A pedagogical game plan is always valuable to help saxophonists to reach that next performance level - discussions of various aspects of saxophone pedagogy will be presented along with performance examples by the artist/clinicians. An informative session of saxophone topics for both students and teachers alike.
Joseph Lulloff
- Biographical Information
Acclaimed internationally for his innovative style and musical virtuosity, Yamaha and Vandoren
Performing Artist Joseph Lulloff has been described by Branford Marsalis as "a marvelous
musician" whose "knowledge of music, along with his ability to embrace music normally
considered outside the sphere, makes him a joy to listen to." Mr. Lulloff enjoys a prolific career
as both a performing saxophone artist and teacher. A recipient of the Concert Artists Guild
Award, the Pro Musicis International Soloist Award, the Michigan State University Distinguished
Faculty Award, and the Withrow Award for Excellence in Teaching from the MSU College of
Music, Mr. Lulloff has been featured as guest soloist with numerous orchestras and wind bands
both in the United States and abroad, including with the Cleveland, Minnesota, Grand Rapids,
and Brevard Music Center Orchestra. He has concertized extensively throughout North and South
America, Europe, and Asia, performing at several music festivals including the Ojai Festival, the
Lucerne Festival, the Moscow Autumn Festival, and the Ravinia Festival, and notable venues
such as Carnegie Hall, Disney Hall, Weill Recital Hall, and the Smithsonian Institute. Mr.
Lulloff has also served as principal saxophonist with the Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota,
and St. Louis Symphony Orchestras.
Energy, intensity, and artistry characterize Mr. Lulloff's performances in both classical and jazz
settings. Commenting on his performances with the Cleveland Orchestra of the Ingolf Dahl
Concerto for Alto Saxophone, music critic Dan Rosenberg wrote, "Lulloff was amazing. He
traversed the instrument with seamless agility, filled out phrases for all their expressive worth.”
The Akron Beacon Journal wrote "Joseph Lulloff played with all the finesse of a top-notch
concert violinist." Further, the New York Times commented on this performance, stating that
“…Mr. Lulloff demonstrated considerable virtuosity as a soloist.”
Mr. Lulloff holds a strong interest in collaborations with many notable composers to enhance the
contemporary saxophone canon. The Bryant Concerto was commissioned as a gift to him and the
MSU Wind Symphony from Mr. Howard Gourwitz, and has been well received both in the
United States and abroad.
He currently as Professor of Saxophone at Michigan State University where his students have
won multiple prestigious national competitions, including the Gold and Silver Medal prizes in the
Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, and first prizes in the Coleman, Carmel, North American
Saxophone Alliance, Plowman, and MTNA Competitions. Alumni of his saxophone studio
have found success in a variety of performance and pedagogical fields, from performing with
the nations top military bands to teaching at notable music schools at universities throughout
the country.
Equally at home in the realms of classical and jazz performance, Mr. Lulloff holds the alto
saxophone chair with the Capitol Quartet. He is featured both as a soloist and ensemble
member in numerous recordings on the Albany, Arabesque, AUR, Blue Griffin, Channel
Classics, RCA, and White Pine labels. During summers, he teaches at the Great Plains
Saxophone Workshop in Oklahoma, and the Brevard Music Center Summer Music Institute in
North Carolina, along with other music festivals throughout the United States and Europe.
website: www.joelulloff.com
John Nichol is Professor of Saxophone at Central Michigan University. Professor Nichol has performed at the Montreaux Jazz Festival in Montreaux, Switzerland (1997), the North Sea Jazz Festival at The Hague, Netherlands (1997) and the Ford Detroit International Jazz Festival (2000, 2001, 2002). Professor Nichol has also performed by invitation at eight World Saxophone Congresses: Chicago, Illinois (1979), Nuremberg, Germany (1982), Kawasaki, Japan (1988), Valencia, Spain (1997) and Montreal, Canada (2000), Minneapolis, Minnesota (2003), St. Andrews, Scotland (2012), and Strasbourg, France (2015). Professor Nichol has performed with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, the Harry James Orchestra, the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, the Lansing Symphony Jazz Band, and the Michigan Jazz Trail Big Band. In addition to his significant performing career, Professor Nichol has been awarded Central Michigan University’s premiere award for teaching excellence three times. Professor Nichol can be heard on Flights of Fancy (Centaur Recording, 2003), Caught in the Act (White Pine Music, 2007), Woodwind Echoes (White Pine Recording, 2008), and Conspiracy Theory (White Pine Music, 2010). John Nichol is a Yamaha Performing Artist, a Vandoren Artist, and is a Past President of the North American Saxophone Alliance.