxophonist who specializes in contemporary and improvised music. He has appeared as a soloist with the North Carolina Symphony, Georgia Philharmonic, and Raleigh Symphony, and as a chamber musician in venues including Lincoln Center, Constellation Chicago, and Mesa Arts Center. His creative work explores ideas of existential intelligence across natural, human, digital, and historical consciousnesses and the novel ways in which they coalesce.
Dr. Andy Wen is a retired music professor and is currently teaching privately in San Antonio. He has performed in twenty-five states and twelve countries including concertos with bands and orchestras, solo recitals, and chamber concerts. Andy presented the first saxophone recital in the National Concert Hall in Taipei, Taiwan; was the 1990 MTNA National Collegiate Artist Competition winner; been published multiple times in the Saxophone Symposium; was a featured Guest Artist in the Saxophone Journal; was a finalist for the Alpha Chi “Teacher of the Year Award”; and was a two-term Treasurer of NASA. He previously taught at Del Mar College where he was Chair; Millersville University; and the Universities of Arkansas Little Rock and Monticello. Several of his students are currently teaching K-12 and at universities. Andy received degrees studying with Londeix, Rousseau, Fischer, and Reilly and is a Conn-Selmer Clinician.
Saxophonist Drew Whiting has established himself as a champion of new and experimental music, specializing in performing works of the 20th and 21st centuries in solo, chamber, and electroacoustic settings. Drew is described as having “superb musicianship” (The Saxophonist), “remarkable versatility” (Computer Music Journal), and is a “superb advocate of the music he champions” (Fanfare Magazine).
His debut solo album, In Lights Starkly Different, is available on Innova Recordings has been met with acclaim. Critics have said, “What perhaps most recommends In Lights Starkly Different—aside from the pleasures afforded by Whiting’s prowess on soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxes—is its variety” (Textura), and “This is contemporary music at its best” (The Whole Note). Drew can also be heard on the NAXOS, Petrichor, and Centaur labels.
Dr. Whiting serves as Associate Professor of Music at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. Drew is a proud Yamaha Performing Artist and Vandoren Artist-Clinician
As a recipient of various scholarships and prizes from international competitions, Calvin Wong holds graduate and undergraduate music performance degrees from some of the most acclaimed institutes, under the tutelage of Stephen Page at The University of Texas at Austin, Otis Murphy at Indiana University, and Kenneth Tse at University of Iowa. Calvin has recorded and performed frequently with MODUS, Hong Kong Wind Philharmonia, and Opus a la Carte Collectives. He is the Gold Medalist of the 4th Manhattan International Music Competition, and First Prize winner of the VIII Stockholm International Music Competition. Despite being an emerging saxophone artist and pedagogue on international stages and institutions, Calvin promotes the upbringing of young saxophonists and composers. He is currently the graduate teaching assistant at Arizona State University while pursuing his doctorate degree with Christopher Creviston. For more information, please visit www.calvin-wong.com.
Dr. Andy Wright serves as Program Director at Grayson College in Denison, TX.
As a saxophonist based out in North Texas, Dr. Wright has been guest soloist with the Lone Star Wind Orchestra and the University of North Texas Symphonic Band. and appeared the Dallas Winds, the Lone Star Wind Orchestra, the Plano Symphony Orchestra, Odysseus Chamber Orchestra and the Les Elgart Orchestra. He can be heard as a featured soloist on multiple recordings from the North Texas Wind Symphony including: Canvases, Composer’s Collection: George Gershwin, Reconstructions and Conclave as well as The Avenging Spirit by the SAGA Quartet
Dr. Wright received his doctorate degree and master of music in jazz studies from the University of North Texas along with a Bachelors in music education from the University of Central Arkansas.
Andy Wright is a Yamaha Performing Artist and Vandoren Artists-Clinician and performs on Yamaha instruments and Vandoren mouthpieces and reeds exclusively.
Award-winning concert saxophonist and pedagogue Matthew Younglove has performed concerts and recitals across the United States, France, Croatia, and the UK. He currently serves on the faculty of Tennessee Technological University as Assistant Professor of Saxophone and as Membership Director for the North American Saxophone Alliance. His playing has been hailed by critics as “a visceral and arresting experience” (icareifyoulisten.org) and “presenting the vocal quality of the saxophone in the best possible light” (thesaxophonist.org). The Oberlin Review writes: “Talented performers like Younglove are able to perform so mesmerizingly that even proponents of more traditional music couldn’t fail to be sucked in.”
