I’m extremely pleased to announce that I was recently appointed the new bassoonist of Zéphyros Winds, a New York based wind quintet. Now in its 18th season, Zéphyros is one of America’s most distinguished chamber ensembles. It’s an honor to join this acclaimed group and I’m really looking forward to begin performing with them. More information on the group at our website.

On December 3rd and 4th I performed with the Winston-Salem Symphony at the beautiful James A. Gray, Jr. Auditorium in the Old Salem Visitor Center. The program included Trittico Botticelliano by Ottorino Respighi and Beethoven Symphony No. 1 with Robert Moody conducting.

Review: http://cvnc.org/article.cfm?articleId=5224

On November 8th I performed a solo faculty recital at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. The program follows:

• Cinco peças para canto e fagote (1976) by Francisco Mignone with Elizabeth Pacheco Rose, soprano
• Duo Sonata (1977) by Sofia Gubaidulina with Rachael Elliott, bassoon
• Escape Wisconsin (2006) for solo bassoon by Caleb Burhans
• Sparkling in the Dark (2011) for bassoon, soprano saxophone, and electronics by Lawrence Dillon with Taimur Sullivan, soprano saxophone
• Billie (2003) for bassoon and ghettoblaster by Jacob Ter Veldhuis. Arranged for bassoon by Saxton Rose

In addition to the other grants, scholarships, and federal loans available to students, a Graduate Assistantship, Tuition Reductions, and Fellowships are being offered in the bassoon studio for the 2012-2013 academic year.
Download the pdf flyer

Bassoon Studio Graduate Assistantship

The School of Music at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts offers the Master of Music and Professional Artist Certificate for Bassoon. The bassoon assistantship is available beginning in the 2012-2013 academic year and can cover the cost of full-tuition. The graduate assistant works closely with Saxton Rose and duties may included instruction, ensemble assignments and other duties assigned by the School of Music.

Graduate Tuition Reductions and Fellowships

Fellowships, Graduate Tuition Reductions and other scholarships of varying amounts are awarded on a competitive basis, based on the recommendations of the School of Music faculty.

Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet Residency at UNCSA

In Februray 2013, UNCSA will host the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet for a teaching and performance residency on campus. Activities will include studio and chamber music master classes, topical discussions and a performance in Watson Recital Hall.

The University of North Carolina School of the Arts was founded as the nation’s first public conservatory for the arts, dedicated entirely to the intensive training and career development of aspiring artists in the performing, visual and moving image arts. It is a unique and extremely effective environment for students looking for a performance-focused school to refine their playing and for career preparation. Degrees are available at the undergraduate, master’s, post-master’s, and high school level.

On November 8th, I will be joined by soprano Elizabeth Pacheco Rose, bassoonist Rachael Elliott, and saxophonist Taimur Sullivan for a diverse evening of new solo and chamber music for bassoon, from Caleb Burhans’ manic solo work Escape Wisconsin, to Sofia Gubaidulina’s beautiful and frightening Duo Sonata for Two Bassoons, to the flirtatious Songs for Voice and Bassoon by Francisco Mignone. The performance will also feature Jacob Ter Veldhuis’ Billie for Bassoon and Ghettoblaster, and the premiere of a new work for bassoon, soprano saxophone and electronics by composition faculty member Lawrence Dillon.

7:30 p.m. at Watson Hall at UNCSA in Winston-Salem, NC
$15 adults / $13 students and seniors

Call the UNCSA Box Office at 336-721-1945 to reserve seats, or http://www.uncsa.edu/performances/boxoffice.htm

Heliand Consort will present “The Lightness of Being” – 20th century French music for winds and piano on Monday, October 17, 2011 at 7:30 pm in Watson Recital Hall, at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Heliand Consort’s opening program of the 2011-12 season features a variety of 20th century French music for woodwinds and piano, from Debussy and Ravel to members of “Les Six,” Paris’s most influential composers between the wars. Highlights include solo piano music by Ravel, “trio d’anches” (reed trios) by Ibert and Milhaud, and the beloved Trio for oboe, bassoon & piano by Francis Poulenc. Vermont’s dynamic chamber ensemble performs its debut North Carolina performance. Presented by UNCSA School of Music.

Free concert, open to the public, wheelchair accessible

The program will be repeated on Tuesday, October 18th at 8 pm at Duke University’s Nelson Music Room, sponsored by the Duke Department of Music.

For further information, please visit
http://heliandconsort.org/performances.html or call (802) 735-3611.

See previous schedules: 2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11

The following is Saxton Rose’s performance and event schedule for the 2011/2012 season. It is subject to change so if you have questions about attending an event, please contact me. Map to University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

May 31 – June 4:

Performances at the International Double Reed Society conference in Tempe, AZ. Recital with Dark in the Song of new works commissioned by the group from Christopher Dietz, Amy Beth Kirsten, Moon Young Ha, and Zhou Juan and a recital with soprano Elizabeth Pacheco Rose of music of Brahms and Mignone.

June 11:

Recital in Oswego, NY with pianist Rob Auler. Repertoire TBD

June 19-24:

Hosting the Double Reed Workshop at UNCSA. More information: http://www.uncsa.edu/summersession/music.htm

July 26-31:

Teaching and performing as faculty at the Quartz Mountain Music Festival in Southwest Oklahoma. More information

September 10:

Performance of Schubert’s Octet with UNCSA faculty at Watson Recital Hall. 7:30pm

September 11:

Performance of Schubert’s Octet with UNCSA faculty in Wilmington, NC at Beckwith Recital Hall as part of Chamber Music Wilmington. 7:30pm More information.

