Myles Boothroyd is a performing saxophonist, teacher, and music scholar. At home in the various realms of classical, jazz, and contemporary music, he presents concert repertoire that crosses the boundaries of nations, cultures, and musical traditions. Boothroyd serves as Assistant Professor of Saxophone at the University of Oklahoma and has been a member of both the Wisconsin-based Generation Quartet and the award-winning East End Quartet. Additionally, his soprano saxophone playing with the Traverse City Saxophone Quartet is featured on the 2018 live album by Jeff Hass, Jazz at Sunset: Celebrating 25 Years.

As a soloist and chamber musician, Boothroyd has contributed to the creation of numerous new works for saxophone, including compositions by Martin Bresnick, Olivia Kieffer, Graham Lynch, Michael Markowski, Joel Martinson, and Mischa Zupko. His list of world premieres includes Symphony Cocteau by Graham Lynch (2018) and Triptych Fantasy by Joel Martinson (2019), the latter of which was performed with Doug Cleveland at the 2019 Convention of the Organ Historical Society in Dallas, Texas.

Boothroyd is active in the international saxophone community as a performer and administrator. He served as Program Chair for the 2024 North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) Biennial Conference and as a program committee member for the 2023 NASA Conference. He previously earned top national prizes in the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Solo and Chamber Music Competitions, the NASA Collegiate Solo Competition, and the Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition.

Along with maintaining an active performing career, Boothroyd distinguishes himself as a researcher and scholar. He is Editor of The Saxophone Symposium, a peer-reviewed journal and the premier publication of saxophone literature, performance, and pedagogy in North America. His articles have been published in Nota Bene and in The Eastman Case Studies, and he has shared original research at conferences in Chicago, Cincinnati, Honolulu, Lansing, and Montreal.

Boothroyd formerly served as Assistant Professor of Saxophone at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where he was also appointed Associate Director of the Very Young Composers of Central Wisconsin. Before then, he taught as Adjunct Professor of Saxophone at Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, New York. Boothroyd holds a Doctor of Musical Arts (Saxophone), a Master of Music (Saxophone), and a Master of Arts (Music Theory Pedagogy) from the Eastman School of Music. He also holds the Eastman Arts Leadership Certificate, Eastman Performer’s Certificate, and the University of Rochester’s Edward Peck Curtis Award for excellence in teaching by a graduate student. Boothroyd received his Bachelor of Music Education from Central Michigan University. His primary teachers have been John Nichol and Chien-Kwan Lin, and he has also studied in lessons and masterclasses with Vincent David, Lars Mlekusch, Doug O’Connor, Taimur Sullivan, and James Umble.

Saxophonist Matthew Tracy (he/him) is a multifaceted musician whose performance experience and pedagogy have made him a sought-after educator and clinician. After receiving his Doctor of Musical Arts from Michigan State University, Tracy has go

ne on to lead a robust education career. Tracy serves as Assistant Professor of Saxophone at Missouri State University, and formerly served on the faculties of Southwestern Oklahoma State University and Alma (MI) College. Additionally, he has appeared as a clinician in schools across the United States. Tracy strives to instill a deep connection to music through deep listening, commitment to sound, and a solid fundamental base in all his students. In addition to a robust teaching career, Tracy is an accomplished chamber musician, winning awards in the Fischoff, Plowman, Coleman, MTNA, and North American Saxophone Alliance chamber music competitions. Tracy has performed as a concerto soloist at the North American Saxophone Alliance Region IV Conference, with Michigan State University Symphony Orchestra, and the Southwestern Oklahoma State Wind Symphony

An advocate for new music, Tracy has premiered, commissioned, and recorded a number of new works for saxophone by composers such as Reynold Simpson, Phillip Sink, Justin Rito, Curtis Smith, and Andy Francis. Upcoming projects include the 2023 world premiere of a new work by composer Chihchun Chi-sun Lee. Spring 2025 will also see the release of a new album entitled Modus Tollens.

In his free time, Tracy enjoys hiking and spending time with his family and his dog, a rescued Great Pyrenees named Ella.

