Presenters

Presenter Biographies

Kedrick Adams is a multi-instrumentalist and woodwind specialist from Lakeland, Florida. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from the University of North Florida, studying baritone saxophone, bass clarinet and bassoon. He has received the Herman Terry Academic Scholarship, which funded his academic and artistic ventures nationally and internationally. He plans on pursuing a Master’s degree in music theory and composition, as well as woodwind performance.

Andrew J. Allen is “a master of all sizes of saxophone.” (The Instrumentalist, April 2018) In response to his New York solo debut, the Examiner opined that he had “performed brilliantly,” and the Wichita Falls Times-Record News has praised the "savory warmth” of his tone, while The Saxophonist has lauded his "virtuosic saxophone performance,” and The Saxophone Symposium has cited his “complete control of the instrument.”  In demand as a soloist and chamber musician, 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, the University of Arkansas Wind Symphony, and the Midwestern State University Wind Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble. 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. Allen is tenor chair of the Palmetto Saxophone Quartet, serves as assistant professor of saxophone and coordinator of woodwinds, brass, & percussion at Georgia College, and he is president-elect of the North American Saxophone Alliance.

The Arkansas Saxophone Quartet was formed in the fall of 2007 and consists of four outstanding saxophonists with extensive performing experience. The members are Jackie Lamar on soprano saxophone, University of Central Arkansas, retired; Caroline Taylor on alto saxophone, Ouachita Baptist University; Brent Bristow on tenor saxophone, Arkansas State University at Beebe; and Andrew Cook on baritone saxophone, Harding University. The ensemble is equally adept at all styles of chamber music ranging from transcriptions to avant-garde contemporary music. The Quartet has performed at many World Saxophone Congresses and NASA Biennial Conferences and has presented numerous multi-media performances on a variety of subjects such as the History of the Saxophone Quartet and Modern Art as well as Jacob TV works.

Michael Bovenzi is an active soloist of contemporary music and has premiered numerous works internationally and in the United States. As an advocate of new music, he has commissioned works for saxophone by award-winning composers to contribute to the saxophone and chamber music repertoires. As a pedagogue he has written articles in international publications on woodwind teaching techniques. He teaches saxophone and serves as an instructor in woodwind courses, computer music applications, and chamber music at the University of North Florida. He holds the position of Associate Professor. Dr. Bovenzi’s students have won numerous saxophone and woodwind competitions, earned collegiate and public school teaching positions, as well as military band appointments.

During the past twenty-five years, the Bro-Fowler Duo has performed throughout the United States, including performances in Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbia (SC), Flagstaff, Kansas City, Louisville, Minneapolis, Tucson, and New York City as well as an extended tour of Vietnam. Formed in 1998 for performances of Edison Denisov’s Sonate for alto saxophone and cello, saxophonist Paul Bro and cellist Kurt Fowler have sought to expand the repertoire for this unusual combination of instruments by commissioning new works. Since the fall of 2000, they have been the recipients of seven Indiana State University Arts Endowment Grants, resulting in new works for alto saxophone and cello by outstanding composers: Bid Call by Libby Larsen, Walk on Water by Dorothy Chang, Temple Fair by Chinese composer Zhou Long, Lake Reflecting Stars with Moonrise by Augusta Read Thomas, Fantasia Armorial by Alexis Bacon, Cutting Contest by Frank Felice, and Three Moments by Timothy Reed.

Rulon Brown is a musician whose recent projects include an avant-rock album; a solo album made while touring North and Central America; a museum installation about the restless American Dream; and a U.S. State Department sponsored artist residency at a Casa de los Tres Mundos cultural institute in Nicaragua. In addition to Rulon Brown’s artistic work, he is designer and founder of Key Leaves instrument care products. The company's highly effective products earned two "Product of The Year" awards from The Saxophonist magazine, "Best in Show" at The NAMM Show, "Best Instrument Care Tool" award from School Band & Orchestra magazine, and endorsement from world-class players, repair techs and music teachers.

