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Catherine Sikora
Gear
Catherine plays Bari reeds and a Soprano Planet mouthpiece.
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Catherine Sikora's Paris Sessions at the Centre Culturel Irlandais: Sancturary and Things To Do In Paris
by Hrayr Attarian
Irish saxophonist Catherine Sikora, who makes New York her home, is a dynamic improviser and an innovative composer who, from the start of her career, has had a unique sound. Her mastery over her instrument as well as her expansive and multifaceted aesthetics make her albums completely absorbing. In 2020 she released two captivating, live recordings that showcase her evolving style and mature approach to spontaneous creativity. Catherine Sikora Sanctuary Sikoracat2020 2020 The ...
read moreEnrique Haneine: Unlayered
by Mike Jurkovic
Whether he leads from his drummer's stool or his the piano bench, drummer/composer/multi-instrumentalist Enrique Haneine is a mischievous creator, assembling different blocks to form other different blocks, stacking, unstacking, widening the fall zone with each new release. It's an aesthetic that keeps you jumping hoops but, most importantly, listening hard to the logic employed. But Haneine insists we should not be content to just sit and listen. Haneine will walk point but you have to follow his lead ...
read moreBAN BAM: Music Talking
by Ian Patterson
BAN BAM The Complex jny:Dublin, Ireland November 25, 2017 BAN BAM is a new, one-day festival by Improvised Music Company--an initiative to address the gender imbalance in jazz/improvised music. A related All About Jazz article covered the conversations by industry professionals around the gender issue that took place in the afternoon. This second BAN BAM article turns its attention to the music side of the festival. A wickedly varied line-up of five acts attracted ...
read moreCatherine Sikora: Jersey
by Hrayr Attarian
Saxophonist Catherine Sikora makes a bold and singular statement with her solo album Jersey. Each of the 13 tracks is both a fully realized and poignant stand-alone monologue as well as an essential link in an intimate and deeply personal artistic expression. A serene, logical progression of notes transforms the calm The Knowing of Sums" into a passionate and blue-tinged improvisation. Energetic and crisp lines weave a graceful melody that returns to the opening quietude. The ardent and ...
read moreThe Kora Band: New Cities
by Roger Farbey
Pianist Andrew Oliver formed The Kora Band in 2008 following a tour in West Africa and a chance meeting with a kora player, leading him to track down Kane Mathis, whom he recruited and whose presence naturally gave birth to the group's name and its idiosyncratic sound. Mathis is one of the foremost kora players in America and brings to the band a completely different dimension. The kora is a kind of traditional harp, originally played by musicians of the ...
read morePrimary Instrument
Saxophone, tenor
Willing to teach
Beginner to advanced
Credentials/Background
As a teacher, my goal is to inspire students to develop a habit of excellence in all that they do in music, regardless of the genre in which they choose to work. Mastery in music is not an end, but rather a way of working, a commitment to the art form and to exploring possibilities within it. A musician must continue to evolve, to develop and to challenge themselves throughout their life, and this is a habit that can be cultivated deliberately through conscious effort. In the classroom, my focus is more on understanding than memorization; I take a systematic approach to teaching, working with each student to assess their level, their strengths and their weaker areas, and set clear goals to help each individual to improve as much as possible. We work on recovering a sense of joy in playing; letting go of judgement, re-framing the view of mistakes/ right and wrong, and viewing such occurrences as valuable learning tools. Students are encouraged to maintain a journal of their practice, to come to me with questions, and to start to generate their own material as early as is possible. One of the foundations of my work involves each student writing their own book of technical studies; I offer guidance and make suggestions, but the goal is for each student to learn how to create technical studies to break through any block or difficulty they may be having. This is how I worked with my long time teacher, and the skill has proven invaluable to me in my career. The study of history is always included in my lessons, and students are exposed to musical artists and works from across a wide range of styles and genres, as this practice expands the musical mind and imagination, offering a greater range of possibility for their own creation of new work. Above all, I strive to have an open dialog with my students, to be a supportive and encouraging presence in their lives, while still demanding their best work and instilling confidence based on true competence. Please visit my blog, https://catherinesikora.wordpress.com, where I post many articles on practice methods and ideas for study.