DescriptioJoshua Heany

 Dr. Joshua Heaney is a saxophonist and music educator based in Oklahoma City. His performances and research have taken him to Italy, Switzerland, and throughout the United States at regional and national engagements. Described as, “a sparkling and emotionally charged elixir of sound” (Morning Classics with Mary Claire Murphy), Dr. Heaney has received accolades from audiences and critics alike. He was a prizewinning performer in the Thomas M. Brumby Concerto Competition, Medici International Music Competition, Susquehanna University Concerto Competition, Georgia State University Music Honors Competition, Great Composers Competition Series, Douglas Wayland Chamber Competition, GMTA Solo Winds and Chamber Winds Competitions, ENKOR International Chamber Music Competition and a North American Saxophone Alliance Quartet Competition finalist with Rosarium Quartet. Dr. Heaney has performed as a concerto soloist with the Oklahoma City Symphonic Band, Keene State University Concert Band, Heidelberg University Symphonic Band, Atlanta Chamber Collective, Atlanta Wind Project, Georgia State University Wind Ensemble, among others. He has also performed in the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Lima Symphony, Macon Symphony, Snow Pond Music Festival Orchestra, and the Eastern Music Festival Pops.

An artist striving for human connection through contemporary music, Dr. Heaney has commissioned and premiered over 40 works by distinguished composers such as Augusta Read Thomas, Marilyn Shrude, Marc Mellits, Michael Schelle, Viet Cuong, and many others. He has performed for engagements including Atlanta SoundNOW, Bowling Green New Music Festival, Indiana State University Contemporary Music Festival, College Music Society Great Lakes Regional Conference, Society for Minimalist Music’s International Conference on Music and Minimalism, Navy Band Saxophone Symposium, National Association for Music Education Eastern Region Conference, and North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial and Regional Conferences. He also has been featured on various music series and radio programs, such as ArtsX, EAR|EYE, ASCAP New Music Friday, San Francisco Classical Voice’s Week in Music, WABE Atlanta Music Scene, WGTE Live from FM 91, among others. Most recently, Dr. Heaney premiered “Ripple,” a new concerto for saxophone, wind ensemble, and electronics by Matthew Kennedy. Dr. Heaney can be heard performing music by Steve Reich and Viet Cuong on commercial single releases as well as music by composers Stephen Woods and Matthew Quayle on commercial album releases. In 2022, Dr. Heaney released his debut album ALCHEMY in collaboration with pianist and composer Benjamin T. Nylander, available on CD and digital platforms through Clarinet & Saxophone Classics Recordings (London, UK).

Beyond performing, Dr. Heaney is an impassioned music educator and regularly presents masterclasses, clinics, and performances at public schools and universities. His passion for music education extended to a residency at the Giuseppe Sarti Scuola di Musica in Faenza, Italy through the Susquehanna University GO Program, where he researched the Italian community music education system and ear-training pedagogy. He served as Orchestra Director at Rolesville High School in Raleigh, North Carolina as part of the Wake County Public School System. During his tenure at Rolesville, Dr. Heaney was awarded Wake County’s Diane Kent-Parker First-Year Teacher Award and was featured as WRAL-5’s Teacher of the Week.

Dr. Heaney serves as Saxophone Instructor & Recruitment Coordinator at Oklahoma City University’s Wanda L. Bass School of Music. He is the founder and director of the Oklahoma Saxophone Ensemble. He previously held academic teaching appointments at Heidelberg University and Bowling Green State University. During summers, Dr. Heaney teaches saxophone at New England Music Camp as well as the internationally recognized Frederick L. Hemke Saxophone Institute at Snow Pond Music Festival. Dr. Heaney holds degrees from Susquehanna University, Georgia State University, and Bowling Green State University (DMA). Dr. Heaney’s primary teachers include Gail B. Levinsky, Jan Baker, John Sampen, David Bixler, and Frederick L. Hemke. He maintains active affiliations with the National Association for Music Education, the North American Saxophone Alliance, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.n text goes here