Described as a “passionate and gifted soloist” (Libby Larsen - 2015) with “flawless technique and intuitive musicianship” (Craig Kirchhoff - 2016),  Dr. Benjamin Cold is currently Artist/Assistant Professor of Woodwinds at McNeese State University (Lake Charles, LA), where he teaches applied single-reeds and double reeds, and directs woodwind chamber ensembles including saxophone quartets. As a passionate advocate of new music, he has been involved in the commissions and premieres of dozens of compositions for solo and chamber saxophone, most of which were dedicated to him. His work has been performed and recorded on Classical Minnesota Public Radio, National Public Radio, and The Skeptics Guide to the Universe.  Throughout his professional career, he has held residencies, taught master classes and given guest recitals and performances across the country at top academic institutions including, but not limited to the University of Minnesota, Kansas State University, North Dakota State University, and the University of North Texas.  

An award-winning saxophonist and music educator, Chris Dickhaus has performed in festivals and conferences throughout the United States and in Europe. Most recently, he was featured at the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) 2021 Region 3 Conference. As a solo and chamber musician, Chris has received numerous awards and honors of state, regional, and national acclaim, including being a finalist two consecutive years (2008-2009) at the MTNA National Chamber Music Competition, placing 1st at the 2005 NCMTA Woodwind Young Artist Competition, 2nd at the 2006 Southern Regional MTNA competition, and 1st at the Richard Chandler YouTube recording competition (2019). As an educator, Chris spent a decade teaching saxophone lessons in Frisco, Texas, with many students achieving honors in solo and chamber competitions. In 2016, he moved to the midwest to pursue collegiate teaching at the University of Northern Iowa (2016-2019). Residing in Minneapolis, Chris is the Instructor of Saxophone at the College of Saint Benedict/ Saint John's University, and Winona State University; and is in the final stages of the DMA at the University of Minnesota. Chris holds performance degrees from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (BM) and the University of North Texas (MM).

The Extremity Quartet (EQ) is a newly formed chamber music ensemble comprised of music faculty and alumni from the University of North Florida. Members include Michael Bovenzi, Ruben Gedlaman, Lukas Ferrell, and Kedrick Adams. The group was formed to restore live chamber music performance to the North Florida region and to present new works by contemporary composers as well as revered repertoire form the saxophone quartet canon. In addition to concertizing, the group has an education mission committed to community and school outreach, to introduce this instrumentation to new audiences. Upcoming engagements include presenting diverse concert programs with some of the earliest and latest compositions written for quartet, highlighting ongoing commissions.

Lukas Ferrell is a saxophonist hailing from Fort Mill, South Carolina. Lukas earned his Bachelor’s degree from Winthrop University and his Master’s degree from the University of North Florida, studying under instructors Dr. Tracy Patterson and Dr. Michael Bovenzi. Lukas has participated in numerous competitions, including the chamber division of SCMTNA, the Yamaha Young Artist’s Competition and the NASA Concerto Competition. He has also performed with numerous honors ensembles, including the Intercollegiate Honor Band from 2015-2019, and the Carnegie Hall Honors Performance Series, performing at Carnegie Hall in 2015 and 2018. Outside of school and quartet, Lukas performs at churches in the areas of Jacksonville, Florida and Rock Hill, South Carolina, teaches private lessons, and records big band arrangements with his own virtual band.

Ruben Gedlaman is a multi-instrumentalist from Jacksonville, Florida and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Florida in Music Performance. He is currently performing within two professional saxophone quartets, appearing at international music conferences as well as local events in the north Florida community. Ruben studied bassoon under Conrad Cornelison, principal bassoonist for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and he performs in pit orchestra settings as well as multiple wind bands and orchestras on both saxophone and bassoon.

