[325] Jeff Coffin, Dave Pietro headline saxophone conference at MTSU

FOR RELEASE: March 7, 2013

EDITORIAL CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493 or tim.musselman@mtsu.edu

MURFREESBORO — MTSU’s welcome for an upcoming saxophone conference includes a special March 16 public concert by renowned musicians Jeff Coffin and Dave Pietro alongside two School of Music faculty members.

Coffin is saxophonist with the Dave Matthews Band and a three-time Grammy Award winner with Bela Fleck and The Flecktones. Pietro, a New York-based jazz saxophonist, has recorded with musicians such as Dave Holland, Kenny Werner and Pete McCann.

The pair will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 16, at the 2013 Region 7 Conference of the North American Saxophone Alliance. Joining them will be MTSU professors Don Aliquo and Paula Van Goes in Hinton Music Hall inside the Wright Music Building. Admission to the concert is $5 per person without conference registration.

The two-day conference begins Friday, March 15, at 3 p.m. with workshops in the State Farm Lecture Hall in the Business and Aerospace Building at MTSU.

More than 50 saxophonists based in Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland and Virginia also will be performing throughout the conference.

In addition to Aliquo and Van Goes, saxophonists including Miles Osland, Steve Stusek, Taimur Sullivan, Clifford Leaman, Doug O'Connor, Masahito Sugihara, Phil Barham and Brian Utley will represent a broad spectrum of styles and careers based in the commercial and jazz music scenes, university settings and the military.

A 7 p.m. concert on Friday, March 15, in the State Farm Room will feature Osland with Mike Mowers, the Nashville Super Sax Ensemble and the University of Kentucky Mega Sax ensemble. Admission to this concert also is $5 per person without conference registration.

The conference continues at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 16, inside the Wright Music Building. Major saxophone manufacturers will be exhibiting the latest in instruments, accessories and music.

The conference fee is $25 per person for the entire weekend or $10 for both evening concerts. More information and registration is available at the “NASA Region 7” link at www.mtsu.edu/saxophone.

For more information on MTSU School of Music events, call 615-898-2493 or visit www.mtsumusic.com and click on the "Concert Calendar" link.

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