As a member of the award-winning Assembly Quartet he frequently tours the US and abroad performing concerts and engaging in educational outreach performances. Matthew Younglove is a Conn-Selmer Artist Clinician, playing Selmer (Paris) saxophones exclusively, and a Vandoren Artist-Clinician, performing on Vandoren reeds, mouthpieces, and ligatures. He can be heard on the AMP label.
Whether as an award-winning saxophonist or collaborating with large ensembles, Kristen Zelenak is an active soloist, chamber musician, educator, and conductor from New Baltimore, Michigan.
As a soloist, she has given multiple guest artist recitals and masterclasses across the country. She regularly performs with her saxophone/piano duo, ZelenArch. A strong advocate for chamber music, her groups Seyon and Lotus have been nationally recognized in multiple competitions.
Zelenak is simultaneously pursuing her Doctorate of Musical Arts (Saxophone) and a Master’s in Music (Wind Band Conducting) from Arizona State University. She studies conducting with Jason Caslor and serves as a graduate assistant with the ASU Wind and Athletic Bands.
She received her MM in Performance from Michigan State University and her BME at Central Michigan University. Her teachers include Christopher Creviston, Joseph Lulloff, and John Nichol. Prior to ASU, she was the Assistant Band Director at Mance Park Middle School in Huntsville, TX
As a saxophonist, Cehuai Zhang having performed in a variety of national and international conferences including performing as soloist at the North America Saxophone Alliance Biennial conference held in Tempe, Arizona, and the 2nd Asia Saxophone Congress held in Shanghai, China. In addition to performing at these prestigious events, he participated in several master classes offered by world-renowned saxophonists and pedagogues including Eugene Rousseau, Debra Richmeyer, Arno Bornkamp, Claude Delangle, and Kenneth Tse.
In addition to solo performances, he has experience performing with a variety of large and small ensembles. At the University of North Texas, he was the saxophonist of the Symphonic Band and the Wind Symphony under the direction of Daniel Cook and Eugene Corporon. He also performed as the soprano saxophonist and alto saxophonist in several saxophone quartets.
Jichen Zhang is currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Iowa, major in classical saxophone performance. He finished his master’s degree at Truman State University where he was a member of Graduate Teaching/Research Assistantship. Zhang graduated from Yantai University where he received his bachelor ‘s degree. Zhang is the soprano player and founding member of the Paean Saxophone Quartet which received tremendous success performing in Shandong Provincial Capital Grand Theatre, China. He is also Bastet Saxophone Artist in China and an overseas reporter for the SaxChina publication. In 2018, He won the Gold Medal Concerto Competition at Truman State University. On World Animal Day (Oct 4th, 2018), Zhang released his first saxophone album which is dedicated and benefited to stray animal care. On April 6, 2019, he won first place in the 16th Southern Illinois Young Artist Competition. His teachers are Dr. Kenneth Tse, Dr. Xin Gao, and Mr. Yingzhi Pei.
Dr. Thomas Zinninger is currently the Assistant Professor of Saxophone and Jazz at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Equally comfortable in a number of musical styles, Zinninger's performance credits include the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, the Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra, the Blue Wisp Big Band, and the Cincinnati Contemporary Jazz Orchestra. As a soloist, he has premiered new arrangements for the saxophone at both the World Saxophone Congress and North American Saxophone Alliance National Conferences. As a saxophone scholar and pedagogue, he has presented numerous clinics across the country and is a published author in the Saxophone Symposium. In addition to TAMUK, Zinninger has also held faculty positions at Wittenberg University and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). Zinninger received a Bachelors in Music Education from the University of Louisville, and a Masters of Music in Jazz Studies and Doctorate of Musical Arts in Saxophone Performance from CCM.