Utilizing an eclectic musical approach, Dr. Matthew Geiger continues to champion both new and canonic percussive works through teaching, performance, and research. Currently, Matthew is Assistant Professor of Percussion at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee. His recent performances have focused on solo vibraphone, both in the jazz idiom as well as contemporary twentieth-century repertoire. Along with International solo performances in Sweden and China, Matthew performed a vibraphone concerto with Science Hill High School at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in 2018 and was named the winner of the 2013 International Solo Vibraphone Competition by the Percussive Arts Society. Matthew received his Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Kentucky, and a Master's degree in percussion performance from the University of Michigan. He is a Yamaha Performing Artist and educational artist for Zildjian Cymbals, Innovative Percussion, and Black Swamp Percussion.

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. During this time, Granger also played alto saxophone with the Presidio Quartet, and frequently collaborated with area arts organizations including Arizona Repertory Theatre, The Rogue Theater, and Artifact Dance Company. Granger 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 Collegiate Competition, Tucson Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition, and the Hartt Chamber Music Competition. Granger serves on the summer faculty of Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.

Saxophonist Jonathan Helton is an active solo recitalist and chamber musician appearing in concerts worldwide, including Chicago, Montreal, Vancouver, Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Mendoza, Santiago, London, Paris, Taipei, Washington, DC, and New York. He has been featured on programs of the North American Saxophone Alliance, the World Saxophone Congress, the College Music Society, Wisconsin Composers' Alliance, Chicago Consortium of Composers, and the New Music Chicago Festival. His performances have been heard on North Carolina Public Radio, on WFMT in Chicago, and in national and international radio syndication. He is featured on compact discs from Centaur, Navona, Windlass, Elf, Innova, Mark Records, and Music from Northwestern. From 1992 to 1999 Dr. Helton served on the faculty at Northwestern University. He is currently on the faculty of the School of Music of the University of Florida where he teaches saxophone and chamber music. Jonathan Helton is a Selmer Artist/Clinician, and a former President of the North American Saxophone Alliance.

Hailed as “the ideal collaborator for new music” by Brutal New Music Review, saxophonist and new music curator Andrew Hosler (he/him/his) is an advocate for contemporary music. Andrew’s playing has been praised for its “beautiful tone and technique” by Brutal New Music Review and described as “rich and soulful” by Louis Yungling of COMPASS Concerts. Andrew has commissioned, premiered, and collaborated on over 200 pieces by composers including Andrew Mead, Jamie Leigh Sampson, Matthew Kennedy, and Marilyn Shrude. Andrew is the saxophonist and artistic director for The _____ Experiment. He is a member of the Cleveland Winds. He also serves as the Manager of Concerts and Events at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Andrew holds a MM in Saxophone Performance, MM in Chamber Music, and Certificate in Arts Entrepreneurship & Leadership from the University of Michigan. As well as a BM in Saxophone Performance from Bowling Green State University.

Joshua Huff is a current student of Dr. Jonathan Helton at the University of Florida as a first year DMA student in saxophone performance. He holds additional degrees in music education and saxophone performance from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and Louisiana State University. Previous teachers include Scot Humes, Griffin Campbell, and Doug Stone. He has taught beginner musicians and been a tech for high school band programs in the Baton Rouge and Monroe areas. He has also played with the Monroe Symphony Orchestra and has performed at the US Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium.

Jerry (Chiwei) Hui has written a wide variety of music that ranges from large-scale orchestral music to light-hearted choral text settings. His music has been performed in festivals such as the Music Today Festival in Eugene, Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium, Society of Composers conferences (regional and national), and the World Saxophone Congress. His choral piece Of Water & Love was awarded the 2008 Robert Helps Prize. As a conductor, Dr. Hui is the Director of Choral Activities at University of Wisconsin-Stout, and director of the Chippewa Valley Festival Choir based in Eau Claire WI. A native of Hong Kong, Jerry Hui received his DMA degree in music composition/choral conducting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He received his Bachelor's degree in music composition and computer science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his Masters degrees in music composition and choral conducting from the University of Oregon.