September 17, 18, 20:

Performances with Winston-Salem Symphony of Brahms’ Symphony no. 4, Grieg’s Piano Concerto and Fanfare to La Peri by Dukas

October 15, 16, 18:

Performances with Winston-Salem Symphony of Dvořák’s Symphony no. 7 and Ralph Vaughn William’s The Wasps.

October 17:

UNCSA hosts Heliand Consort presenting “The Lightness of Being” 20th century French music for winds and piano on Monday, October 17 at 7:30 pm in Watson Recital Hall, at UNCSA. Cynthia Huard, pianist; Elisabeth LeBlanc, clarinetist; Rachael Elliott, bassoonist. More information

October 28, 30 and November 1:

Performances with Piedmont Opera of Mozart’s Don Giovanni

November 3:

Premiere performance of new work for bassoon, soprano saxophone and electronics by Lawrence Dillon entitled ‘Sparkling in the Dark’ as part of the Forecast Music Series at The Garage in Winston-Salem, NC

November 8:

Solo faculty recital at UNCSA in Watson Recital Hall. Music of Jacob TV, Caleb Burhans, Henri Dutilleux, Sofia Gubaidulina, Francisco Mignone and a new work for bassoon, soprano saxophone and electronics by Lawrence Dillon

November 20, 22:

Performances with Winston-Salem Symphony of Bach’s St. John Passion

December 3, 4:

Performances with Winston-Salem Symphony Chamber Orchestra at Old Salem including Respighi’s Trittico botticelliano and Beethoven Symphony No. 1

December 13, 14, 15, 16:

Performances with Winston-Salem Symphony of Handel’s Messiah at Centenary United Methodist Church, Winston-Salem

January 10:

Performance of Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale. Watson Recital Hall, UNCSA

January 14, 15, 17:

Performances with Winston-Salem Symphony of Shostakovich’s Symphony no. 1 and music of Villa-Lobos, Bloch and Rossini

February 5-6:

Solo Recital and Masterclass at University of Colorado – Boulder. Recital February 5th, 2pm Grusin Music Hall. More information.

February 17-18:

Solo Recital and Masterclass as guest artist of the University of Texas-Arlington Double Reed Weekend. Contact Scott Pool, cspool@uta.edu for more information.

February 25:

Chamber music recital with the UNCSA woodwind faculty presenting a concert of classic French repertoire by Debussy and friends in celebration of his 150th birth year. 7:30pm, Watson Recital Hall

March 11-12:

Residency at Bowling Green State University with Dark in the Song, Contemporary Bassoon Ensemble. Recital March 12th includes works by Christopher Dietz, Amy Beth Kirsten, Jacob TV, Sofia Gubaidulina

March 16, 18, 20:

Performances with Piedmont Opera of Ward’s The Crucible. Stevens Center, Winston-Salem

March 25, 27:

Performances with Winston-Salem Symphony of Beethoven’s 5th symphony and music of Strauss and Kevin Puts. Stevens Center, Winston-Salem

April 6:

Performance with Dark in the Song of Amy Beth Kirsten’s World Under Glass No. 1 in Chicago at Chicago College of Performing Arts – Roosevelt University. Ganz Recital Hall, 7:30pm.

May 4:

Recital in Puebla, Mexico. Music of Brahms, Berio, Mignone, Dutilleux

May 5:

Performance with Dark in the Song, Contemporary Bassoon Ensemble in Puebla, Mexico. Program TBD

May 6-8:

Dark in the Song, Contemporary Bassoon Ensemble guest artist residency in Morelia, Mexico as part of the Centro Mexicano para la Música y las Artes Sonoras. Recital and composer workshops

May 12, 13, 15:

Performances with the Winston-Salem Symphony of Orff’s Carmina Burana and music of Respighi and Brahms.

This year’s International Double Reed Society Conference in Tempe, AZ was one of the busiest yet, with 3 performances, meetings, and serving as chair of the Young Artist Bassoon Competition. Performances included a recital with Dark in the Song of new works commissioned by the group from Christopher Dietz, Amy Beth Kirsten, Moon Young Ha, and Zhou Juan, a recital with soprano Elizabeth Pacheco Rose of music of Brahms and Mignone, and a late night concert with Dark In the Song.

On April 30th I performed Sequenza XII for Bassoon by Berio as part of an all Berio Sequenza concert by faculty of UNCSA. Also on the program were Tadeu Coelho, flute; Sheila Browne, viola; Taimur Sullivan, soprano saxophone; and Brooks Whitehouse, cello. Watch the performance below.

Here’s a review: Luciano Berio’s Sequenza Fascinates Audience, By Peter Perret

Come see UNCSA faculty perform an all-Berio Sequenza concert tomorrow night, April 30.

Luciano Berio’s Sequenza series is one of the most significant musical achievements of the late 20th century, an output of virtuoso compositions that stretch the boundaries of both the instruments and the performer. The UNCSA faculty collaborates to present an evening of six Sequenzas by Tadeu Coelho, flute; Sheila Browne, viola; Taimur Sullivan, soprano saxophone; Judith Saxton, trumpet; Saxton Rose, bassoon; and Brooks Whitehouse, cello.
7:30 p.m. at Watson Chamber Music Hall
$12 adults / $10 seniors and students plus $1 facility usage fee.