Debra Richtmeyer
Encyclopedia
Debra Richtmeyer is an American
classical
saxophonist
born June 19, 1957 in Lansing, Michigan.
Richtmeyer earned her B.M.E. and M.M. at Northwestern University
where she studied with Frederick L. Hemke. She has served as Professor of Saxophone at The University of Illinois in Urbana
, Illinois
since 1991. Prior to her appointment at The University of Illinois, she served as Saxophone Professor at the University of North Texas College of Music
from 1981–1991 and at Lawrence University Conservatory of Music from 1980-1981.
She is currently the President of the North American Saxophone Alliance
and in 1997 became the first woman to perform as a concerto soloist with orchestra at a World Saxophone Congress
and the first woman to teach a master class at the World Saxophone Congress
in 2009. Richtmeyer is a Selmer Paris saxophone
artist.
A renowned pedagogue, Richtmeyer received the University of Illinois 2002 Campus Award for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Teaching and the University of Illinois College of Fine and Applied Arts 1997 Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award.
Richtmeyer was saxophonist with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in performances and recordings from 1981–1991 and has performed with ensembles such as the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the U.S. Navy Band, the Indianapolis Symphony and the Zlin Philharmonic. She has performed as soloist and given master classes in the United States, Europe, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Thailand. She has had numerous compositions written for her.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
born June 19, 1957 in Lansing, Michigan.
Richtmeyer earned her B.M.E. and M.M. at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
where she studied with Frederick L. Hemke. She has served as Professor of Saxophone at The University of Illinois in Urbana
Urbana, Illinois
Urbana is the county seat of Champaign County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,250. Urbana is the tenth-most populous city in Illinois outside of the Chicago metropolitan area....
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
since 1991. Prior to her appointment at The University of Illinois, she served as Saxophone Professor at the University of North Texas College of Music
University of North Texas College of Music
The University of North Texas College of Music, based in Denton, is a comprehensive music school with the largest enrollment of any music institution accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, and the oldest in the world offering a degree in jazz studies...
from 1981–1991 and at Lawrence University Conservatory of Music from 1980-1981.
She is currently the President of the North American Saxophone Alliance
North American Saxophone Alliance
The North American Saxophone Alliance is an organization for saxophone players from around North America. Members are required to pay dues, which vary depending on age. NASA hosts regional conferences for each of its 10 regions. It also hosts a biennial international conference...
and in 1997 became the first woman to perform as a concerto soloist with orchestra at a World Saxophone Congress
World Saxophone Congress
The World Saxophone Congress is a festival gathering approximately 1000 saxophonists and other musicians from all over the world. It is currently held every three years at a different congress centre in a different country and focuses primarily on the performance of classical saxophone music.The...
and the first woman to teach a master class at the World Saxophone Congress
World Saxophone Congress
The World Saxophone Congress is a festival gathering approximately 1000 saxophonists and other musicians from all over the world. It is currently held every three years at a different congress centre in a different country and focuses primarily on the performance of classical saxophone music.The...
in 2009. Richtmeyer is a Selmer Paris saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
artist.
A renowned pedagogue, Richtmeyer received the University of Illinois 2002 Campus Award for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Teaching and the University of Illinois College of Fine and Applied Arts 1997 Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award.
Richtmeyer was saxophonist with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in performances and recordings from 1981–1991 and has performed with ensembles such as the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the U.S. Navy Band, the Indianapolis Symphony and the Zlin Philharmonic. She has performed as soloist and given master classes in the United States, Europe, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Thailand. She has had numerous compositions written for her.
Partial discography
- Light of Sothis, Mark Records. Works by Tom Bourcier, Scott Wyatt, Cindy McTee, Paul Martin Zonn, Steven Everett, and Amy Quate
- Extravaganza for Saxophone and Orchestra, Albany RecordsAlbany RecordsAlbany Records is an American classical music record label focusing particularly on contemporary classical music. It was established by Peter Kermani in 1987, and is based in Albany, New York.-External links:**...
. Works by David OttDavid OttDavid Ott is an American composer of classical music.Born in Crystal Falls, Michigan, Ott's works include four symphonies, an opera , the Annapolis Overture, written for the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, and various pieces of children's music. He has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Music ...
, Richard StraussRichard StraussRichard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
, Sergei RachmaninoffSergei RachmaninoffSergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music...
, and Alexander GlazunovAlexander GlazunovAlexander Konstantinovich Glazunov was a Russian composer of the late Russian Romantic period, music teacher and conductor... - World Without Words: Debra Richtmeyer and The University of Illinois 2008-2009 Saxophone Studio, Mark Records. Works by Hilary TannHilary TannHilary Tann is a Welsh composer now based in the United States.Tann holds a degree in music composition from the University of Wales, Cardiff. Her overture, With the Heather and Small Birds, commissioned by the 1994 Cardiff Festival, is her tribute to the land of her birth...
, Keith Murphy, Erik LundErik LundErik Lund may refer to:*Erik Lund , Norwegian international rugby player*Erik Lund , Swedish footballer*Erik Swane Lund , Danish Olympic fencer....
