Christina is a Saxophonist with both the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the
Australian Opera Ballet Orchestra and has held these key positions for many
years. She has toured internationally with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, has
performed with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and has also performed as a
soloist with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. For the past 4 years Christina
has featured in the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra’s Noel Noel concert series.
Christina was also invited to perform in the Elena Kats-Chernin commission to
celebrate the ABO’s 25th Anniversary. Christina has performed on tour with the
Australian Chamber Orchestra, and as a soloist with The Song Company,
Australia’s leading vocal ensemble.
Christina is the Soprano Saxophonist with Continuum Sax, Australia’s
foremost classical Saxophone Quartet. She is also Soprano Saxophonist and
co-artistic director of ‘Compass’ the world music Saxophone Quartet.
Christina has made many recordings and live broadcasts for both ABC Classic
FM and 2MBS FM. Christina is the Tenor Saxophonist on the ABC Classics recording
of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra conducted by
Vladimir Ashkenazy. Christina appeared as a soloist on ‘A Brandenburg
Christmas’ recorded live in 2010 and released by ABC Classics to critical
acclaim. Christina also appears on the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra’s
latest CD soon to be released by ABC Classics Move Records released ‘The rose
and the willow’ in 2013, a CD of music by Piazzolla, Ginastera and Guastavino.
Christina arranged and recorded this album with jazz pianist Matt McMahon.With
Compass, Christina released Abrazo Tango’ a CD of original tango music on the
Tall Poppies label and a second album, ‘Ode to and Autorickshaw’ with Tabla
player Bobby Singh and Sitarist Sarangan Sriranganathan on Ear shift Reords.
Christina was artistic director of the inaugural Campbelltown Arts Centre
‘Composer in Residence’ series which champions Australian composition and
contemporary music.
She has performed in the prestigious international new music forum ISCM; at
the International Saxophone Congress in St Andrews, Scotland and the
Australasian Clarinet and Saxophone Conferences in Sydney, Melbourne and
Brisbane.
Christina was awarded a Queens Trust Scholarship to complete a postgraduate
degree in Advanced Instrumental Studies at the Guildhall School of Music and
Drama in London. On her return to Sydney, Christina completed her Masters of
Music(Performance) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Christina has been
lecturing Saxophone, examining and facilitating workshops and classes at the
Sydney Conservatorium of Music since 1997. Christina is highly respected and
sought after as a teacher and mentor. Her students have received international
scholarships and awards and are successful in their own careers.
Professor Christer Johnsson is now a Windcorp(Sweden) artist and uses the Yanagisawa A-992. He was educated at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm. After his studies in Stockholm, he received the Royal Academy Scholarship Grant to study in France under Jean-Marie Londiex. After his studies in France, he received the Madaille d’Or a Umaminite au Felicitations Jury.
In 1982, he made his debut with the Swedish Radio Symphonic Orchestra and played at the Lars-Erik Larssons Concert for Alto saxophone under Mr. Leif Segerstam.
He was also working at the Royal Academy of Music where he taught young students the saxophone. In 2000, he was made a Professor at the Royal Academy of Music.
In January 2014, he will play at the Lars-Erik Larssons Concert for Alto saxophone again. This time with Tonhalle Orkester in Zurich.
Bruce Williams is a powerful young jazz saxophonist who hails from Washington, D.C. He has made his presence known on the jazz scene by garnering critical attention with his own enthusiastically received CD releases -- "Brotherhood" and "Altoicity" -- and has made an indelible impression as a sideman on over 20 other CD and video recordings. Bruce has performed, toured, and recorded with a long roster of jazz legends including Little Jimmy Scott, Frank Foster, The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Stanley Cowell, Louis Smith, Cecil Brooks III, The Count Basie Orchestra, The World Saxophone Quartet, Russell Gunn, Curtis Fuller, and Roy Hargrove.
A versatile stylist in a variety of settings, from traditional to hip-hop to the avant-garde, Williams has been an honored recipient of awards from DownBeat magazine and The Charlie Parker Music and More Foundation. His ability to perform masterfully in a range of jazz styles has placed him on two Grammy-nominated recordings and sent him to numerous cities throughout the US and abroad.
He is currently the newest and youngest member of the internationally recognized World Saxophone Quartet and a member of a newly founded group by legendary drummer Ben Riley, the Thelonious Monk Legacy Septet. Bruce also leads four bands of his own.
Bruce has given master classes at Ohio State, The Jazz Institute of New Jersey, The University of the District of Columbia, Princeton University, The New Jersey Performing Arts Center "Jazz For Teens" program, and the Paris Conservatory in France and is Adjunct Professor of Jazz Saxophone at Bard College.
He has been mentored by some of the best in the business including Frank Foster, Branford Marsalis, Joe Ford, Laura George, William Shadle, Oliver Lake, and Cecil Brooks III.Bruce Williams is one of the premier jazz alto and soprano saxophonists in the world today.