DescripDr. Claire Salli is a saxophonist and educator based in Laredo, Texas. She currently serving as the Assistant Professor of Saxophone at Texas A&M International University. Prior to this appointment she worked at Our Lady of the Lake University and Lubbock Christian University. Dr. Salli has performed solo and chamber recitals across the United States as well an Italy, Croatia, and Andorra. As an advocate for new music, she has commissioned and premiered over 12 new works for the saxophone. In the summer Dr. Salli works at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp as saxophone faculty. She is also a member of the Austin Saxophone Ensemble and recently endorsed as a Conn-Selmer Artist. Dr. Salli has degrees from Stephen F Austin State University, Bowling Green State University, Georgia State University, and Texas Tech University.tion text goes here

Description texHeralded by critics as a "saxophone powerhouse" (TakeEffect) with a penchant for modern, swinging melodicism, (jazz critic Scott Yanow), Origin Records recording artist Jordan VanHemert is the Director of Jazz Studies at Northeastern State University. He is currently touring as a bandleader and has performed in iconic venues across the United States. Acclaimed for his "adept and purposeful" solos that "swing surely and easily in the manner of Sonny Rollins" (All About Jazz), VanHemert’s compositions pay homage to his Korean roots and his inspiration from blues-infused hard bop tradition that was handed down to him by his mentors.

VanHemert can be heard on over 15 commercial recordings and has performed at iconic venues throughout Europe, the United States, and Asia, including ShapeShifter Lab, The Painted Bride, The Blue Llama, The Muse, Cliff Bell’s, Edgefest, Elkhart Jazz Festival, the Korean Cultural Foundation of Philadelphia, Cafe El Despertar (Madrid), Club Matador (Madrid), Binh Minh Jazz Club (Hanoi), and the Nha Trang International Jazz Festival. VanHemert has performed or recorded with some of the most celebrated artists in jazz, including Rodney Whitaker, John Webber, Dmitri Matheny, Chris Vadala, Geri Allen, Helen Sung, Vince DiMartino, Terell Stafford, and more. His most recent project, Deep in the Soil, has been praised for its “Brilliance, sparkle, and punctuation.” (Couleurs France)

Passionate about empowering the next generation of musicians, Dr. VanHemert currently teaches at Northeastern State University where he leads the Jazz Studies program. Previously, he has taught at the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University and Hope College, earning awards for exemplary teaching and his commitment to students in and outside the classroom.

Jordan Vanhemert is a Vandoren Artist-Clinician, Henri Selmer Paris Saxophones Artist Ambassador, and KeyLeaves endorsing artist. He performs exclusively on Vandoren reeds and mouthpieces and Selmer Paris saxophones, and he uses KeyLeaves products on all of his saxophones. He holds degrees from Central Michigan University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.t goes here

Acclaimed saxophonist Paul Haar has contributed his notable talent to numerous projects in both the jazz and classical genres and is recognized “one of the rare saxophonists who is equally gifted as a classical and jazz musician.” (Gary Foster). 
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He has performed throughout the world including the United States, Canada, Europe, South America and Asia. He has given performances at such noted venues as Carnegie Hall, Spivey Hall, The Shanghai Conservatory, The Theatro da Paz (Brazil), the Tanglewood Institute and the Sichuan Conservatory of Music
Haar has commissioned and performed works by Stacy Garrop, Jack Cooper, David von Kampen, Leslie Hogan, Ben Boone, Kenneth Fuchs, Randal Snyder and has premiered works with wind ensembles from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, The University of Texas at Austin, The University of Tennessee, Pacific Lutheran University and The University of South Carolina. In addition to his solo performances, he has performed with such ensembles as The Tanglewood Music Center Fellowship Orchestra, The Arapahoe Philharmonic, The Austin Symphony, The Asheville Symphony, Lincoln Symphony and the Omaha Symphony.

In the jazz idiom he has performed with such artists as Gary Foster, Dave Brubeck, James Moody, Bobby Shew, Jerry Bergonzi, The Manhattan Transfer, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Phil Woods, and has backed such personalities as Lou Rawls, The Chiffons, Tony Bennett, Michael Bublé, Glades Knight and the Temptations, Kristin Chenoweth.
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He has recorded on the Sea Breeze label as a member of the Boulevard Big Band (with saxophonist Eric Marienthal and vocalist Kevin Mahogany), the Osland Saxophone Quartet and on the Centaur Label (the Chamber Music of Jack Cooper.) In addition to his solo work, Dr. Haar is active in such groups as The Heartland Duo, The TCB Saxophone Quartet, Group Sax, and The Nebraska Jazz Orchestra.

