NASA Update Dr

North American Saxophone Alliance November/December 2006 in this issue... President’s1 Message Greetings from sunny Florida! My term as president will end with the 2,3,4,5, NASA Nominations for coming of a new year. My two years It is time for the NASA membership to as President of NASA have been the Fall 2006 elect three new members to the high point of my 26-year affiliation NASA governing board. The nominat- with the Alliance. As I move to the 6,&7 ing committee, chaired by Jim Umble, office of Past-President, I would like has assembled an outstanding slate of to thank you for your support of candidates for this year’s election. I NASA and its programs and to SmartMusic encourage you to take some time encourage you to get more involved. 8,9,10 today to read candidate biographies There is always more to do! and cast your ballot. This is one of the most important things we can do to I am very pleased to be succeeded by help guide NASA in the years to Steve Stusek, a colleague who I have 30th Anniversary of the come. You will find your ballot en- come to know and respect highly over Navy Band International closed in this issue of the NASA the past few years. I know NASA will Update. be in good hands with him at the helm. Saxophone10 Symposium I look forward to working with Steve, As I write this message, two institu- and continuing to make my own tions are preparing proposals to host contribution to the future of the North the 2008 Biennial Conference. Both American Saxophone Alliance. locations are very promising. We can Regional Update look forward to an exciting conference Jonathan Helton, President 11 next year. Look for an official an- [email protected] nouncement of the dates and location on the NASA website. The NASA Executive Committee is pleased to announce a new partnership IMPORTANT with MakeMusic, Inc. that will make ELECTION MATERIAL SmartMusic accompaniment and AND BALLOT practice software available to all of our INCLUDED members at a tremendous savings. See .................... details of this valuable new member PLEASE VOTE benefit in this issue of the NASA IMMEDIATELY Update. 2 NASA Nominations for Fall 2006 The ballot and voting information is in this Update President Elect: Applied Arts Award for Outstanding and to continue to grow as musicians Faculty”. Her students have won and people. Vive le Saxophone! Debra Richtmeyer national and international awards and perform and teach in North America and Europe. Richtmeyer’s latest solo CD, Extravaganza for Saxophone Timothy Roberts and Orchestra was recently released by Albany Records and was reviewed as “…flawless...an extraordinary album...” by the American Record Guide. Vision Statement It has been my privilege to be a member of the North American Saxophone Alliance for many years and I have thoroughly enjoyed the Debra Richtmeyer has been Professor opportunities to perform, meet and of Saxophone at the University of hear saxophonists from around the Illinois at Urbana-Champaign since world. NASA is a family, and my own 1991 and has performed as a soloist experiences and enduring relationships throughout North America and Europe have culminated into an idea of how American Saxophonist Timothy and in Slovakia and the Czech Repub- NASA can be at the forefront of Roberts, a native of Richardson, lic. She has performed and/or re- promoting saxophone advocacy to its Texas, is Principal Saxophonist and a corded as featured soloist with numer- current and future members. As National Tour Soloist with the United ous orchestras, bands and entertainers, communication through the internet States Navy Band in Washington, DC. and in 1997 became the first woman to increases, many new opportunities to He is also Coordinator of the Navy perform as a concerto soloist with promote the saxophone have become Band’s International Saxophone orchestra at a World Saxophone available. If elected President of Symposium. Having performed for Congress. Richtmeyer has given NASA I would like to explore new four U.S. Presidents and throughout all master classes at numerous national ways of uniting and expanding the 48 states since joining the ensemble in and international venues, has served NASA membership to increase the 1987, Roberts is a regularly featured two terms as Second Vice President of promotion of the saxophone and its soloist on Navy Band National Concert the North American Saxophone music. By broadening the NASA Tours throughout the Washington, D.C. Alliance, and is an artist and clinician website to include more information area and around the world. for the Selmer Corporation. Previously and links to the world of saxophone, its a member of the music faculty at the music and its pedagogy, we can make As winner of the National Symphony University of North Texas from 1981- it possible for the general public, as Orchestra’s Concerto Competition, he 1991, Richtmeyer holds degrees from well as ourselves, to share the vast