B.J. Jansen, born January 3rd 1981 in Cincinnati (now residing in New York City), has established himself as a charismatic and dynamic performer, composer, bandleader and educator on and off the stage. B.J.’s journey in music began at age 10 when his father bought him an Alto Saxophone and gave him recordings of Gerry Mulligan and Charlie Parker. He later found his true voice on the Baritone Saxophone while performing in various college ensembles.
His musical journey took him from the Midwest to the East Coast when he relocated to Philadelphia in 2004. It was in Philadelphia that he found the, “heart beat”, of Jazz. He spent three years learning on the streets of Philadelphia before relocating yet again to New York City in 2007.
In New York City, B.J. has had the opportunity to learn from and perform with some of the greatest living musicians today. He continues to forge his own artistic path on the hallowed grounds of Jazz in New York. He has recorded multiple albums as a leader and led ensembles in many of the most respected Jazz venues in the City.
The life-long study of Music has taught B.J. many lessons about art and life. Realizing the importance of giving back, B.J. hopes to continue to form alliances toimprove the lives of people through music.
B.J. holds an MBA in Music Management from the William Paterson University of New Jersey and a BA in Jazz Studies from the University of Louisville, School of Music.In February of 2010, B.J. joined the Artists Recording Collective (ARC) label. As of 2012, B.J. Jansen also became anEndorsing Artistfor Yanagisawa Saxophones of Japan and Harry Hartmann’s Fiberreed of Germany.
Saxophonist and educator Antonio Hart fell in love with the saxophone at age seven and began his studies shortly afterward. In high school, he was admitted to the Baltimore School for the Arts in recognition of his sheer determination despite an inability to read music.
While there, Hart studied classical saxophone and played the standard solo repertoire with a saxophone quartet but gravitated toward the popular hits then on local radio, including Earth Wind and Fire, Marvin Gaye, and Al Green, and began listening to soprano saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. After high school, Hart began pursuing a degree in music education in 1986 at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied with Joe Viola, Andy McGhee, and Bill Pierce.
Many musicians inspired Hart at Berklee, including Javon Jackson, Sam Newsome, Delfeayo Marsalis, and Mark Gross. His dedication was magnified after he began studying with of one of his heroes, saxophonist Kenny Garrett. He credits Garrett with opening his eyes and ears to harmonic concepts.
In 1990, his final year at Berklee, Hart signed with RCA and began a world tour with a band including trumpeter Roy Hargrove. In 1991 he released his debut recording as a leader, “For the First Time.”
While on tour, Hart began pursuing his master’s degree in jazz composition at Queens College. He graduated from Queens in 1992, toured with Hargrove until 1993, and then with Nat Adderley until 1996.
Hart has recorded seven albums as a leader, including the 1997 Grammy-nominated “Here I Stand.” He can be heard with various ensembles led by Dave Holland, the Jimmy Heath Big Band, the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band, and others.
Hart is currently a professor of jazz at Queens College.
“I have been playing Yangisawa sopranos since I got my first one, S-880 back in 1987. It was love at first sight and I have stayed with Yanagisawa beacause of the warmth of the sound, a great projection and perfect intonation! ”
Dan Forshaw is an award winning saxophonist and composer who has an infectious passion for music. Dan is an inspirational performer whose desire is to open up the world of music to others has taken him across the world. Forshaw has released ten albums under his own name and has appeared on an eclectic collection of others as a sideman, ranging from cathedral choirs to avant garde rock!
Dan grew up in the small Lancastrian costal town of Fleetwood, (opera star Alfie Boe lived just a few doors down.) Dan started playing the family piano as soon as he was tall enough to reach the keys, taking up his Dad’s clarinet when he was just seven years old. A change of schools lead to a change of instrument and Dan moved to the tenor saxophone, shortly before his tenth birthday. A deep passion for music was rooted in Dan by his teachers both in primary school and in secondary school. A musician of some considerable flair, Dan was just in his mid-teens when he started accepting paid gigs, and was almost a full-time pro before his 17th birthday!
Matt Telfer plays Yanagisawa A992U, T992u and a S901.
Known for his incredible tone and fluid colourfull improvisations, Matt Telfer creates a story within each solo. The language and phrasing in Matt's playing also pays homage to the jazz masters with distinct references to Dexter Gordan and Stan Getz evident in his playing.
Matt has worked with Yanagisawa Saxophones in the UK for a number of years a highly respected clinician and demonstrator. Matt has also acted as promoter and leader of both the London Pizza Express Yanagiasawa Jazz Jam and the monthly Vandoren Vando jams at the Spice of Life, Soho.
