Andrew Harrison – Soprano Saxophone
Jacob Hallman – Alto Saxophone
Isaac Lopez – Tenor Saxophone
Robert Alexander – Baritone Saxophone
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Acclaimed as “a virtuoso saxophonist” (Beverly Hills National Auditions), and a “magician showing off his tricks” (www.austin360.com), Dr. Andrew Harrison has emerged as one of today’s most unique and engaging musicians, leading him to perform hundreds of concerts throughout the United States and Europe as a chamber musician and soloist. He has placed in numerous prestigious competitions, including the Berliner International Competition, the U.S. “Pershing’s Own” Collegiate Concerto Competition, and most recently the American Prize in Music. Dr. Harrison has been featured with several groups, including the Downey Symphony Orchestra, Music Academy of the West Orchestra, Cal Poly Pomona and La Sierra University Wind Ensembles, and the Pacific Symphony Youth Wind Ensemble, and his playing has been described as “spectacular” (LA Opus) with a sound that is “broad and rich” (The Instrumentalist).
An advocate for contemporary saxophone music, Dr. Harrison has premiered over 30 new works by emerging and preeminent composers including Joel Love, Jules Pegram, Jim Stephenson, and Jennifer Higdon, among others, which range from solo works to large ensemble premieres. He has also recorded on several acclaimed albums, including Shadow of Sirius (GRAMMY Nomination, 2016) and Places in the West with with the University of Texas Wind Ensemble, Over the Rainbow and Bach Again with the TexSax Saxophone Ensemble, and has released In the City: New Works for Saxophone Quartet under his own label.
As an educator, Dr. Harrison is a frequent presenter of masterclasses and clinics at numerous high schools, universities, and conferences around the country, including the North American Saxophone Alliance, Texas Music Educators Association, and Denison Tutti Festival, along with Residencies at Websters University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Franklin College, to name a few. His students have been accepted to many prestigious schools and organizations, including Cal State Fullerton, University of the Pacific, USC, UT Austin, University of North Texas, the Pacific Symphony Youth Ensemble, and the Riverside Philharmonic.
Currently, Dr. Harrison serves on the faculty of Mt. San Antonio College, Cerritos College, and the French Conservatory of Music, and previously served as the Saxophone Mentor Artist at the Colburn School. He holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, and a Masters degree from the University of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music, and his teachers have included legendary saxophonist Harvey Pittel, and LA Philharmonic Saxophonists Jim Rotter and Douglas Masek. He is the Co-Founder of the Uproar Duo with acclaimed pianist Clare Longendyke, and is an Endorsing Artist with Eastman Winds.
Jacob Hallman is a learning-obsessed artist and author of Ready Set Go: Life Hacks for Young Musicians. Why so obsessed? Well, getting a master’s degree in saxophone from the University of Missouri with Leo Saguiguit, then studying at conservatories in Bordeaux, France with Marc Chisson and Madrid, Spain with Francisco Martinez has nothing to with it. OK maybe a little!
Several marks of his learning obsession lie in his collaborative projects. In 2019, Hallman translated with Dr. William Street Towards a History of the Saxophone and Saxophonists. Written by J.M. Londeix, the author offers a history of the saxophone from the birth of its inventor, Adolphe Sax, until the end of the 19th century. Hallman also served as editorial assistant to Michael J. Budds in the publication of several College Music Society books including but not limited to Duke Ellington as Pianist: A Study of Styles by Matthew J. Cooper, The Adagio of Samuel Barber by Wayne C. Wentzel, and Lotte Lehmann in America: Her Legacy as Artist Teacher by Kathy Brown.
