Start: September 28, 2024 12:30 p.m.
End: September 28, 2024 1:30 p.m.
Location: Sursa Performance Hall
About
Join Dr. Drew Whiting for a masterclass on concert saxophone!
Saxophonist Drew Whiting has been a featured artist for the Turn Up Online Festival, presented the first ever Performer Curated Concert at the 2017 SEAMUS Conference, and was the featured performer for the Electronic Music Midwest Festival in 2019, where his performances were described as “exquisite and emotive… manag[ing] everything with aplomb”. Additionally, he has performed at the Toronto International Electroacoustic Symposium, Ball State University Festival of New Music, Third Practice Festival, SPLICE Festival and Institute, North American Saxophone Alliance Conferences, and the International Navy Band Saxophone Symposium. Drew has worked with composers such as Alexis Bacon, Jeff Herriott, Betsy Jolas, Erik Lund, Ed Martin, John Mayrose, Pauline Oliveros, Judith Shatin, and Pamela Z, and has premiered over forty works by established and emerging composers.
His debut solo album, In Lights Starkly Different, is available on Innova Recordings featuring recently composed works for saxophone and electronics, and has been met with acclaim. Critics have said, “What perhaps most recommends In Lights Starkly Different—aside from the pleasures afforded by Whiting’s prowess on soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxes—is its variety” (Textura), and “This is contemporary music at its best” (The Whole Note). Drew can also be heard on the NAXOS, Petrichor, and Centaur labels.
In addition to his new music pursuits, Drew regularly performs the standard concert saxophone repertoire, transcriptions of borrowed works, as well as commercial music. He has also recorded music for the Lifetime Television Network, and performed with iconic groups such as The Four Tops, The Temptations, and the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Currently, he performs with a variety of ensembles including the Water City Jazz Orchestra, and Wisconsin Symphonic Winds, and is a baritone saxophonist for the Coalescent Quartet.
Drew is a dedicated, passionate, and vibrant educator. As a Vandoren Artist-Clinician, Dr. Whiting has presented clinics at schools across Wisconsin, as well as universities across the nation. Dr. Whiting serves as Associate Professor of Saxophone at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.
Drew received his Bachelors's and Master of Music degrees from the Michigan State University College of Music where he studied with Joseph Lulloff. He earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where he studied with Debra Richtmeyer. Drew is a proud Yamaha Performing Artist and Vandoren Artist-Clinician, performing exclusively on Yamaha saxophones and Vandoren woodwind products.
Saxtemberfest Schedule
All Saxtemberfest events are free and open to the public.
Free Admission
This event is free and open to the public.
Parking
Parking is available in the McKinley Parking Garage (entrance on Ashland Avenue) located immediately south of Sursa Hall. On weekdays, metered parking ($1/hr) is available on the first floor of the garage until 7 p.m. at which time parking is free. This garage is free on weekends.