We welcome saxophonist, educator and scholar, Dr. Jeffrey Leung to The Band Room for our third installment of our 'Sectionals Series'. Dylan, Cait and Jeffrey dive deep into topics of music pedagogy, musician wellness, being a good ensemble player, learning from some of the best and much more!

​

About Jeffrey

Hailed as “a powerhouse in classical saxophone” (University of Toronto), JEFFREY LEUNG (b. 1991) is an active performer, improviser, and educator. In addition to his work with collaborative artists, Jeffrey serves as the Vice President of Novus New Music, the Associate Director of the International Saxophone Academy, and is on the Artist Faculty roster with the Maryland Chamber Winds. His performance accolades have received numerous honours and awards – most notably from the Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra and Montreal Symphony Orchestra – and has been described as: “A truly modern virtuoso, Jeffrey effortlessly navigates the most demanding scores for saxophone without losing his trademark warmth, sensitivity, and lyricism” (Roydon Tse, composer). 
 
Curating musical programs spanning traditional to contemporary repertoire, Jeffrey has presented recitals and concerts throughout North America including concerto performances at the Maryland Wind Festival, appearances with ensembles like the New World Symphony Orchestra and Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, and has been invited to workshops at the Banff Centre, American Saxophone Academy, Toronto Creative Music Lab, and Université Européenne de Saxophone. Several of Jeffrey’s performances can be found on albums and recording projects by Michigan State University, people|places|records (PPR), Arts Laureate, and Sly Pup Productions. 
 
Dedicated to the expansion of the saxophone repertoire, Jeffrey’s collaborations with composers has resulted in premieres and commissions of over thirty new works for the saxophone including music by Viet Cuong, Shelley Washington, Joel Love, Theo Chandler, Spencer Arias, Annika Socolofsky, Keaton Garrett, Alexis Bacon, Timothy Peterson, Roydon Tse, Baldwin Giang, Matthew Browne, Joe Krycia, and Gregory Wanamaker. Jeffrey has premiered these works at conferences hosted by the North American Saxophone Alliance, Northwestern University New Music Conference, and Midwest Composers Symposium. Since joining Novus New Music Inc. in 2016, Jeffrey has helped organize consortiums for new music by David Biedenbender as well as Novus’ Women in Music Campaign and Novus Spark project. 
 
As a pedagogue, Jeffrey cultivates student-driven curiosity and healthy creativity by drawing from his experiences in teaching saxophone, music theory, and Soundpainting/improvisation. While at Michigan State University from 2017-2020, Jeffrey served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Saxophone and Music Theory areas. Additionally, Jeffrey has led Soundpainting workshops with the Creative Arts Orchestra and Saxophone Ensemble at the University of Michigan and taught masterclasses at North American universities, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Maryland Wind Festival, National Music Camp of Canada, and Spartan Youth Wind Symphony at Michigan State University. 
 
Dr. Jeffrey Leung holds degrees in Saxophone Performance and Music Theory from Michigan State University, University of Michigan, Northwestern University, and University of Toronto. His mentors include Professor Joseph Lulloff, Dr. Timothy McAllister, Dr. Wallace Halladay, Dr. Christian Matijas Mecca, Dr. Leigh VanHandel, and Dr. Michael Callahan. 
 
Jeffrey is a Key Leaves Artist, endorser of Lagan Music instrument customizations and products, and exclusively performs with Wood Stone/Ishimori ligatures. To learn more, please visit www.jeffreyjfleung.com

​