Laurie Wagman Saxophone Competition - students perform

Saxophone Competition

Presented by the University of the Arts

The Second Annual Philadelphia Student Saxophone Competition will be a one-day event on July 13, 2019, when students entering 9th through 12th grades* in the 2019 academic year will have the opportunity to compete in three different competitions.

  • Jazz Improvisation: Students will select two contrasting tunes (from the tune list below) to perform in front of a panel of judges and with a rhythm section comprising current UArts students. Students are to perform the melody and no less than three improvised solo choruses.
     
  • Etude Performance: The 48 Famous Studies for Saxophone by Franz Ferling have been a staple of the developing saxophonist’s literature for over a century. Students will select two contrasting Etudes from this collection to perform in front of a panel of judges.
     
  • Chamber Performance**: Groups of two to five students will have the opportunity to perform a chamber piece, composed or adapted for saxophone ensemble (extractions from larger ensemble pieces not accepted) for a panel of judges, and prizes will be divided among each member of the ensemble at their discretion.

*Students may enter anywhere from one to three of the aforementioned competitions.

**Chamber ensembles could include students who graduated high school in spring 2019, as long as there is at least one current high school student in the ensemble.

 

In each division:

First Place: $500 (plus an invitation to perform at the UArts Saxophone Faculty Recital at a later date)

Second Place: $250

Third Place: $100

*Other non-cash prizes may be awarded at the event.

Students are to submit an audio recording, performing one (1) of their selections, along with the completed application (in PDF form) by June 1, 2019.

Applicant should state their name and selections to be performed. If entering the Jazz Improvisation category, a Jamey Aebersold, iRealB, or the equivalent backup track may be used, or student can play unaccompanied. If entering more than one competition, the student needs to submit multiple prescreening recprdings. Finalists in all three areas will be notified if they have been invited to compete at the event.

Email submissions to maallen@uarts.edu with the subject heading “UARTS SAXOPHONE COMPETITION.”

Registration PDF

Adjudicators

A panel of judges comprised of UArts faculty and other accomplished regional saxophonists will adjudicate all three events.

9am: Arrival at Caplan Recital Hall,Terra Building (Transportation provided by the student)

9:30am-12:00pm: Competition in three rooms, several other rooms provided for warming up

12pm-1pm: Lunch and Vendor Hour

1pm-2pm: Masterclass with UArts faculty

2-3pm: Awards Presentation

Tune List (Select one from each list)

Medium Swing

  • I Love You (Cole Porter, F Major)
  • How Deep is the Ocean (Irving Berlin, C minor)
  • Let’s Cool One (Thelonious Monk, Eb Major)
  • All the Things You Are (Jerome Kern, Ab Major)
  • Lady Bird (Tadd Dameron, C Major)

Ballad/Bossa

  • Meditation (Antonio Carlos Jobim, C Major)
  • Round Midnight (Thelonious Monk, Eb minor)
  • How Insensitive (Antonio Carlos Jobim, D minor)
  • Prelude to a Kiss (Duke Ellington, C Major)
  • Here’s That Rainy Day (Jimmy Van Heusen, G Major)