School of Music to host national saxophone conference at ASU

The North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial Conference will be held at the Arizona State University School of Music on March 6-9.

This year, Christopher Creviston, Yamaha Performing Artist and associate professor in the School of Music in ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, will serve as the official host for the conference.

“Whether we're actually at a conference or not, this is our community,” said Creviston, president of the alliance. “The members of (the alliance) are our colleagues, collaborators, heroes, students, competitors and friends — and I love being involved with this world of saxo-geeks.”

The North American Saxophone Alliance is the largest organization in the western hemisphere dedicated to the establishment of the saxophone as a medium of serious musical expression. Members include professional performers, university professors, public school teachers, students of all levels and others who have an interest in the saxophone.

More than 1,000 saxophonists, exhibitors, collaborative musicians, family members and guests from around the world are expected to attend the four-day event.

The conference features over 600 events, including concerts, seminars, workshops, lectures, panel discussions, master classes, exhibits and performances. Performances include saxophone ensembles, professional and student chamber music, classical solo and jazz.

The alliance also will be holding competitions for high school and collegiate students in solo, jazz and quartet performance, and in music composition.

Two undergraduate students in the School of Music, Matthew Fox and Dylan Hong, are semifinalists in the Collegiate Solo Competition and will compete March 5-6. Fox and Hong are both Bachelor of Music in performance majors.

Quartet helios_, composed of ASU saxophone students, is a semifinalist in the Quartet Competition and will compete on March 4-6. Members include Matthew Fox, soprano saxophone; Tanner Bayles, alto saxophone; Gabe Robles, tenor saxophone; and Bonson Lee, baritone saxophone.

Featured concerts for conference attendees include an evening of jazz performances by internationally renowned guest artists, School of Music faculty and students on March 7, and an evening of performances by winners of the competitions on March 8. 

ASU School of Music doctoral students and alumni will also present solo and ensemble performances throughout the conference.

The ASU Saxophone Choir with Derek Brown (soloist) will perform on March 9 at 9:20 a.m. Members include Dylan Hong, Jared Waters, Nathan Salazar and Jade Deatherage on soprano saxophone; Zach Bell, Philip Holton, Freddy Ochoa, Louiza Charalambous, Peigang Han, Efrain Parra and Logan Larue on alto saxophone; Patrick Feher, Matt Fox, Chris Sacco, Gabe Robles, Jarrett Ardente and Taylor Harris on tenor saxophone; and Kristen Zelenak, Bonson Lee, Lewis McKerlie and Tanner Bayles on baritone saxophone.

In addition to performances and competitions with School of Music faculty and staff, graduate teaching assistants Jared Waters and Kristen Zelenak will assist Creviston with conference administration and Clinical Associate Professor Hannah Creviston serves as one of the conference collaborative pianists.

All events, except the opening concert, will be held at the ASU School of Music. All events are open to the public but require registration online with options to purchase tickets for a single day or for the entire conference. Ticket prices range from $25 per day to $85 for all four days. The NASA opening concert with the ASU Symphony Orchestra, Christopher Creviston and guest artists will be at Mesa Arts Center and is open to the public.