Saxophonist Kenneth Radnofsky has appeared as soloist with leading orchestras and ensembles throughout the world, including the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and New York Philharmonic under the direction of Maestro Kurt Masur, Jerusalem Symphony, Dresden Staatskapelle, Boston Pops, Taipei and Taiwan Symphonies, New World Symphony, BBC Concert Orchestra, Marlboro Festival, Portland String Quartet, and Moscow Autumn, a Russian new music festival. Mr. Radnofsky made his Carnegie Hall debut some years earlier with the New York premiere of Gunther Schuller’s Concerto with the National Orchestral Association. The world premiere of the Schuller was also given by Radnofsky, with the Pittsburgh Symphony, with both of the highly acclaimed performances conducted by the composer. David Amram’s Concerto, Ode to Lord Buckley, is also dedicated to Radnofsky, who premiered the work with the Portland Symphony under Bruce Hangen’s direction. He has also performed on numerous occasions for the Boston Symphony, thrice soloist with Boston Modern Orchestra Project (Hovhaness, Olivero, Gandolfi Concerti), with conductor Gil Rose, and twice with Boston Classical Orchestra, with conductor Steven Lipsitt.
Of his 100+ commissions, American composers who have written for Radnofsky include Schuller, Amram, James Yannatos, Michael Gandolfi, Michael Colgrass, Donald Martino, Milton Babbitt, Ezra Sims, Chris Theofanidis, Michael Horvit, John McDonald, Larry Bell, Roger Bourland, Allen Johnson and an innovative commission of Pulitzer Prize winning composer John Harbison for a Sonata, premiered Dec. 3, 1995 by forty-three saxophonists in different locations around the globe in an effort organized by Radnofsky, entitled World-Wide Concurrent Premieres, Inc. (WWCP). Mr. Radnofsky is Founder of WWCP, and has created a network of musicians commissioning today’s finest composers. Elliott Schwartz, Yang Yong, Christian Yufra, Juan Ruiz, Armand Qualliotine, Jaime Fatas, Pasquale Tassone, Shih-Hui Chen, Andy Vores, Lei Liang, Vicent Plush, Georgy Dmitriev and Jakov Jakoulov have also written for Radnofsky, and all while celebrating over thirty years of teaching, with concerts in Istanbul, Rome, Taipei, Havana, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Mexico City, Montreal, Caracas, Manchester, UK, Beijing, Shanghai, and elsewhere. His Radnofsky Saxophone Quartet performs the works of Schwartz, Wuorinen, and Donatoni, as well as vintage saxophone works by Glazounov and Pierne. His Turina Trio, (Marco Granados, John McDonald and Radnofsky) made its Jordan Hall debut in 2011 and may be heard playing multiple tracks on ‘KenRadnofsky’s YouTube Channel.’
2015-2016 offers premieres of new works by Jakov Jakoulov and Yang Yong, performances on NY Philharmonic Chamber Series, 2014-15 the world-premiere of David Amram's 'Greenwich Village Portraits (saxophone and piano) in NY, and Boston (WWCP), recitals in Shanghai, Bejing, Xian, Tanglewood, residency with the Radnofsky Quartet at University of California San Diego, and performances with Chatauqua and Dearborn Symphonies. 2012-13 included concerts as soloist with the New England Conservatory and Boston University Wind Ensembles (Husa and Perker, respectively) and Augusta Read Thomas' Carillon Sky, with Ensemble 'Signal,' at June in Buffalo, while 2011-12 included the premiere of James Yannatos’ Saxophone Concerto with the Longy Conservatory (of Bard College) Orchestra in Sanders Theatre, Baris Perker’s new Concerto with the Istanbul State Symphony in Turkey, Debussy Rhapsody with the Boston Conservatory Orchestra, and additional concerts as saxophonist for the Boston Symphony/Pops, Boston Ballet, and Rhode Island Philharmonic. He has been a frequent soloist with conductors John Mauceri, John Williams and the Boston Pops in Franz Waxman’s Suite for Saxophone, 'A Place in the Sun'. Concurrent with his performing and teaching, Radnofsky has designed and implemented a saxophone program for Venezuela with saxophone professor Claudio Dioguardi over the last ten years, as well as teaching in Brazil, Israel, China and Turkey. Radnofsky is committed to outreach on an international scale, nationally and locally; his editorial on such was published in the Christian Science Monitor. Radnofsky has given literally thousands of outreach performances. They include a teaching component and investment in community to which he is deeply committed. He is President of the Boston Woodwind Society, an organization dedicated to fostering the development of talented young woodwind players, succeeding its founder, the late Matthew Ruggiero, and co-founder (with Michael Couper), of RCEditions (woodwind music publishing house).
Current solo CD releases include David Amram's 'Ode to Lord Buckley' (NewportClassic Recordings), Debussy Rhapsody with the New York Philharmonic (Teldec 13133/Apex), Radnofsky.com (Boston Records 1043), Fascinatin’ Rhythms (Boston Records 1044), Gandolfi 'Fantasia' , 'From the Institutes of Groove,' (BMOP/sound 1028), Donald Martino’s Saxophone Concerto (New World 80529-2), Michael Colgrass’ Sax Concerto Dream Dancer, (Mode 125), and Elliott Schwartz ‘Mehitabel’s Serenade' (Sax Concerto) on Albany-Troy 646. He is featured sax soloist with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, in Franz Waxman’s 'A Place in the Sun,' under John Mauceri’s direction (Philips 4321092).
Kenneth Radnofsky’s principal teachers were Joseph Allard, Jeffrey Lerner, David Salge, Steven Hoyle, Terry Anderson, and Duncan Hale. He teaches at New England Conservatory, Boston University and Longy School of Bard College. He is a Selmer Artist. For more information please visit his website at: www.KenRadnofsky.com