Results for "Saxophone"

Quyen Van Minh

Born: July 11, 1954

The excellent artist Quyen Van Minh was born and brought up in a family with a fine musical tradition. His father was an amateur guitarist and saxophonist. His mother, a singer with a wonderful alto, had to sacrifice her artistic career under harsh living conditions to cater for her four kids. As compensation, she transferred her love for music to her children, which had a special impact on Minh’s life.

As a child, Minh made his first steps towards music through the guitar. In 1969, he began to try the clarinet on his mother’s advice. “The sounds that come from your breaths, close to your heart, will bring good things to life and your own being,” she said. Inspired by his mother’s idea and motivated by his own determination and efforts, the self-taught, never having attended any course at the National Conservatory of Music due to certain circumstances, finally entered the school as an Excellent Artist and a prominent saxophone instructor.

Chris Engel

South African saxophonist and adopted Irishman Chris Engel has cultivated a successful career in jazz and improvised music throughout Europe with his chameleon-like musical talents; adept in small and large ensembles, free improv, contemporary jazz, and latterly electronic music. Born and raised in South Africa, Chris came to Ireland after completing his studies at The Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo.

Chris also has a BMus in Jazz Studies from The South African College Of Music (The University of Cape Town) and has performed at venues and festivals in South Africa, Mozambique, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, France, Switzerland, Croatia, Italy, Dubai, The Netherlands, The UK and Ireland. These include Cork Jazz Festival, Bray Jazz Festival, Derry Jazz Festival, Down with Jazz, Kilkenny Arts Festival (performing with Theo Bleckmann, John O'Gallagher and Nils Wogram), Westport Arts Festival, Atina Jazz(Italy), Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Aarhus Jazz Festival, InJazz (The Netherlands), Cape Town International Jazz Festival (where he performed with Joe McBride, Gerald Veasley and Kenny Blake, amongst others), the Cape Town Jazzathon and the Grahamstown Jazz Festival (South Africa).

Tobias M. Hoffmann

Tobias Hoffmann was born in Göppingen (Germany) in 1988 and discovered his passion for music and the saxophone during his high school years. 
From 2008 until 2010 he studied at the University for Music, Drama and Media in Hanover and from 2010 at the Prins Claus Conservatorium Groningen 
(The Netherlands), where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in June 2013. From 2013 until 2015 he studied Jazz Saxophone at the Musik und 
Kunst Universität Wien (Austria) and graduated with a Master of Arts (MA) with distinction. At the same time he studied Jazz Composition and 
Arrangement and graduated with distinction in 2018.

Aaron Liddard

Born: May 15, 1973

Born and raised in rural Hertfordshire, the son of liberal and creative parents, Aaron Liddard’s initial foray in to the world of music came via one of the most eccentric of instruments, the tuba. From this unusual starting point and via brief dalliances with both the piano and guitar, he settled on the saxophone, discovering a natural affinity with his chosen instrument that would influence his existence to the present day, taking him on a truly varied and fascinating voyage of discovery. 



Receiving school music lessons from the classical composer Nicholas Sackman and renowned choral director Dr Charlie Beale provided an initial enthusiasm, but it was Liddard’s discovery of the Buntingford Jazz Club that truly ignited a spark, absorbing the intricate and dexterous guitar playing of Jim Mullen and the mellifluous tones of Alan Skidmore on sax. It was at this club that Liddard improvised for the very first time, in front of his newly discovered heroes.

Alex Lardie

Homegrown in Boise, ID, Alex Lardie received his B.M. degrees in Music Education and Saxophone Performance from the University of Idaho in 2020 and was a regular performer and award-winner at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival. Throughout his performing career, Lardie has performed with many jazz artists including Bruce Forman, Carl Saunders, Scott Whitfield, Dominick Farinacci, Marcus Printup, and the New York Voices.

After regularly performing with Carnival Cruise Lines from 2019-2020, Lardie began his teaching career and has taught at every grade level from kindergarten to early college. He also assists in managing the annual Gem State Jazz Camp, available to secondary band students.

Dan Bosshardt

Michael Stephens

Born: 1967

Saxophonist Michael Stephens performs a broad range, from mainstream jazz to fusion and Latin styles. Stephens also performs often with groups focusing on more popular styles. Stephens led the Chadron State College Professors of Jazz in the Nebraska panhandle from 2007-2013. Stephens also cofounded the Northeast Ohio jazz fusion group, Osmosis, active from 1994-2002.

Simeon Nathanael Davis

Born: September 2, 1997

With a career spanning two continents before he was 20, arrangements that have received awards from both Downbeat (2021) and the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers (2021) while still a student, and compositions described as “on a scale with Everglades by Terence Blanchard,” (Gary Lowe, WUNH), Simeon Nathanael Davis is a composer, bandleader, saxophonist, and violinist who blends jazz, folk, classical, and neo-soul music with his roots in South African jazz to programmatically trace narratives drawn from mythology, religion, fiction, and lived experiences. Davis was raised and lived in Cape Town, South Africa for 17 years

Chris Torkewitz

Chris Torkewitz

saxophonist | flutist | pianist | composer

Described as "masterful, technical perfection" (Vittorio Lo Conte, Musiczoom), Chris Torkewitz has been recognized as being in the "super-skilled" class of musicians and hailed for his "commanding fluency" (Fritz Balwit, Audiophile Audition).

Torkewitz has performed at Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, the Kennedy Center, and for the German embassies in Toronto, DC, and New York. He has had the extraordinary honor of performing for Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela, as well as of sharing stages with jazz legends like Bob Mintzer, Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano, and Dave Liebman.

Stratøs

Born: October 1, 1996

Michigan native Stratøs is a saxophonist, composer, producer, photographer, and cinematographer whose presence in the Los Angeles scene is rapidly growing. Having embraced the melodies of the Cool School early in his development, Stratøs now leaves behind a unique sonic imprint as a producer. His affinity for analog textures is felt not only in his music, but his photography. By combining the two, he’s created an entire ecosystem brimming with life. Stratøs is a three-time winner of the Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award from 2019-2021. Additionally, he was awarded the ASCAP Foundation’s Johnny Mandel Prize as well as being selected as a National Sawdust New Works Commission Contest winner. The latter granted the composer the opportunity to write for the world renowned JACK Quartet.