Principal Trumpet/Soloist at Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival
Lauded as a “virtuoso player and superb soloist”, Judith Saxton enjoys a multi-faceted career as an international soloist, chamber and orchestral musician. As a Conn-Selmer clinician she offers master classes at conservatories, festivals and conferences around the globe. Additionally, she concertizes nationally with her UNCSA colleagues Timothy Olsen, organ, and Allison Gagnon, piano with whom she recorded her acclaimed solo cd Contest and Concert Pieces for Trumpet. As principal, she leads the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival, VA’s Blue Ridge Music Festival, New York Women’s Ensemble, Southeast Chamber Brass and UNCSA brass quintet. She is also on Eastern Music Festival (EMF) faculty with whom she records annually under Gerard Schwarz’s leadership. She performs regularly with the North Carolina, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Roanoke and Maryland symphonies and an array of chamber organizations on the eastern seaboard. A keen advocate of new music, she continues to premiere new works around the world.
For several seasons, she was principal and soloist with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Chicago Chamber Orchestra, Illinois, South Bend, Illinois Chamber, Wichita and Key West/South Florida Symphonies. She was also an extra and substitute with the Chicago Symphony and brass quintet and in demand for numerous shows, commercials, recording sessions, big bands and combos. Chamber credits include Wichita Brass Quintet, Chicago Chamber Musicians, Sierra Brass (Japan tours), Musica Harmonica (Brazil tour), Tromba Mundi, Millar and Monarch Brass ensembles. Her International Trumpet Guild (ITG) CD was issued worldwide and has been praised enthusiastically as a “beautifully performed, and helpful resource” by performers and educators alike. Other recordings are with Crystal, Koss, Proto, Novitas, MSR Classics and Moravian Music Foundation labels.
Ms. Saxton served on the Fulbright National Screening Committee, holds board memberships with EMF, ITG, and National Trumpet Competition and served several terms for the International Women's Brass Conference. She written and recorded for Vincent Cichowicz Long Tone Studies and Flow Studies Volume 1. A graduate of Mansfield (PA) and Northwestern Universities, Saxton’s most influential teachers were Vincent Cichowicz, Arnold Jacobs, William Scarlett, Susan Slaughter and Michael Galloway. She is currently training to be an Alexander Technique teacher.
Previously Ms. Saxton was guest principal for the St. Louis Symphony, and an extra for Milwaukee, Grant Park, Sydney (Australia) and Harrisburg Symphonies. She was Artist Faculty for Lieksa Brass Week, Finland, and tenured Associate Professor at Wichita State University. She taught previously at Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and Illinois Wesleyan and Northeastern Illinois Universities, and currently is UNCSA Artist Faculty and Brass/Percussion Chair.
Her students can be found performing and teaching across the U.S. and in Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Norway. More can be learned about Ms. Saxton’s performing and teaching at Judithsaxton.com and uncsatrumpet.com