, Ed Martin, Dieter Mack, Henning Schröder, James Bunch, Stephen Andrew Taylor
Notable Students
- Kenneth TseKenneth TseKenneth Tse 謝德驥 is a Chinese American classical saxophonist. Tse was mainly self-taught as a youth until he met world-renowned saxophone artist and pedagogue Eugene Rousseau in 1989. He then studied at the Indiana University School of Music with Rousseau from 1993–1998, where he received his BM,...
, Saxophone Professor at the University of IowaUniversity of IowaThe University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees... - James Romain, Saxophone Professor at Drake UniversityDrake UniversityDrake University is a private, co-educational university located in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The institution offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and pharmacy. Today, Drake is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the country....
- Nathan Nabb, Saxophone Professor at Stephen F. Austin State UniversityStephen F. Austin State UniversityStephen F. Austin State University is a public university located in Nacogdoches, Texas, United States. Founded as a teachers' college in 1923, the university was named after one of Texas' founding fathers, Stephen F. Austin. Its campus resides on part of the homestead of another Texas founding...
- Connie Frigo, Saxophone Professor at the University of GeorgiaUniversity of GeorgiaThe University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
- Michael HolmesMichael HolmesMichael Holmes is an Australian anchor and correspondent for CNN International. He attended Wesley College, Perth from 1973-77. Holmes began his career at the Daily News newspaper in Perth. Prior to his work at CNN, he was a reporter for more than a decade for Australia's Nine Network in Perth,...
, Saxophone Director of Marketing at Conn-SelmerConn-SelmerConn-Selmer, Inc. is a manufacturer and distributor of concert band, marching band, and orchestral instruments. It is a subsidiary of Steinway Musical Instruments and was formed after Steinway bought musical instrument manufacturers The Selmer Company and C.G. Conn.-Founding:In the late 1800s,... - Taimur Sullivan, Saxophone Professor at the North Carolina School of the ArtsNorth Carolina School of the ArtsThe University of North Carolina School of the Arts , formerly the North Carolina School of the Arts, is a public coeducational arts conservatory in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that grants high school, undergraduate and graduate degrees. It is one of the seventeen constituent campuses of the...
- Joyce Griggs, Assistant Director for the School of Music at the University of Illinois
- Jeff Collins, saxophonist with the Saint Louis Symphony OrchestraSaint Louis Symphony OrchestraThe Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the SLSO is the second-oldest symphony orchestra in the United States as it is preceded by the New York Philharmonic.-History:The St...
- Jeremy Koch, saxophonist with The United States Air Force BandThe United States Air Force Band'The Singing Sergeants' is the official chorus of the United States Air Force. It was formed in 1945 from members of The United States Air Force Concert Band, but is now composed entirely of professional vocalists who have been appointed by audition. The Singing Sergeants have appeared before every...
and Saxophone Professor at Shepherd UniversityShepherd UniversityShepherd University, formerly Shepherd College, is a state-funded university in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, United States. The University currently serves more than 4,200 students.- Accreditation :... - Brad Leali, Jazz Saxophone Professor at the University of North TexasUniversity of North TexasThe University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
- David Dees, Saxophone Professor at Texas Tech UniversityTexas Tech UniversityTexas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
- Will Campbell, Saxophone Professor and Director of Jazz Studies at University of North Carolina at CharlotteUniversity of North Carolina at CharlotteThe University of North Carolina at Charlotte , also known as UNC Charlotte or simply Charlotte, is a public research university located in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States...
- Jackie Lamar, Saxophone Professor at University of Central ArkansasUniversity of Central ArkansasThe University of Central Arkansas is a state-run institution located in the city of Conway, the seat of Faulkner County, north of Little Rock and is the fourth largest university by enrollment in the U.S. state of Arkansas, and the third largest college system in the state. The school is most...
- Matt Olson, Saxophone Professor and Director of Jazz Studies at Furman UniversityFurman UniversityFurman University is a selective, private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. Furman is one of the oldest, and more selective private institutions in South Carolina...
- Tim Ishii, Saxophone Professor and Director of Jazz Studies at University of Texas at ArlingtonUniversity of Texas at ArlingtonThe University of Texas at Arlington is a public research university located in Arlington, Texas, United States. The campus is situated southwest of downtown Arlington, and is located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. The university was founded in 1895 and served primarily a military...
- Karen Finnson, Saxophone Professor at University of ReginaUniversity of ReginaThe University of Regina is a public research university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the University of Saskatchewan as a junior college in 1925, and was disaffiliated...
- Vanessa Sielert, Saxophone Professor and Jazz Studies at University of IdahoUniversity of IdahoThe University of Idaho is the State of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state...
- Richard Kelley, Saxophone Professor and Jazz Studies at Southern Illinois University CarbondaleSouthern Illinois University CarbondaleSouthern Illinois University Carbondale is a public research university located in Carbondale, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1869, SIUC is the flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University system...
- Randy Hamm, Saxophone Professor and Jazz Studies and Coordinator of Woodwinds at Missouri State UniversityMissouri State UniversityMissouri State University is a public university located in Springfield, Missouri, United States and founded in 1905. It is the state's second largest university, with an official enrollment of 20,802 in fall 2011...
- Adrianne Honnold, Saxophone Professor at Washington University in St. LouisWashington University in St. LouisWashington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
and University of Missouri-St. Louis - Glenn Kostur, Director of Jazz Studies at University of New MexicoUniversity of New MexicoThe University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
- Scotty Stepp, Saxophone Professor at Depauw University