Born in Fujieda, Shizuoka Prefecture in 1985, Hayato Ikegaya is a graduate of Shizuoka University. He began attending Yamaha music classes at age 5, where he studied piano performance, music nomenclature, and other elements of music theory and composition, and later took up the saxophone at age 12. Ikegaya has built an impressive record as a performing saxophonist. He participated in the 16th Hamamatsu International Wind Instrument Academy and Festival seminar and was honored for excellent performance at the Premium Concert highlighting that event. In addition to the Eighth Virtuoso Concert, he has also performed at the New Faces Concert (Japan Saxophone Association). To date, Ikegaya has studied saxophone under Shintaro Yabe and Atsuyasu Kitayama and piano under Noriko Sugiyama and Mariko Nemoto. He has participated in saxophone master classes and lessons given by Hiroshi Hara, Yasuto Tanaka, Jean-Yves Fourmeau, Nobuya Sugawa, Otis Murphy, Claude Delangle, and Fabrice Morietti and in piano master classes and lessons given by Mitsutaka Shiraishi. Currently, Ikegaya is active as a performer and instructor on saxophone, a piano accompanist, and composer and arranger.

Matthew James is a second-year Master of Music Performance student in Music Performance at the University of Southern Mississippi who aspires to actively contribute to improving accessibility in the field of music as well as diversifying it. Matthew can be seen frequently as a soloist, having won multiple competitions including the Delta Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, Music Teacher’s National Association Competition, and the King’s Peak International Competition. Additionally, he is a frequent contributor to bodies of research concerning teaching practices, saxophone pedagogy, and racial equity in music. When Matthew is not performing or teaching, he enjoys anime, cooking, and playing video games with his friends.

Kyle Jones, saxophonist, is a performer, teacher, and arts administrator. An advocate for new music, Kyle actively collaborates with composers and performers from various 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 Instructor of Saxophone at Northwest Missouri State University and MidAmerica Nazarene University. In addition to his performing activities, Kyle serves as a Co-Director for Fast Forward Austin, Kyle serves as Production Coordinator for Kansas City Baroque Consortium, Grant Writing Associate for Appalachia: A Southeastern Wind Symphony, 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.

Guy Lavoie, a native of Rimouski, started playing the saxophone in 2009 at the age of only 9 years old. In 2010, he began his studies at the Bas-Saint-Laurent School of Music and in 2013, entered the Rimouski Music Conservatory with Mr. Benoît Plourde. Guy focuses all his time on music during his high school education. Under the wing of Mr. Benoît Plourde, Guy developed his playing and his passion for the instrument enormously. The year 2018 marks a turning point in his musical career with the arrival of his new teacher, Louis-Philippe Bonin. The latter allows Guy to develop in greater depth, both from a performer and teacher point of view. The young saxophonist obtained his baccalaureate's degree from the Rimouski music conservatory in April 2022 and a few months later, he moved to Montreal to pursue a master's degree of the instrument that fascinates him with his new teacher, Jean-François Guay. Guy wishes to continue to gain expertise in the world of contemporary music as well as in saxophone pedagogy.

Shyen Lee is a pioneering saxophonist from Taiwan with professional training and academic credentials to teach the instrument at the university level. With a focus on saxophone performance and pedagogy, Lee has dedicated himself to advancing the art form by commissioning original works. As a professor of saxophone at Mahidol University in Thailand since 2005, he has been invited to serve on the jury for the Adolph Sax International Saxophone Competition in Dinant, Belgium. Lee has also been the main organizer behind several international saxophone events, including the Asian Saxophone Congress, the International Jean-Marie Londeix Competition, and the World Saxophone Congress XV. He served on the International Saxophone Committee from 2009-2012 and from 2018-2021. Lee received his BM from New England Conservatory, studying with Kenneth Radnofsky, and his MM from Bowling Green State University under Dr. John Sampen.