Praised as “stunningly virtuosic, whatever the genre.” (Wall Street Journal), Dr. Nick Zoulek is a saxophonist and composer of “pure mindfulness and talent.” (PopMatters). A “No-holds-barred engine of avant-garde exploration,” Nick explores new possibilities in saxophone performance, creating visceral tapestries of sound. A concert soloist, he has performed across France, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. His upcoming project, Enter Branch, will feature collaborations with members of Bon Iver, Eighth Blackbird, spoken-word artist J. Ivy, Field Report, ~Nois, and many more. Nick actively researches the saxophone’s role in classical music, and holds degrees from BGSU, the Conservatoire de Boulogne, and UW-Whitewater. Nick’s music can be heard on his solo album Rushing Past Willow (Innova Records). For more information, visit www.nickzoulek.com
Youngblood-Allen-Nydegger Trio
Mr. Roy Allen, Jr. - See bio.
Dr. Pam Youngblood , Director of TWU School of Arts & Design and Professor of Musics, teaches graduate and undergraduate flute students, flute pedagogy, flute choir, and a course on women in music.
Mr. Jacob Nydegger, a San Antonio native and TWU collaborative staff pianist, studied with Blanca Rodriguez--winning 1st prize at the 17th annual Petroff Piano Competition. Since then, he has studied under Seth Carlin at Washington University in St. Louis and he currently studies with Joseph Banowetz at the University of North Texas where he has received the Larry Walz Piano Scholarship and the Outstanding Undergraduate in Piano Performance award. In 2016, Jacob was named a finalist for The American Prize in Solo Piano Performance. He was also selected as winner of the 2017 Colorado College Summer Music Festival Concerto Competition-- performing the Grieg Piano Concerto with the Festival Orchestra.
Madera Winds is a woodwind duo made up of members Alexandra Aguirre and Nathaniel Berman. They have been featured guest artists in Europe and South America, and frequently perform works they have commissioned. Passionate about diversifying the classical music world, their current projects focus largely on commissioning and highlighting works by composers from underrepresented communities. They were featured as guest artists at the Oklahoma State University Saxophone Summit and at the 17th World Saxophone Congress and Festival in Strasburg, France. They have also performed at the North American Saxophone Alliance National and Regional Conferences in Texas, Oklahoma, Nevada, Georgia, South Carolina, and New Mexico. Both are on faculty at East Central University, Ada, Oklahoma, and hold doctorates from the University of Northern Colorado.
Michael Seregow enjoys a multifaceted career as a performer, teacher, and recording artist. Currently a member of the piano faculty at Ball State University, he has also served on the keyboard faculties at Washington State University, University of Puget Sound, and University of Oregon. Winner of The American Prize in chamber music performance, a national competition in the performing arts, Dr. Seregow maintains an active performance career, performing a diverse selection of repertoire spanning from the late renaissance through works by composers of today. A musician of uncommon versatility, he has also received formal training in a variety of keyboard instruments other than piano including harpsichord, fortepiano, and organ, in addition to studies in jazz piano, basso continuo, historical performance practice, and composition.
Duo Charbonneau was formed in 2012 with their first performance being the concurrent world premiere of Ida Gotkovsky’s Incandescence pour Saxophone Ténor et Piano. Subsequent performances of this work throughout France and Germany solidified the duo’s collaboration. The duo takes pride in working closely with upcoming and established composers on new works for saxophone and piano. These interactions have led to new works by composers such as Kevin Timothy Austin, Gil Dori, Michael Markowski, and Roger Przytulski. Most recent performances include the concurrent world premiere of Mischa Zupko’s From the Skyline for Tenor Saxophone and Piano at the 2020 International Navy Band Symposium and 2020 NASA Biennial Conference. Duo Charbonneau last presented works for tenor saxophone and piano, opening the final evening concert of the NASA Region II Virtual Conference hosted by the University of New Mexico.
Combining innovative repertoire with virtuosic playing and an energetic, engaging stage presence, Capitol Quartet brings a unique brand of entertainment to the concert stage. Since its formation in 1991, the Capitol Quartet has performed regularly at major concert venues throughout the United States, earning wide acclaim for the ensemble's musical versatility and innovative style. Dedicated to advancing music education, the Capitol Quartet regularly performs and lectures at National and State Music Educators conferences. The Capitol Quartet has been featured with the Cincinnati Pops, Indianapolis Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Baltimore Symphony, National Arts Centre Orchestra (Ottawa, Canada), Windsor (Ontario) Symphony, the San Antonio Symphony, Long Beach Symphony, Virginia Symphony, Springfield (MO) Symphony, Roanoke Symphony, Imperial Symphony (Fl), Bay-Atlantic Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, the U.S. Air Force Heritage of America Band, the U.S. Continental Army Band and many other symphonies across the country.
