"Connect," by Matthew Quayle
"Reed Phase," by Steve Reich
Bowling Green State University
Snow Pond Center for the Arts
Joshua Heaney is a saxophonist and music educator based in the greater area of Toledo, Ohio. He has performed throughout the United States and presented at regional and national North American Saxophone Alliance and National Association for Music Education conferences. His playing has received accolades, described by distinguished British conductor Tim Reynish as, “…extremely sensitive dynamically, with a beautiful sound.” Joshua is a prizewinning performer in the Susquehanna University Concerto Competition, Thomas M. Brumby Concerto Competition, Great Composers Competition Series, Georgia State Honors Competition, GMTA Chamber Winds Competition, and ENKOR International Chamber Music Competition. He is also regularly featured as a soloist, having most recently performed with ensembles such as the Atlanta Chamber Collective, Atlanta Wind Project, and Georgia State University Wind Ensemble.
In addition to his solo pursuits, Joshua is an active chamber musician. He has performed with Chiaro Trio, a versatile chamber ensemble dedicated to new music for piano, clarinet, and saxophone. Joshua can also be heard with the Akira Quartet on recent and upcoming commercial discography releases by composers Matthew Quayle and Stephen Woods. As an advocate for contemporary music, Joshua regularly commissions and premieres new music for the saxophone and has worked with celebrated and emerging composers such as John Luther Adams, Marc Mellits, Matthew Quayle, and others. He has also been a featured performer as part of SoundNOW, Atlanta’s premiere contemporary music festival, and featured on WABE’s Atlanta Music Scene radio program. Most recently, Joshua commissioned and premiered Spectral Radiance, a new concerto for alto saxophone and chamber orchestra by composer Coleman Rowlett. He currently has outstanding commissions by composers Robin McLaughlin, John Levy, and David Marynuik and is scheduled to perform for The Toledo Museum of Art’s EAR|EYE Series and the 40th Annual Bowling Green New Music Festival.
Beyond performing, Joshua is a dedicated music educator. His passion for education extended to a music residency in Faenza, Italy through the Susquehanna University GO Program, where he researched the Italian music education system and ear-training pedagogy. He regularly provides masterclasses, clinics, and performance opportunities at public schools and universities throughout the American south and northeast. Joshua currently serves as Orchestra Director at Rolesville High School in Raleigh, North Carolina as part of the Wake County Public School System. In March 2019, Joshua was selected as the winner of Wake County’s Diane Kent-Parker First-Year Teacher Award, an honor for outstanding teachers from elementary, secondary and special education areas who made significant professional success their initial year of teaching. Most recently, Joshua and his orchestra program were featured on WRAL-5’s Teacher of the Week news segment. During his summers, Joshua also serves as assistant to the program director for the Snow Pond Music Festival in Sidney, Maine where he facilitates logistics and operations.
Joshua holds a BM in Music Education from Susquehanna University (cum laude) as well a MM and Artist Certificate in Saxophone Performance from Georgia State University. In fall 2019, Joshua began pursuing a DMA in Contemporary Music Performance at Bowling Green State University. His primary teachers include Gail B. Levinsky, Jan Baker, John Sampen, and Frederick L. Hemke. Joshua maintains active affiliations with the National Association for Music Education, the North American Saxophone Alliance, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
Joshua Heaney is a Conn-Selmer Artist Clinician and performs on Selmer Paris saxophones exclusively.
heaneymusic@gmail.com