Phil Meadows is fast emerging as one of the UK’s most creative young jazz musicians. Wanting to play saxophone after seeing Lisa Simpson duet with Bleeding Gums Murphy it was at the age of 12 that Phil new exactly what he wanted to spend his life doing. As a saxophonist he performs with the self titled ‘Phil Meadows Group’ whose acclaimed debut album ‘Engines of Creation’ has since been toured throughout the UK with support from Jazz Services. Until recently Meadows was also the lead alto for the National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Great Britain and can be seen performing regularly with a myriad of other ensembles. With recent success in the prestigious ‘Peter Whittingham Jazz Award’ Phil is now the musical and artistic director of the brand new twenty-piece ‘Engines Orchestra’ set to record and release a brand new suite of original music in collaboration with the Phil Meadows Group on Boom Better Records later this year. This ambitious project is set to see Meadows working with musicians of all genres and developing new music with a cross section of artists over the coming years.
Throughout his career so far he has been welcomed onto some of Europe’s most respected jazz platforms including the Bimhuis in Amsterdam where he was the youngest, only Briton and only saxophonist in the final of the ‘European Keep an Eye Jazz Soloist Competition’. He has also performed at the BBC Proms, Glastonbury Festival, Ronnie Scotts, Bridgewater Hall and the Sage in Gateshead. In February 2012 Phil was also invited to perform for Her Majesty the Queen as part of the jubilee celebrations. His passion for music is carried throughout the industry where Meadows is one of musical directors at the National Youth Jazz Orchestra running their weekly improvisation ensemble ‘NYJO London’. He is also an avid writer who’s words can be read in Hot House; a regular contribution for JazzUK magazine giving exposure to the increasingly talented new wave of British jazz music.
During his education, Phil studied at some of the UK’s finest institutions. Firstly at Manchester’s internationally renowned Chetham’s School of Music before moving on to study jazz at Leeds College of Music where he graduated with a first class honours being awarded the ‘George Murphy Prize for Saxophone’. Phil was then offered a place on the ‘Arches Scholarship’ to study jazz at postgraduate level at Trinity Laban motivating his move to the capital to completed his masters degree in 2012.
His musical inspiration is varied. Phil grew up on the ever diverse Manchester and Leeds jazz scenes that have brought us Beats and Pieces, Roller Trio, GoGo Penguin and LIMA (Leeds Improvised Music Association). His love of original music is heard through his own writing influenced by Dave Binney, John Hollenbeck and Tigran Hamasyan fused his passion for the ambient, electronica label NinjaTune and European jazz masters ECM. Phil has had the opportunity to work alongside some of his favourite musicians including Tim Garland, Jason Yarde, Soweto Kinch, Jacqui Dankworth and the Cinematic Orchestra’s Stuart McCallum and Luke Flowers.
Phil is also proud to be associated with RICO Reeds and Yanagisawa Saxophones which Phil both plays and recommends.
Phil Meadows plays: Yanagisawa S9030 Soprano saxophone.
Gerard McChrystal comes from Derry, N.Ireland. He took up the saxophone as a second study for his RNCM audition in 1982. By 1987 he had made his concerto debut with the RTE Concert Orchestra playing the Dubois Concerto live on TV. His UK debut was with the Philharmonia in 1989 premiering Out of the Cool by Dave Heath.
He studied at the RNCM, Manchester and was the first student to graduate with three awards including a distinction in his PPRNCM. Further studies at The Guildhall School, London and with Frederick Hemke Northwestern University, Chicago followed.
Competition success includes The Royal Overseas League, RTE Musician of the Future, The Lombard and Ulster Music Foundation, Countess of Munster, The Sir James Caird Award, NFMS Award, BBC Opportunity Knocks! and The Park Lane Group. His Wigmore Hall debut came as a result of winning the intercolleagiate Ivan Sutton Recording Award.
Gerard has performed in 35 countries including USA, South Africa, Indonesia, China, Azerbaijan, Korea and Germany. He has recorded albums with BBC NOW, Ulster Orchestra, London Musici, guitarist Craig Ogden, The Smith Quartet, Yan Pascal Tortelier and record labels include Chandos, Signum Records and Silva Screen.
He has developed a repertoire of accessible new works, often with a celtic influence some of which have been published in his saxophone series by Reed Music, Australia and Camden Music, London.
Orchestras Gerard has worked with include Philharmonia, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, National Symphony of Ireland, Stuttgart Staatsorchester and the Orchestra of San Francisco Ballet. Venues include San Francisco Opera House, Baku Opera House, Royal Abert Hall, St David’s Hall, Cardiff, National Concert Hall, Dublin and a longhut in Sarawak, Borneo.
He has worked with Philip Glass, The Smith Quartet, guitarist Craig Ogden, percussionists Ensemble Bash, The Soweto String Quartet, tenorist Tommy Smith and vocal groups Anuna and Codetta. In 2010 he was invited to be an adjudicator at the Royal Overseas League Competition, London and the 5th Adolphe Sax International Saxophone Competition in Dinant, Belgium. In 2011 Gerard was Artistic director of the British Saxophone Congress in London, February and his new saxophone series was launched by Reed Music.
His new programme Stand Up has won two awards from the Arts Council. Gerard is Professor of Saxophone at Trinity Laban, London. He is an ambassador for Derry-Londonderry UK City of Culture 2013. His album Aria was released by First Hand Records in October 2011.
Gerard Plays: Yangisawa S992