The Arizona State University Saxophone Ensembles under the direction of Christopher Creviston have premiered compositions by Stacy Garrop, Marc Mellits, Gregory Wanamaker, Derek Brown and Kotoka Suzuki, to name a few. The ensembles have garnered international recognition through competitions, including MTNA and Fischoff.
The TTU Saxophone Ensemble is comprised of undergraduate and graduate saxophone majors in the TTU School of Music. The ensemble has performed at many North American Saxophone Alliance Regional and Biennial Conferences, and at the 2021 World Saxophone Congress held in St Andrews, Scotland. The ensemble has performed student arrangements of music by Stravinsky, Bartok, Ligeti, Copland, Gesualdo and others, and actively commissions and performs new works. The ensemble is under the direction of Prof. David Dees.
The University of Southern Mississippi Sax Chamber Orchestra (SCO) has a long tradition of excellence in the performance and celebration of music for Sax ensemble. Founded in 1984 by Dr. Lawrence Gwozdz, SCO offers students the unique opportunity to work at a high level with like-minded colleagues towards a common goal; the betterment and furthering of the saxophone. Under the direction of Dr. Dannel Espinoza, SCO looks towards presenting unique and diverse programs that feature student arrangements and exciting collaborations with living composers.
The Assembly Saxophone Quartet (ASQ) is a professional chamber music ensemble whose mission is to promote music education and expand the accessibility of music for all people. Formed in 2003 by graduate students at the University of South Carolina, the Quartet’s principal objective was, and remains, to engage with audiences in public schools and communities, working with students and audiences that often have limited experience with chamber music or with the music of our time. Committed to furthering the saxophone quartet repertoire, this ensemble has commissioned and premiered works by David Maslanka, Marc Mellits, Marilyn Shrude, Bill Ryan, Carlos Simon, Simon Fink, Benjamin Taylor, Mischa Zupko, Frank Wiley, Girard Kratz, John Mackey, and Avner Dorman. The Assembly Quartet is a versatile ensemble, comfortable performing a wide variety of styles from orchestral pops to virtuosic avant-garde.
http://www.assemblyquartet.com
Formed in 2010 by graduates of the Eastman School of Music, Project Fusion captured the Gold Medal at the 40th Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and First Prize at the Music Teachers National Association Chamber Music Competition, and was the first saxophone quartet to win the Grand Prize, as well as the Audience Choice Award, at the 6th Plowman International Chamber Music Competition. Comprised of passionate teachers, Project Fusion is dedicated to public arts outreach, and has presented convocations, clinics, and workshops in numerous schools, as well as recitals, residencies, and masterclasses at colleges and universities throughout the Midwest and the East Coast. The ensemble has recently appeared at the Kingston Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music Yellow Springs, and the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival.
Formed by American saxophonists Noa Even and Phil Pierick in 2010, Ogni Suono is committed to expanding and promoting repertoire for saxophone duo by commissioning and performing new works. The duo values the longevity and repeated attention to new works over the novelty and revolving door of mass commissioning. Supported by a grant from New Music USA, Noa and Phil launched SaxoVoce in 2015, commissioning works that explore the wide-ranging musical, dramatic, and theatrical possibilities inherent in the synthesis of saxophone and voice. Many of these works can be found on the duo's 2018 album, SaxoVoce, on New Focus Recordings. The duo’s international performances include a 2019 tour through China and Taiwan, the inaugural Singapore Saxophone Symposium, Romanian-American Musical Days Festival in Sibiu (Romania), Berlin University of the Arts, Felicja Blumental Music Center in Tel Aviv, and Night of the Museums Festival in Budapest.