As a performer, Hallman published his own album In the Hall (2008), a compilation of original music with pop and classical arrangements for the jazz genre. He plays as lead alto on Vertigo: The Music of Mike Mainieri (2010), a production of Arthur White and Shane Olsen. Original music is the future of the saxophone, and Hallman has also commissioned works by composers like Cheryl Bocanegra, Michael E. Anderson, Joshua D. Peterson, and Christian Lauba. Before the pandemic, he teaches introductory music at the Our Savior Lutheran Church Music Academy in Arcadia, California while actively composing jazz and choral music for their services. He is currently composing a suite of choir songs for the Christmas season. You can find his music on YouTube and Apple Music.
Dr. Isaac López is making a name for himself as a multifaceted saxophonist in the Los Angeles community. Recently graduated from the University of Southern California with his Doctorate in Music Performance, he is currently an educator as the: Jazz Ensemble Director, Orchestral Coach, and Private Lessons Instructor at the Los Angeles Music and Arts School; Saxophone Instructor with the Harmony Project of Los Angeles; and Woodwind Sectional Coach with the St. Matthew Episcopal School in the Pacific Palisades. During his time at USC, Dr. López developed his skills leading large ensembles as the Teaching Assistant for the Afro-Latin-American-Jazz-Ensemble alongside his private lessons instruction as the Teaching Assistant for the Saxophone Studio.
As a performer, he has had the pleasure of working with various Symphony Orchestras in Northern California including the: Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera, Modesto Symphony, Merced Symphony, and in his hometown with the Stockton Symphony. Outside of the symphonic halls, Dr. López enjoys composing, arranging, and performing with his Latin-Soul band, Korduroy, with whom he has recorded an EP of original music. Recently he has also taken on the exciting challenge of film composition, with the release of horrorcomedy short, “The Bogeyman,” and upcoming Sci-Fi short premiere, “Phenomena.” This year will be an exciting one for Dr. López, with plans of recording an album of classical works from throughout Latin America, in addition to the release of his podcast, “Polytonality”: a long-form interview format, illuminating the multifaceted and decorated careers musicians create for themselves to stay both “afloat” and to remain constantly inspired.
Dr. López received his DMA in Music Performance with Minors in Music Theory, Arts Leadership, and Latin Jazz from USC under the guidance of Dr. Jessica Maxfield, Dr. Chris Bartz, and Mr. Aaron Serfaty. He received his MM in Music Performance also from USC under the guidance of Dr. Douglas Masek and Mr. Jim Rötter. And received his Dual Bachelors, BM, in Music Performance and Music Management at the University of the Pacific under the mentorship of Mr. David Henderson.
Robert Alexander (b.1996) is a Boulder-based saxophonist and composer of instrumental and vocal music. His musical career began at an early age with a love for large, sweeping symphonic film scores and lessons in the saxophone, musical roots he has held onto while ingesting some sensibilities of the classical world throughout his years of formal training. As a lover of math he works to integrate as much as he can between these two connected worlds of math and music and he is constantly fueled by the inspirations one feeds the other.
As a composer, Robert has been recognized as a finalist for the ASCAP Morton Gould Award and has been performed by ensembles like the Boulder Altitude Directive, the World Youth Wind Symphony, the USC Symphony, loadbang, the Callisto Trio, and the Spirit of Troy Marching Band. He is currently working on a solo cello suite commissioned by Annie Jacobs-Perkins and a wind ensemble work for the CU Boulder Wind Ensemble.
Robert studied at the University of Colorado, Boulder and the University of Southern California. In saxophone he has studied with Jessica Maxfield, Christopher Bartz, and Greg Chambers. He has studied composition with Jeff Nytch, Carter Pann, Andrew Norman, Frank Ticheli, Sean Friar, and Ted Hearne. You can learn more about him and his music at robertalexander.net.
PROGRAM
Arrival of the Queen of Sheba (1749)…………………………G.F. Handel (1685-1759)
Finding the Words…………………………Michael Markowski (3 movements)
Andante et Scherzo…………………………Eugene Bozza (2 movements)
Sud America…………………………Lino Florenzo (4 Movements)
Drastic Measures…………………………Russell Peck (2 Movements)
Twinkle Twinkle…………………………Arr. Ed Calle