As an educator, he has presented featured clinics and master classes The Sichuan Conservatory of Music, The Beijing Conservatory of Contemporary Music, The Shanghai Conservatory, The Carlos Gomes Music Conservatory (Brazil) at The 31st and 32nd Annual International Association for Jazz Education Conferences, The 59th Annual Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, IAJE Teacher’s Training Institute, Tennessee Music Educators Association, Arizona Music Educators Association, Nebraska Music Educators Association, The Jazz Education Network international conference, The U.S. Navy Band Saxophone Symposium, and numerous regional and national conventions of the North American Saxophone Alliance.

He has published articles in the Tennessee Musician, The Instrumentalist, Jazz Times Magazine, Jazz Times Jazz Education Editions (2003, 2004, 2005), and the Saxophone Journal (where he was a featured columnist for nearly ten years. In 2017-2022 he was the editor in chief of THE SAXOPHONIST Magazine. (www.thesaxphonist.org). This unique saxophone-centered publication is viewed in over 40 countries around the world. 

A native of Fremont, Nebraska, Dr. Haar received the B.M. and M.M. from The University of Kansas and received a D.M.A. in Saxophone Performance with an Emphasis in Jazz Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. He currently serves as the Associate Professor of Saxophone at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is a proud affiliate-artist for Key Leaves Products, Conn-Selmer Instruments, D'Addario Reeds and, Rousseau Mouthpieces.

Description text goes heDr. Sarah Roberts is Associate Professor of Saxophone and Jazz Studies at The University of Texas at Tyler. With an extremely diverse background in classical, jazz, and popular music; Dr. Roberts has performed with a gamut of ensembles ranging from traditional saxophone quartets, to new music groups, to rock bands, to jazz groups and all points in between. In the East Texas area, Dr. Roberts frequently performs with her self-titled jazz quartet (Sarah Roberts Quartet) and other local jazz ensembles including The Jazz Connection, Souled Out Jazz Orchestra, and Rose City Jazz Orchestra. In February 2017, she formed a classical trio titled Essimar, that is dedicated to promoting new music with unusual instrumentation. In addition, she has been a saxophonist for various orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New World Symphony, Plano Symphony, Irving Symphony, Texarkana Symphony, East Texas Symphony, Longview Symphony, and San Angelo Symphony; has been a substitute saxophonist with the Dallas Wind Symphony, the Lonestar Wind Orchestra, and Allen Philharmonic Winds; and is a member of Kris Berg’s Metroplexity Big Band. Through her performances with the Metroplexity Big Band she has shared the stage with such musicians as Phil Woods, Tom Bones Malone, Wayne Bergeron, Kirk Whalum, Chris Vadala, and Clay Jenkins to name a few. Dr. Roberts has also performed for such acts as The O’Jays, Johnny Mathis, and The Temptations. Furthermore, she has presented recitals and lectures throughout the United States including presentations at discipline specific conventions for such organizations as the North American Saxophone Alliance and the Jazz Education Network.

A native of Fort Madison, Iowa, Dr. Roberts made her soloist debut at the age of seventeen with the Southeast Iowa Symphony, performing Henri Tomasi’s Concerto for saxophone and orchestra.  The following year she was a featured soloist with the Des Moines Symphony in Des Moines, Iowa; and the World Youth Symphony Orchestra at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Interlochen, Michigan. In 2008, Dr. Roberts made her European debut when she was invited to perform with the Juilliard School’s AXIOM Ensemble on their Beyond the Machine 7.0 – The Eye/Ear Collaboration concert at the Tanhalle in Zurch, Switzerland.  During the summer of 2010, Dr. Roberts traveled with a student group from the University of North Texas to Shanghai, China, and performed with the East China Normal University Orchestra, in addition to presenting master classes and performances with the UNT jazz combo throughout Shanghai. She returned to China during November 2017 to present lectures, masterclasses, and perform at Harbin University.