Duo Iris (Mariah Goulet and Hannah Hickman) is a saxophone duo based in Kansas City. Formed in 2020, Duo Iris is passionate about commissioning new works for saxophone duo and highlighting women+ in music. Since forming, Mariah and Hannah have supported consortiums and have commissioned two new works by composers Lucy Shirley and Yunfei Li. Most recently, Duo Iris has performed as a part of Kansas City based contemporary chamber ensemble, newEar.
Founded in 2020 by graduate students at Stephen F. Austin State University, the Sharp2Science 4TET is dedicated to the expansion of the saxophone quartet repertoire through commissions of new works as well as original arrangements. They have premiered works by Beverly Beegle, Garrett Fuller, Adam Har-Zvi, and Quinn Mason; they will also premiere works by Emily Liushen and Ben Nylander in 2022. Sharp2Science has performed live concerts in Texas and Maine; they have also given several virtual performances, including at the 2021 NASA Region 4 Conference.
In June 2021, Sharp2Science attended the Frederick L. Hemke Saxophone Institute, where they studied with Susan Fancher, Gail Levinsky, Nathan Nabb, Debra Richtmeyer, and John Sampen. Members of Sharp2Science have presented at NASA Conferences and the US Navy Band Saxophone Symposium, performed with local orchestras, won concerto competitions, and earned competitive honors in the MTNA, NASA, and WDAV Young Chamber Musicians competitions.
The BS Project is a Twin Cities based duo comprised of saxophonist Brian Handeland, and oboist and founder Susan Miranda. The ensemble was created out of an interest in expanding the limited repertoire written for oboe and saxophone. In 2019, BS Project held a call for scores and received over 80 works for the instrument pairing, the majority of which had never been performed. In 2021, the duo presented a multi-site Art Park "Mini Concert Series," meeting audiences where they live, and premiering a number of new compositions for oboe, saxophone, and all of their instruments’ variations. The BS Project has taught and performed at a number of K-12 schools and universities, including a multi-day residency at Murray State University in March 2022, and they are currently recording an album of color-inspired works with recording artist Kevin Bowe in Minneapolis, MN. Please visit https://susanmiranda.com/bsproject for more information.
The Assembly Saxophone Quartet (ASQ) is a professional chamber music ensemble whose mission is to promote music education and expand the accessibility of music for all people. Formed in 2003 by graduate students at the University of South Carolina, the Quartet’s principal objective was, and remains, to engage with audiences in public schools and communities, working with students and audiences that often have limited experience with chamber music or with the music of our time. Committed to furthering the saxophone quartet repertoire, this ensemble has commissioned and premiered works by David Maslanka, Marc Mellits, Marilyn Shrude, Bill Ryan, Carlos Simon, Simon Fink, Benjamin Taylor, Mischa Zupko, Frank Wiley, Girard Kratz, John Mackey, and Avner Dorman. The Assembly Quartet is a versatile ensemble, comfortable performing a wide variety of styles from orchestral pops to virtuosic avant-garde.
Jeffrey Heisler, soprano saxophone
Ian Jeffress, alto saxophone
Matthew Younglove, tenor saxophone
Adam Estes, baritone saxophone
http://www.assemblyquartet.com
The University of Idaho Saxophone Ensemble or Hamptonian Quorum performs a range of music from newly commissioned works to arrangements of large symphonic works. They have performed at a number of North American Saxophone Alliance conventions including the 2018 NASA Biennial Convention in Cincinnati Ohio at the Cincinnati Conservatory with guest saxophonist, Chad Smith, 2019 NASA Regional Convention at Central Washington University and 2020 NASA Biennial Convention in Tempe, AZ at Arizona State University.They actively peform around the Northwest.
Catherine Anderson, a native of Walla Walla, Washington, is a graduate of Washington State University with a degree in voice and piano. She earned a master's degree in collaborative piano performance at the University of Idaho Lionel Hampton School of Music (LHSOM).
She was on the faculty of the LHSOM for ten years. She coordinated the piano proficiency program and supervised the graduate assistant class piano teachers. She also taught applied lessons, sophomore class piano, accompanying and keyboard history and was the coach/accompanist for the opera workshop program. She also toured as both a pianist and vocalist with the Palouse Opera Project, an educational outreach program for the University of Idaho.
Catherine currently is an independent collaborative pianist for faculty and students at the University of Idaho and Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington.
