Album Release: ALCHEMY

After two years of fundraising, rehearsing, recording, editing, negotiation, and anticipation, I am pleased to share that my debut album, ALCHEMY, is now available! Performed in collaboration with pianist and composer Benjamin Nylander, ALCHEMY presents a curated selection of new music by established and emerging composers alike. This is a significant release for 2022 showcasing world premiere recordings of the best new music for saxophone and piano performed by Duo Aurous.

Tracks include:

1. John Anthony Lennon: Distances Within Me (1979)

2. Marilyn Shrude: Lacrimosa (2006, premiere recording)

3. Mischa Zupko: Simple Song (2019, premiere recording)

4. Benjamin Nylander: Body of Water (2022, world premiere and premiere recording)

5. Viet Cuong: Sanctuary (2020, premiere recording)

Digital downloads are available TODAY through Clarinet & Saxophone Classic Recordings, CDs ship in 1-2 weeks, and streaming closer to November.

Some crucial acknowledgments:

• Thanks to my wife Kenzie Heaney for her unending emotional support, partnership, and audience throughout the realization of this project.

• Thanks to John Sampen, Marilyn Shrude, and Michael Laurello for their continuing advice and keen artistic guidance throughout planning, recording, and production.

• Thanks to Dean Bill Mathis and Bowling Green State University for providing the use of Bryan Recital Hall.

• This recording was funded in part by the MidAmerican Center for Contemporary Music at the College of Musical Arts of Bowling Green State University and the BGSU College of Musical Arts Student Professional Development Fund.

• Recording Engineering and Editing: Robbie Dunham.

• Mastering: Willowhayne Records

• Artwork: Hannah Jacoby-Brooks

Click the link and give ALCHEMY a listen, TODAY!

Single Release: Sanctuary

After months of preparation, recording, and production, I am thrilled to share that my single release of Viet Cuong’s Sanctuary is now live! This recording was performed in collaboration with pianist and composer Benjamin Nylander and made possible by our fearless sound engineer and producer Robert Dunham. This new single can be found on your favorite online music outlets like Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, iTunes, and countless others. This is the world premiere commercial recording of Sanctuary and we could not be happier with how it turned out!

This project would not have been possible without the support of the 40+ musicians who helped commission the piece in 2020. It was my hope that this project would help form new connections and bonds despite the isolation, division, and strife of that year, and I was quite floored with the enthusiastic response towards this commission across our community. Many thanks to the following commission consortium members:

Alvin Phan
Andrew Harrison
Andrew Hutchens
Andrew Moore
Dr. Bob Eason
Dr. Bobbi Thompson
Dr. Brandon Quarles
Carl Ng
Dylan Ward
Dr. Gabriel Piqué
Dr. Gail B. Levinsky
Dr. Geoffrey Deibel
Jack Thorpe
Jacob Kilford
Dr. Jan Baker
Dr. Jeffrey Leung
Jess Dodge
Joe Lyons
Jon Deysher
Jonathan Stelzner
Joshua Tuttle
Kaitlyn Grella
Katherine Campbell
Kirby Leitz
Kyle Blake Jones
Lindsey Welp
Lois Hicks-Wozniak
Nick Grimone
Dr. Nicki Roman
Oswaldo Garza
Reese Burgan
Robert Hess
Dr. Sarah Hetrick
Dr. Stephen Page
Steven Amann
Taiki Azuma
Third Stream Duo (3S2)
Trek Boyland
Tyler Young
Uday Singh
Dr. Xin Gao
Zach Arthur

Sanctuary’s single also represents the first taste of a larger project: my debut album! The album will feature music for saxophone and piano by John Anthony Lennon, Marilyn Shrude, Benjamin Nylander, Delanie Molnar, and Viet Cuong, recorded once again in collaboration with Benjamin Nylander and Robert Dunham. Keep an eye out for updates in the coming weeks and months!

Now, what are you waiting for? Take a listen to the first ever commercial recording of Viet Cuong’s Sanctuary!

The Easiest Way to Learn Saxophone Embouchure

Hello world, it’s been a minute! Apologies for my general absence and spotty posting. Last semester I spent much of my time grinding for DMA comprehensive examinations and finishing most of my remaining cognate coursework. This is in addition to my part-time teaching at Heidelberg University and assistantship duties at BGSU. Anybody who has completed a terminal degree can back me up when I say that this put me through wringer, to say the least. At any rate, it’s good to be back and (hopefully) posting more regularly; onward!

Today, I am sharing a video that talks about the easiest way to explain and learn proper saxophone embouchure. It is all too easy to get lost in anatomical terminology and nitty gritty when explaining embouchure to beginners. Rather than falling into this pedagogical trap, teachers instead must find familiar experiences or sensations that students can refer when learning a new skill. In the case of the saxophone embouchure, we should all suck our thumb!