Stephen Pollock - tenor saxophone
Stephen
Pollock is a founding member and tenor saxophonist of the New Century
Saxophone Quartet. He was born in Wurtzburg, Germany and grew up in various
cities in the United States and abroad. Mr. Pollock received his Bachelor
and Master of Music degrees at the North Carolina School of the Arts where
he studied with Concert Saxophonist James Houlik. He has performed as
Principal Saxophonist with the Western Piedmont, Salisbury, Winston-Salem,
Greensboro, Charlotte, North Carolina, Charleston, and the Tanglewood
Massachusetts Festival Symphonies. As a solo recitalist, Mr. Pollock has
performed throughout North Carolina as well as at the Hartt School of
Music of the University of Hartford, the University of Michigan School
of Music, and the Cleveland Institute of Music. He has also appeared with
celebrities such as Steve Allen, Helen Reddy, Marvin Hamlisch, Boots Randolph,
and Natalie Cole.
His commitment to increasing the literature for the tenor saxophone has
prompted him to commission new solo works from a number of composers,
including Sherwood Shaffer, David Ott, Thomas Massella, and Steven Jones.
Mr. Pollock has served on the faculties of Davidson College, the Community
Music School of the North Carolina School of the Arts, Catawba College,
Salem College, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Wake
Forest University. In the summers, Mr. Pollock can be found in Little
Switzerland, NC where he is the Coordinator for the James Houlik Saxophone
Retreat at Wildacres. Currently Mr. Pollock is the adjunct Professor of
Saxophone as well as Saxophone Chamber Music Coach at Duquesne University
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Stephen’s current project is the release of his first solo recording
"So Near, So Far." It's a recording of music for tenor saxophone,
piano and strings including music by Gustav Mahler, Sherwood Shaffer,
Eugene Bozza, love songs from North and South America and the British
Isles as well as original music from Pollock himself. Guest artist are
the world renowned Alexander String Quartet, Armenian pianist Vahan Sargsyan,
bass virtuoso John Patitucci, legendary saxophonist Branford Marsalis,
members of the New Century Saxophone Quartet - Connie Frigo and Michael
Stephenson and guest alto saxophonist Andrew Hays.
When Stephen isn't busy with the saxophone his other activities include
Martial Arts, Scouting, and building 1/32 scale WWII fighter aircraft
models. He loves to cook and is also very fond of a good red wine and
the single malt scotch Lagavulin. When Stephen is on the road he is always
in search of the correctly poured Guinness Stout!
Email: steve@newcenturysax.com
Web site: www.stephen-pollock.com
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