Saxophonists John Cummins and Elissa Kana strive to unearth and promote lesser-known, high-quality music for saxophone duo by living composers. Since the duo’s establishment in 2012, the pair has regularly performed and premiered new works at conferences of the North American Saxophone Alliance and the World Saxophone Congress by composers such as Daniel Baldwin, Ian Dicke, Thierry Escaich, Guillermo Lago, Marilyn Shrude, and Gregory Wanamaker.
The Colere Quartet is an Iowa-City based ensemble comprised of saxophonists John Cummins, Elissa Kana, Greg Rife, and Dennis Kwok that presents engaging programs consisting of a wide range of classical and contemporary repertoire. Recent highlights include a featured recital on WFMT’s Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series and virtual educational outreach programs that reached over 500 students in Indiana and Michigan in the fall of 2020.
Honors awarded to Colere include a Gold Medal at the 2020 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and First Prize at the 2019 Plowman Chamber Music Competition.
In 2020, Colere and pianist Casey Dierlam Tse launched a project that aims to commission new original repertoire for saxophone quartet and piano. Inspired by the charms of the traditional piano quintet repertoire, Colere and Casey believe that the analogous ensemble of saxophones with piano is one that has significant, mostly unexplored potential.
Our musical stories intertwined at the University of New Mexico with the formation of the Platinum quartet, which performed and gave clinics for schools, camps, and festivals regularly in New Mexico. Now as doctoral students at the University of Iowa, the University of Northern Colorado and Louisiana State University, respectively, Charlotte Leung, Aaron Burr, and Wade Dillingham have formed this trio to continue their pursuit of chamber performance. Platinum Trio is dedicated to the commissioning of new music and the musical arts. We believe that supporting the efforts of emerging composers is paramount to the prosperity and creativity of our field.
"UNT Chinese Trio"
Saxophone: Yafei Lin
Flute: Peiyi Guan
Piano: Xiao Wang
The City Trio, a mixed chamber ensemble of saxophone, piano, and accordion, formed in 2011 and has performed together in venues throughout the United States. Specializing in new music, the ensemble seeks to blend improvisation with various genres of folk, jazz, and popular music in the contemporary classical idiom. The City Trio is comprised of Oklahoma State University faculty Igor Karača, Nataša Kaurin-Karača, and Jeffrey Loeffert.
The Michigan State University Saxophone Ensemble is comprised of undergraduate, masters and doctoral students from the studio of Joseph Lulloff, studying in a variety of disciplines including music education, performance, jazz studies, music theory, and composition. The ensemble has performed an expansive body of works ranging from orchestral transcriptions to cutting edge repertoire, including improvisational works featuring the concept of sound painting. The ensemble has been featured regularly at past NASA regional and national conferences, as well as at yearly on-campus performances at Michigan State University.
Personnel
Joshua Balogh Roberto Campa Megan Chow Samuel Dishon Salvador Flores Jason Frazier Samuel Hartt Drew Hosler Brian Kachur Kyle Kato Philip Kleutgens Matthew Koester Valentin Kovalev Andrew MacRossie Maria Torres Melgares Laura Ramsay Haruka Taguchi Alex Toth Oscar Wei Aiwen Zhang
The McAllister/Ames duo released two, critically-acclaimed albums in the during 2020, including the collected works of British composer Andy Scott for NAXOS Records, as well as a disc of iconic saxophone repertoire by Albright, Denisov, Stucky, Mantovani and Augusta Read Thomas for the XAS Records (Symphonic) label. Their next anticipated album, Project Encore, is due out in Fall 2022 featuring music by fifteen diverse composers from across the globe, with two subsequent albums scheduled including an anthology of the music of Vincent Ho and a recital album featuring Kevin Day, Algernon Robinson, Osnat Netzer, Marilyn Shrude, Roger Zare, Geoffrey Gordon, and David Biedenbender.
The Cynical Duo is a Fayetteville, AR based single reed ensemble formed in 2019 to promote both standard and contemporary repertoire for two saxophones. Together, they make for an exciting, tasteful, and authentic duo that specializes in creating a musical fusion full of enthusiasm and energy. Never intrusive but always engaging, their music has found its place within variety events, recital halls, and even train cars. They are both pragmatists and dedicated professionals; but when asked about their name, “we woke up like this”, is the most perfunctory answer. Currently, the duo remains active in the Northwest Arkansas music scene.