Paul Alexander Lessard is a composer, saxophonist, educator, and man with way too many toques. His genre-bending approach to performance has taken him across North America and Europe, including solo recitals at academic conferences and appearances at the Istanbul and Umbria jazz festivals. Dedicated to the promotion of new music, Dr. Lessard has worked with a growing list of composers to bring their works to international audiences, giving the North American premiere of “Horta Suite” by Belgian composer Piet Swerts, and the European and Canadian premieres of Israeli-American composer Avner Dorman’s “Suite for Solo Saxophone.” Dr. Lessard joined the faculty at East Tennessee State University in the fall of 2022, teaching music theory and composition. He holds degrees in composition, saxophone, and physics, most recently completing a Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Toronto. He lives with his partner and their “oh-my-God-she’s-so-adorable” dog, Luna.

Pianist Mariano Manzanelli is a highly-acclaimed award-winning Argentinian pianist. As a soloist, concert artist, and chamber musician, he has performed in the most important theaters in Argentina, as well as in Uruguay, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, the United States, Switzerland and Italy. He has taken classes with great international figures, such as Alan Weiss, Jura Margulis, Julian Martin, Daniel Rivera, Carmen Piazzini, Henri Sigffridson, among others. In chamber music he perfected at the Instituto Superior de Arte del Teatro Colón under the guidance of Mtro. Pierre Blanchard and as an orchestral pianist in the “José de San Martin National Youth Symphony”, an organization directed by Mario Benzecry. He is currently on the faculty in the Department of Musical and Sound Arts "Carlos López Buchardo" of the National University of the Arts and is a Pianist and Deputy Director of the Chamber Choir of the National Ministry of Education.

Ricardo Martinez began his saxophone studies in the Bay Area under David Henderson of Stanford University and William Trimble, and earned degrees at the University of Minnesota, studying with saxophone virtuoso Eugene Rousseau, and in France at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Cergy-Pontoise, where he studied with Jean-Yves Fourmeau, receiving the Médaille d’Or in saxophone and graduating with honors in chamber music. Martinez later completed graduate work at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music under the guidance of Otis Murphy and studied with the esteemed Japanese saxophonist Nobuya Sugawa at the Hamamatsu International Wind Academy and Festival. As an educator, Martinez has served as Associate Instructor in saxophone at Indiana University and been invited to teach and perform at the Indiana University Summer Saxophone Academy, Stanford University, and CSU (California State University) Summer Arts. He serves as Assistant Professor of Practice in Saxophone at Conservatory of Music at University of the Pacific. Martinez is an endorsing artist for Legere Reeds and BG France.

Modern and imaginative saxophonist, Nicolas Prost (FRANCE) likes to combine classical and contemporary music with improvisation, voice, gesture and electronics. His work is characterized by a concern for the development of concert repertoire for saxophone. He has collaborated with composers such as Thierry Pécou, Nicolas Bacri, Philippe Hersant, Thierry Escaich, Karol Beffa, Gustavo Beytelman, Luis Naon, Christian Lauba, Jun Nagao, and Guillaume Connesson. He has commissioned and premiered over a hundred solo and chamber music works. With the crossover project Border Jazz, realized with the collaboration of pianist Sébastien Paindestre, the Duo has performed compositions by Ibrahim Maalouf, Chris Potter, James Carter, Michel Portal, Bojan Z, Laurent de Wilde, Branford Marsalis, and Wayne Shorter. In addition, Nicolas Prost tirelessly conducts research on forgotten works of literature for classical saxophone: Franck, Decruck, Jolivet, Milhaud, Fauré etc. Professor at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Saint-Maur, Nicolas Prost also gives Masterclasses and workshops at prestigious international universities: the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, and universities and conservatories in Bloomington, Bowling Green, Ann Arbor, Gainesville, Seoul, Taipei, Riga, Freiburg, Cologne, Nagoya, Tokyo, Osaka, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Helsinki, Saint Petersburg, Budapest, Montreal, Ottawa, Novosibirsk, Tartu, Liège, The Hague, Ljubjlana, Zagreb, Split, Tilburg, New York, etc. He directs the Saxiana collection at Billaudot musical editions in Paris, he co-wrote the saxophone and pedagogy book It's up to you to play (Delatour), and composed a series of educational pieces including the 18 Advanced Studies (Resolute) and the Saxophone Go method (Billaudot). Prize winner at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique de Paris and at seven international chamber music competitions, Nicolas Prost is the saxophonist of the Ensemble Variances, and the Trio Saxiana which take him to the four corners of the world. He gives recitals at La Cigale de Paris, Salle Gaveau, Grand Palais, Auditorium de Lyon, Arsenal de Metz etc. and performs in prestigious international festivals Bacau in Romania, Ljubljana in Slovenia, Cervantino in Mexico, Présences Radio-France, Flâneries de Reims etc. Nicolas Prost has performed as a soloist with the Philarmonie de Mexico, European Camerata de Londres, OS de Bangkok, Orchester de la Suisse-Romande (Mancini dir. Pinchas Steinberg), Ausburg camerata, Banda de Musica da Força Aerea Portuguesa but also in France with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Strasbourg, Capitole de Toulouse (Debussy dir. Tugan Sokhiev), Concerts Lamoureux (Waxman dir. Yutaka Sado), Musiciens de la Prée, Orchester Régional du Limousin, and the National Police Orchestra.

