CMU to host Saxophone Day 2015
On Sunday, March 29, Professor of Saxophone John Nichol and the Central Michigan University Saxophone Studio will host Saxophone Day in the Staples Family Concert Hall.
Nichol said saxophonists can register online to perform in the event. They rehearse at 12 p.m. for the Michigan Saxophone Ensemble performance later that day at 5 p.m. in Staples Family Concert Hall.
“What we want to do is promote the saxophone in every way we can and this is one way to promote the saxophone in Michigan,” Nichol said.
This year’s guest artist, Associate Professor of Saxophone Chien-Kwan Lin, from the Eastman School of Music, will perform at 3 p.m. Eastman is a prestigious music conservatory located in Rochester, New York that only admits about 260 new students from a pool of 2,000 applicants. It was named the "Hottest School for Music" in the US in 2008.
The concert is $3 for students and seniors and $5 for the public. Tickets are available at Ticket Central at 989-774-3045 and at the door.
Lin will critique CMU students’ performances during the master classes on Sunday morning. The Singapore native has appeared as soloist and guest artist with the United States Navy Band, the Eastman Wind Ensemble, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, the Tanglewood Festival Orchestra, the New World Symphony, the Portland Symphony, as well as the philharmonic and chamber orchestras of Boston, Rochester, Sichuan and Thailand.
Nichol said he is excited to see his students learn from Lin and grow from the experience.
“It’s a very exciting time for us, the Saxophone Studio at CMU, and also for our guests that will come in,” Nichol said.
At 4:30 p.m., the CMU Saxophone Ensemble will perform in Staples Family Concert Hall. Nichol said students will benefit from playing music, hosting this event and entertaining guests.
At 5 p.m., the Michigan Saxophone Ensemble, composed of guest saxophonists, will perform.
“Our guests will perform with me conducting that concert,” Nichol said. “We’ve had as many as 150 saxophonists on stage during Saxophone Day.”
Saxophone Day is held at CMU every two years and it began as an event to bring alumni back to campus. Nichol said he focuses on providing guests with concerts and master classes.
“We like to create music,” Nichol said. “And we like to create musical events. That’s the fun for us.”