Soprano Saxophone
Meagan Ballard
Anna Fitzgerald
Parker Fritz
Alexis Seah
Alto Saxophone
Ben Brown
Micah Cheng
Tomas Hinojosa
Thomas Hoang
Summer Loyd
Zach Matthews
AJ Nguyen
Ethan Roberts
George Rosas
Quanjie Shi
Tenor Saxophone
Anthony Barcio
Kevin Barton
Lundyn Englund
Justin Evangelist
Kate Omstead
Baritone Saxophone
Aiden Esker
Matthew Floeter
Jacob Mares
Jake Markman-Fox
Lillian May
Joshua Mithuen
Anthony Stoops
Anthony Stoops currently serves as Professor of Double Bass at the University of Oklahoma School of Music. Since winning first prize in the International Society of Bassists solo competition, he has maintained an active international profile as a soloist, improviser, chamber musician, composer and educator. Stoops has performed as a member of over a dozen orchestras including the Detroit, Columbus (OH) and Toledo Symphony orchestras, and the Michigan Opera Theater among many others, under many of the world’s great conductors such as Sir Georg Solti, Neeme Järvi, Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, Pierre Boulez and Charles Dutoit. In addition to his duties at the University of Oklahoma, Stoops serves as Principal Bass of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic. He lives in Norman, OK with his wife and two children.
SxSWSaX is a large saxophone ensemble comprised of high school and undergraduate students from the Nevada and Utah studios of Dr. Lindsey O’Connor. Students are members of the Southern Utah University Saxophone Ensemble and Las Vegas Youth Saxophone Ensembles (from the College of Southern Nevada and Las Vegas Youth Orchestras).
Oboist Teodora Pejasinovic Proud and saxophonist Joseph M. Proud IV began performing together as the Proud Duo in 2016. Their work together has led to performances throughout the United States and Europe. Both recipients of the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Alabama, Teodora and Joseph are working to commission new works for oboe and saxophone by composers from a wide variety of backgrounds. Their most recent commission was the piece Places We Are From by Jenni Brandon. Teodora Pejasinovic Proud is an oboist from Serbia, and worked with the Montenegro Symphony Orchestra before coming to the United States. She is now the Lecturer of Oboe at the University of Idaho. Joseph Proud is originally from Connecticut and now serves as Instructor of Instrumental Music at Lewis-Clark State College. The Proud Duo is committed to expanding their repertoire by combining their different cultural backgrounds.
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) Saxophone Ensemble consists of undergraduate and graduate music majors. Founded in 2018 under the direction of Dr. Nicki Roman, this ensemble combines high-level musicianship with unique arrangements to create a fun and enriching concert experience. Members of this ensemble engage in activities both on and off campus each semester. The group aims to promote the popularity of the saxophone through innovative, diverse, and versatile programming. The group is an extension of the Milwaukee Saxophone Association, an organization on campus that has a mission of sharing and making music through education, performance, and outreach.
Oklahoma State University Saxophone Ensemble
The Oklahoma State University Saxophone Ensemble has performed in many venues throughout the United States, including past NASA Biennial National Conferences, as well as regular concerts on campus in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Oklahoma State University Saxophone Ensemble was first formed in 2010 is currently comprised of music majors and minors in both the undergraduate and graduate levels, studying degrees Music Performance, Music Education, Music Industry, and the Bachelor of Arts in Music. The Oklahoma State University Saxophone Ensemble is under the artistic direction of Dr. Johnny Salinas and conductor Sean O’Pry. OSU Saxophone Ensemble members include: Brian Chapa, Nick Chavez, Colby Crane, Connor Cyrus, Kam Fung Fan, Shae Fickett, Brendan Fraissinet, Jackson Fussell, Harley Houston, Blake Kline, Sheridan Mackey, Oakley Newton-Grady, Austin Pope, Hayden Rhoades, Ben Sidwell, and Zac Tucker.
The Rave On Duo, named after the famed Buddy Holly song, consists of members Claire Salli and Matthew Fowler. Claire is a second year DMA student and Matthew is a first year MM student both studying saxophone performance at Texas Tech University with professor David Dees. The main artistic goals of the Rave On Duo is to perform contemporary saxophone chamber music by underrepresented composers.
