Saxophones The Way Too Early 2027 Saxophone Symposium Thread

Grumps · May 6, 2026

The dates have been announced for the 2027 International Saxophone Symposium hosted by the Navy Band at George Mason University: January 8-9.

Plan your trip now if you're coming from afar.

Grumps · Jul 1, 2026

Should anyone attending be so bold as to wish to host a lecture, masterclass or even do a performance... here's where to apply:

https://www.navyband.navy.mil/saxophone/application

skeller047 · Jul 2, 2026

I just want to know if there will be jam sessions…. When I get back from my next jaunt north later this month, I will start making plans for Virginia in January 🙂

thomsax · Jul 2, 2026

Now I got it ...... "Saxophone Symposium" is "International Saxophone Symposium". I used to read "The Saxophone Symposium" (quarterly journal of the "North American Saxophone Alliance") I was a member and lots of good reading and nice saxophonists. We just had the saxophone in common. I was a rock honker and the were very good players. Before internet. I made friend with a good classical player via "The Saxophone Symposium". One nite (middle of the night low-rate telephone call) he told me that he was gong to Sweden for some teaching. I didn't knew that there is place/town called Sweden in Oxford County, Maine! I drowe up the Sweden when I was in Boston. And also passed along the small house where nice C-saxophone guy lived. I talked the them (both the saxplayer and his wife back in 1984) and I was in Boston in 2011. It was possible to get in touch without smartphones, internet ..... we used letters, telphone, small gift bags .... . For friendship "less is more". Today I read books how to have a "offline life" instead of "The Saxophone Symposium".

Grumps · Jul 3, 2026

skeller047 said:
I just want to know if there will be jam sessions….

We've had them in the past (when staying at fancy hotels with pianos in the lobby) and we've also gotten rooms for get togethers and horn sharing/play testing. I'm not in like I used to be, with the current folks running things. And quite frankly, as the years go by I'm less and less interested in going to the Symposium to play, or even test new horns (got old over the years). Now I go to see and listen, and take in as many performances that I can. And party like nuts...

Grumps · 2026-09-15T15:00:02+0100

The visiting headline guest performers have been announced. Not surprisingly... I don't know any of them:
Nicolas Prost
~Nois
Christopher Creviston
Ben Wendel
Ryan Devlin

skeller047 · 2026-09-15T20:15:11+0100

I know of Ben Wendel and Ryan Devlin. Both very good modern players, Ryan is noted for his very energetic "outside" playing, and Ben wrote a great book on playing altissimo. Ben is also deeply into electronics; he did a very interesting interview with Rick Beato on YouTube a few months ago. I look forward to meeting both of them.

PigSquealer · 2026-09-16T06:50:19+0100

skeller047 said:
I know of Ben Wendel and Ryan Devlin. Both very good modern players, Ryan is noted for his very energetic "outside" playing, and Ben wrote a great book on playing altissimo. Ben is also deeply into electronics; he did a very interesting interview with Rick Beato on YouTube a few months ago. I look forward to meeting both of them.

I look forward to hearing Ben play. The others I need to look up.
The interview Rick did with Ben was interesting. Just wild that Ben and Terrace Martin were High School band mates. Wasn’t there a thread on this interview when it came out ?

View: https://youtu.be/tMYcNZJm2Io?is=CbQxInNC3pXfKD9Q

Grumps · 2026-09-16T14:10:21+0100

The guest artists each generally get an hour or so in the main concert hall for clinics/Q&A/performances Saturday afternoon. Some just talk. Others play and/or bring people up to critique. Then of course they join the Navy bands Friday (classical) and Saturday (jazz) nights. Over the years @Martysax and I have figured out a pretty good way of crashing backstage after the shows and have gotten up close and personal with folks such as Branford Marsalis in the past (which was epic and even on tape!). But we haven't been back there in a while as I don't like to wake up Marty too suddenly at the end of the nightly performances...