In January 2018, Dr. Roberts was the featured guest artist for Linn-Mar High School’s Java and Jazz annual event in Marion, Iowa. She has also been the guest artist with the Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s jazz band for their annual jazz festival in 2012; and in 2014 she was the Artist-in-Residence with the Southeast Iowa Symphony. In February 2017, Dr. Roberts was the featured soloist with the Mineola Middle School Band for their TMEA Honor Band Performance where she premiered a work specifically commissioned for the event. In April 2017, she was the featured soloist for the Canton High school Band’s annual gala. In addition, as a member of the Dallas-based Metroplexity Big Band and can be heard on their two albums Time Management and This Time/Last Year. Dr. Roberts can also be heard on the University of North Texas Two O’Clock album, Too Two, several North Texas Wind Ensemble recordings, and Tom Walker’s Gospel Train Big Band album.

As an adjudicator, Dr. Roberts is frequently a judge for various festivals and competitions such as the Frisco Jazz Festival and the Collin College Jazz Festival in addition to other festivals throughout the state of Texas. Furthermore, Dr. Roberts has been the regional clinician for numerous TMEA and ATSSB all-region jazz festivals throughout Texas and has been the conductor of the TISD all-city band festival. She is also on the faculty of the Texas All-Star Jazz Camp a summer camp held at Collin College and serves as the band conductor for the Green Acres Middle School Band Camp; and in the summer of 2018 she started first-ever The University of Texas at Tyler Jazz Camp and received a JAZZ2U grant from the Jazz Education Network.

As a supporter of new music, Dr. Roberts has been instrumental in promoting the ever-growing repertoire featuring saxophone. In addition to commissioning a new concert for Alto Saxophone and Middle Band titled The Pursuit by Micah Bell, she has also been actively involved in the development of new music for the Essimartrio. In addition, she has been involved in three commissioning consortiums. The first featuring supporting the commission Behemoth by Roshanne Etezady for baritone saxophone and percussion. The second and third commissioning consortiums are currently underway by composers Chris Hass and Haley Woodrow.

Since 2015, Dr. Roberts has been a member of the East Texas Youth Orchestra board serving first as the University Liaison, then as the Secretary and Vice-President of the organization. In Fall 2017, Dr. Roberts created and implemented the ETYO’s first-ever Jazz Academy providing youth in East Texas the opportunity to study and perform America’s music, jazz. In addition, Dr. Roberts serves as the TMEA College Representative for Region 21 and was the President of the Texas Jazz Educators Association during the 2017-18 academic year. Currently, she is a member of the TJEA Board as a Director. 

Dr. Roberts completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in saxophone performance from the University of North Texas in August 2015. She also holds dual Master of Music degrees in saxophone performance and jazz studies from the University of North Texas and dual undergraduate degrees in saxophone performance and jazz studies from the University of Michigan. Her primary saxophone teachers include Donald Sinta, Donald Walden, Eric Nestler, and Jim Riggs.

Dr. Roberts is a Selmer Paris Performing Artist and a Vandoren Artist-Clinician and performs exclusively on Selmer and Vandoren products.re

Logan Banister is a classical and jazz saxophonist, composer, and educator. As a classical saxophonist, Logan has given performances around the world at the World Saxophone Congress, North American Saxophone Alliance Conferences, and at Steinway Hall in New York City. As a jazz and commercial musician, Logan has performed throughout the United States and Europe with world-renowned artists including Ingrid Jensen, Andy Middleton, Keith Anderson, and BEATBoX Saxophonist Derek Brown.

Logan serves as Assistant Professor of Saxophone at Lamar University where he teaches applied saxophone and directs the Lamar Cardinal Jazz Orchestra. He maintains an active schedule as a clinician for local high schools, honor groups, and at universities around the country. Logan holds degrees from the University of Colorado Boulder (DMA Saxophone Performance and Pedagogy), Baylor University (MM Saxophone Performance), and Oklahoma Christian University (BME).