Hailed by Chamber Music America as an ensemble which “approaches the commissioning and performing of new works as a special mission,” the Ancia Saxophone Quartet has been dedicated to expanding the saxophone repertoire for over thirty years. The quartet has shared its passion for new music with a diverse range of audiences around the world through performances filled with “energy, precision, and huge dynamic range” (Eugene Rousseau). The group’s unique ability to “create exquisite musical interpretations” have drawn commissions from an impressive array of contemporary composers, including such luminaries as Libby Larsen, Jennifer Higdon, and Lei Liang. Although the quartet’s mission privileges the creation and dissemination of new music, Ancia enjoys transporting audiences across time and genre. The group expertly performs repertoire spanning centuries, with programs as likely to include 12th-century German mystic Hildegard von Bingen as those of jazz legend Duke Ellington.
Fifth Space is a saxophone quintet with flexible instrumentation formed by current UMKC Conservatory students. Its members include Hannah Hickman, Kyle Jones, Kate Kalina, Jonathon Nickell, and Noah Stoker. Fifth Space is dedicated to collaborating with composers and championing new works for saxophone chamber ensemble arrangements. The quintet is currently commissioning several new works by composers in Kansas City. The group is also passionate about educational work and community outreach, with members holding university teaching positions and managing successful private studios.
Coming together at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the Fall of 2018, Simply This Quintet was formed with the goal of reinterpreting the classic two tenor saxophone jazz ensembles of the 1950’s and 60’s in a modern jazz idiom through composition and performance of their original music. Since its inception, Simply This has been heard across central Illinois and is continuing to grow their following. Their first EP, Simply This, was released in August 2020. With the help of funding from the Presser Graduate Award received by bandleader Matthew Storie, Stepping Up was created. Featuring eight new original compositions by each of the members of the band, Simply This Quintet continues to bring new original jazz music to its listeners. A special thank you to The Presser Foundation and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for their recent financial support of this group.
- Established in 2019, Vex Duo consists of saxophonists Scott Augustine & Jack Thorpe, who are both pursuing doctoral degrees at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with Professor Debra Richtmeyer. Vex is dedicated to the performance of new works and works by under-represented composers. Recently, Vex has performed at the 2020 NASA Biennial Conference at Arizona State University and the 2021 NASA Region 5 Conference at Hope College. Vex has recently collaborated on a series of commissions from composers Yaz Lancaster, Anthony R. Green, and Emily Koh.
The University of Arkansas and Owasso High School Saxophone Ensemble is a joint ensemble made up of high school saxophonists from Owasso, OK and undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Arkansas. This group first came together in the spring of 2019 to premiere a new piece by Kyle Landry entitled From Star Stuff, at the NASA Region 4 conference.
The Univeristy of Arkasnas Saxophone Ensemble is made up of undergraduate and graduate saxophone students studying with Dr. Eric Troiano. The Owasso High School Saxophone Ensemble is made up of high school students studying with Shawn O'Kelley.
Heroic Dose is a saxophone and electronics/electric guitar duo comprised of Dylan Ward and Seth Andrew Davis based in Kansas City. Heroic Dose presents original music which incorporates electronic processing, free improvisation, and graphic notation.
In May of 2020, the duo released their debut recording, A Longing for Interspecies Companionship, which was done in collaboration with visual artist Colin Patrick Mosely. The work is a five part meditation which explores the interstitial spaces (which entangle all animals, plants, fungi and minerals on this planet and beyond.
In June of 2020 released their self-titled album, Heroic Dose, where they encode the transformational imagery and sonic possibilities drawn from the psychedelic experience into musical input for acoustic instruments, which is then further transformed through electronic processes.
The South Texas Saxophone Orchestra consists of members of the saxophone studio at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Formed in 2018, the group has already performed multiple recitals around the South Texas region, including a showcase event at the 2022 TMEA Convention. As one of the larger university-affiliated saxophone ensembles, the STSO is well equipped to take advantage of the saxophone’s versatility and regularly performs programs ranging from contemporary original works, to full orchestral transcriptions and jazz compositions.