appeared as soloist with the orchestra Northwestern University, where she knowledge and experience that we at the Kennedy Center for the Per- was a student and teaching assistant of collectively enjoy. The common forming Arts. The Washington Post Frederick L. Hemke. Richtmeyer sentiment is that every year we are was on hand and described his perfor- received the 2002 University of Illinois busier than ever, and it therefore mance of Jacque Ibert’s Concertino “Campus Award for Outstanding becomes even more important for us da Camera as “simply stunning.” His Graduate and Professional Teaching” to have a way to stay connected, share and the 1997 UI “College of Fine and our experiences, learn from each other, (Cont’d on Page 3) 3 Timothy Roberts (Cont’d) in Shepherdstown, W.Va. Most exposure of our instrument, along with recently he served two successful the ranks of our membership down the 1999 concerto performance with the terms as Secretary of the North road. If elected to the position of Navy Band in Quebec was reviewed American Saxophone Alliance. President-Elect, I would work closely by Le Soliel as “The audience enjoyed with the rest of the Executive Board to the fluid technique, lightness of tone, Vision Statement affect innovative ways to further these and impeccable playing of saxophonist ideals. Timothy Roberts.” Most recently, the As a professional organization I would Dallas Morning News noted, “... the like to see us do more to promote an especially deft, lovingly played saxo- atmosphere that breeds an image of Secretary: phone lent (his) own magic.” the saxophone inclusive of all styles of Jan Berry-Baker Roberts makes frequent appearances music – one that all types of musical with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra patrons would want to come listen to. performing in Dallas, on European At our biennial conferences, too much festival tours, and on numerous of the music being programmed is recordings on the Dorian, Delos, and never receiving a second performance. Hyperion compact disc labels. He There are many ways to improve this. was one of three international saxo- Contemporary music is very important phonists chosen to perform with the - so we need to encourage more panel Orchestre d’harmonie du Congres discussions and workshops at our mondial du saxophone at the XII World meetings and in our publications on Saxophone Congress in Montreal, and programming techniques and the he later performed at the XIII and XIV proper ways to successfully commis- World Saxophone Congresses in sion new music. As educators we need Minneapolis and Ljubljana, Slovenia, to then follow through back home by respectively. His tenor saxophone facilitating these types of discussions compact disc, Vocalise, is available on among our own local and university the Open Loop label. Roberts students, the future leaders of our Saxophonist Jan Berry Baker is a recently completed his Doctorate of membership. We also have a reputa- native of Alberta, Canada. As a soloist Musical Arts from the Catholic tion as being enthusiastic performers of and chamber musician, she has University of America, where he also a “newer” instrument. For this reason performed throughout North America, holds a Master of Music in Orchestral composers often flock to us, and we France, Switzerland, Austria and the Instruments. He has had numerous need to do more to give our members Czech Republic. She has won top pieces composed especially for him, the right tools to teach selectivity in our prizes in numerous competitions most recently John Heins’ Concerto programming. including the Fischoff National Cham- for Alto Saxophone and Wind ber Music Competition, the North Ensemble, and Wilfred Holcombe’s Additionally, we have a much lower American Saxophone Alliance Con- Blues Concerto for Alto Saxophone. ratio of jazz saxophonists performing at our conferences than what exists in the certo Competition and the Johann Strauss Society competition. As an A strong proponent of music education, real world. Although we have always orchestral saxophonist, she regularly Roberts has published over thirty been an academically legit-based plays with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, columns for Saxophone Joumal. He institution, many of us know world- Grant Park Orchestra, Chicago has developed a popular master class class jazz colleagues in our own Philharmonic and the Peninsula Music entitled “Developing a Disciplined universities and schools. As individual Festival Orchestra. Her recent Practice Routine” that was premiered members of the organization we need recording of Barbara Kolb’s All in on a compact disc included in the to encourage these saxophonists to Good Time with the Grant Park magazine. Much in demand as a offer more of their expertise to us in Orchestra was released on the Cedille soloist with university and community both writing and at meetings.

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