 

Dr. Wisuwat Pruksavanich is the first Thai saxophonist in contemporary classical music to become a Yamaha Artist. He has made his name on the world stages as a soloist in Narong Prangcharoen’s world premiere “The Dawn of Darkness” at Ki Zu Na Concert 2012, Sumida Triphony Hall, Tokyo Japan. His “Hard Fairy” album was nominated for Best Instrumental Album and Wisuwat himself was nominated for Best New Artist at the 11th Komchadluek Awards. Dr. Wisuwat completed his Bachelor and Master Degree from College of Music, Mahidol University, Thailand and completed Doctor Degree from The Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków, Poland. Christian Lauba, a French composer, while randomly watching YouTube came upon a video performed by Wisuwat — Hard too Hard, one of Christian’s toughest compositions. He invited Wisuwat to join his master class in Lisbon, Portugal. In 2019, Wisuwat was invited to be the saxophone instructor at The 2nd Poznan SaxEvent in Poznan, Poland, and XI Mallorca Saxophone Festival at Palma de Mallorca, Spain. As well as other countries such as China, Singapore and Malaysia. Currently, Dr. Wisuwat is a saxophone instructor at Mahidol University’s College of Music. Also, as a member of Bun-Leng Project, Saxophone and String Quintet.

With nine record releases as a leader, the saxophonist and composer Jorge Retamoza (ARGENTINA) explores innovative ways of tango in the 21st century, with pieces that combine strictly written music with improvisation, with the sounds of a tango interpellated by chamber music and jazz gestures. Undoubted reference of the sax in Argentine music and especially in tango, Jorge Retamoza is one of the musicians from his country who has produced the most to introduce his instrument in the Buenos Aires musical language. In the academic field, he premiered his works Concerto for tenor saxophone, bandoneon, and Orchestra, Tres Escenas Porteñas, for two bass clarinets and symphonic band, En Blanco y Negro Buenos Aires for bandoneon and six percussionists, Concertango for baritone saxophone and orchestra, winner of the 2016 - National Endowment for the Arts of Argentina Award. He is the first Argentine saxophonist to record Piazzolla's Six Tango Etudes in its entirety, and this is also the world's first complete recording of the work in a version for solo saxophone and string orchestra. The recording was made in Germany in co-production with the prestigious SR (Saarbrucken Public Radio and TV) from that country. In 1998 he obtained by competition the position of baritone saxophone in the Symphonic Band of the City of Buenos Aires. He is a professor of saxophone and the  Chair of Argentine Music Department at the Conservatorio Superior de Música Manuel de Falla, Buenos Aires. Gonzalez Reeds has sponsored Jorge's career. With his Quartet or as a soloist, he tours Argentina, America, and Europe, performing in theaters, festivals, cultural centers, and universities, in addition to offering master classes in America and Europe about tango and saxophone. He is the author of El tango desde el saxo, a book commissioned by Melos Ediciones Musicales and dedicated to the interpretation of Buenos Aires music with the saxophone. In 2020 a second book was published, Más Tango para el Saxo where the work begun in the first volume is deepened by adding variations, orchestral studies, and improvisational exercises with tango vocabulary. He has shared the stage with a plethora of popular and academic musicians from Argentina and America. In addition, he recorded and toured with international artists such as Isabel Pantoja, Sandro, and Celia Cruz, as a member of their groups. He received awards and scholarships from the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Fund of Culture, the Festival of Latin American Short Films in New York, the Argentine Music Tribune -UNESCO, the Argentine National Music Institute, the Itaú Foundation - Sponsorship Culture Buenos Aires City, and the Argentine National Endowment for the Arts.

Inés Sánchez Benito is a Saxophone Assistant Professor at the Amaniel Music Conservatory at Madrid (Spain). As a performer, she is specialized in Classical and Contemporary Classical music and has performed in Spain, France, Germany, UK and the USA. She is a multidisciplinary artist, having created several performances to spread contemporary music for all publics mixing music, theater and dance. Her curiosity led her to study a Bachelor in Music Performance, Saxophone, at the Advanced Music Conservatory of Cordoba (2013, Spain), a Bachelor in Music Pedagogy of Saxophone Performance, at IESM (2018, France) and a PSC of Contemporary Classical Music Performance at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee (2020, USA). In 2019-2020, she was granted with a Fulbright Scholarship in Music of the Ministry of Culture of Spain. Currently, she is also conducting research on the 19th century orchestral saxophone repertoire as part of her Master of Musicology Degree (2023, France).

The saxophonist Isabella Stabio is a versatile musician, active both as a soloist and as a chamber and orchestral player, both in the classical and contemporary repertoire and in various other musical genres, who habitually uses all the instruments of the saxophone family. Graduated from the Conservatories of Turin and Lyon, she has been awarded in numerous national and international competitions and she has performed in numerous European countries and in the U.S.A, in concert halls such the Weil Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall in New York, the Center for Fine Arts in Brussels, the Methuen Memorial Music Hall in Methuen (MA, USA), the Ehrbar Saal in Vienna, the Alfieri Theater in Turin.

Cellist Steven Thomas was appointed to the University of Florida's School of Music in 2007, following a 13-year tenure at the Hartt School, where he had chaired both the String and Chamber Music departments. A top prize-winner in the Villa-Lobos (Rio) and Bach (Washington) International Cello Competitions, as well as the Hudson Valley and Charleston Competitions, Dr. Thomas has appeared as soloist with orchestras in North and South America and throughout Europe. As a member of the Cantilena Piano Quartet, he toured and performed in most of the major concert halls of Europe and the U.S. He has performed as recitalist and chamber musician at festivals such as Windsor (England), Gstaad (Switzerland), the Israel Festival (Jerusalem), Prague, Tivoli (Denmark), Itu and Fortaleza (Brazil). As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with such renowned artists as Yehudi Menuhin, Erick Friedman, Donald MacInnes, Jesse Levine, Joseph Robinson, David Shifrin, Peter Frankl, Boris Berman and the Miami String Quartet.

Andrea Van Acker is a Belgian classical saxophonist and music educator. She has studied at LUCA School of Arts (Leuven, Belgium), the Royal College of Music (Stockholm, Sweden), the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp and Liège (both in Belgium). As a human being, Andrea is very involved with social issues like gender awareness and climate change. She wants to incorporate those themes in her artistic practice and communicate them to an audience beyond the typical classical music listener. At the moment, she is working on an interdisciplinary project around urban wilderness with APUS collective. Besides that, she regularly performs together with cellist Alexandre Bughin as the duo Anchor, with which they explore the musical possibilities of their quite unusual configuration. Besides performing, Andrea coaches beginning saxophonists of all ages as a saxophone teacher at the Music Academies in Wilrijk and Merksem (Antwerp, Belgium).