Biography
Dr. Xin Gao serves as Assistant Professor of Saxophone and Music Theory at Truman State University. Prior to this, he served on faculties of East Tennessee State University, the Music Academy of North Carolina, Furman University, Georgia State University and University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) Summer Music Camp. He also taught at UNCG and University of Tennessee at Knoxville during his graduate work at those schools. At UNCG, he also filled the duties of Associate Professor Steve Stusek while Stusek was on sabbatical.
Gao has enjoyed a successful career as a chamber musician and soloist, and his accomplishments include national and international recognition at major world competitions, including first place at the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) National Young Artist Woodwind Competition in 2011, finalist at the International Saxophone Symposium and Competition (ISSAC) in 2014, and twice semi-finalist at the International Jean-Marie Londeix Saxophone Competition in 2008 and 2014. With the chamber group QuadrAtomic Saxophone quartet, he reached the finals of both the Fischoff and Coleman competitions, and the group was awarded the Coleman-Saunderson Prize. In 2016, he served as judge at MTNA Tennessee State Young Artist Woodwind and Chamber Music Competition.
He has performed as a soloist with orchestras and in recitals across the U.S. as well as Asia. In 2013, he toured China as a performer and also gave performances and master classes at universities throughout the southeastern U.S. He has performed concertos with the UNCG orchestra, the UTK orchestra, and the Duquesne orchestra in the U.S. and the Sichuan Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra in China. He was invited to the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) for a residency and performance of Claude T. Smith's saxophone concerto with the UIC Wind Ensemble in 2014. He also frequently performs lecture recitals at national and international conferences, such as the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) and the Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium.
As a chamber musician, his experiences with the Sirocco Reed Quintet, New Century Saxophone Quartet, QuadATOMIC Saxophone Quartet, and Road of Creativity (ROC) ensemble have all played major roles in forming his musical identity. Quintet Sirocco performs in a variety of locations around North and South Carolina and was a featured ensemble for the SAVVY Musician in Action Chamber Competition, Classical Revolution Greensboro, and the MANC Summer Artist Series. In 2014, Gao toured with the New Century Saxophone Quartet across nine states in the U.S. Midwest, giving performances and outreach clinics. The ROC ensemble, a collaboration among professional musicians and faculty from four universities, seeks to reinvent concert saxophone and classical chamber music to include elements of jazz, hip-hop, and indigenous music. The ROC ensemble appeared at the University of Georgia on April 17, 2014 for a featured performance and presentation session as part of the university's interdisciplinary entrepreneurship week. The group has also been invited to present keynote addresses at major corporations such as Corning, Inc.
Furthermore, Gao is passionate about new music and has commissioned new pieces from world-renowned composers such as Sherwood Shaffer and Leilei Tian, and he has collaborated directly with young composers such as Wei Dai in his efforts to bring Chinese music to a wider audience. His research involves creating the first annotated bibliography dedicated to Chinese saxophone music.
Gao received his DMA from the University of North Carolina, where he studied with Steve Stusek. He also completed a year of graduate study under the guidance of Connie Frigo at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. His BM and MM in saxophone performance are from Duquesne University, where he studied with James Houlik. Gao hails from Chengdu City, People's Republic of China, where he began his musical studies on clarinet at the age of eight, studying with Professor Zhenglong Xiang at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music. In 1997, at the age of 13, Gao enrolled in the pre-college program at the Sichuan Conservatory and decided to change his major to classical saxophone performance, a major created by Yusheng Li, who was also new to the Conservatory that year.
Dr. Xin Gao serves as Assistant Professor of Saxophone and Music Theory at Truman State University. Prior to this, he served on faculties of East Tennessee State University, the Music Academy of North Carolina, Furman University, Georgia State University and University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) Summer Music Camp. He also taught at UNCG and University of Tennessee at Knoxville during his graduate work at those schools. At UNCG, he also filled the duties of Associate Professor Steve Stusek while Stusek was on sabbatical.
Gao has enjoyed a successful career as a chamber musician and soloist, and his accomplishments include national and international recognition at major world competitions, including first place at the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) National Young Artist Woodwind Competition in 2011, finalist at the International Saxophone Symposium and Competition (ISSAC) in 2014, and twice semi-finalist at the International Jean-Marie Londeix Saxophone Competition in 2008 and 2014. With the chamber group QuadrAtomic Saxophone quartet, he reached the finals of both the Fischoff and Coleman competitions, and the group was awarded the Coleman-Saunderson Prize. In 2016, he served as judge at MTNA Tennessee State Young Artist Woodwind and Chamber Music Competition.
He has performed as a soloist with orchestras and in recitals across the U.S. as well as Asia. In 2013, he toured China as a performer and also gave performances and master classes at universities throughout the southeastern U.S. He has performed concertos with the UNCG orchestra, the UTK orchestra, and the Duquesne orchestra in the U.S. and the Sichuan Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra in China. He was invited to the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) for a residency and performance of Claude T. Smith's saxophone concerto with the UIC Wind Ensemble in 2014. He also frequently performs lecture recitals at national and international conferences, such as the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) and the Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium.
As a chamber musician, his experiences with the Sirocco Reed Quintet, New Century Saxophone Quartet, QuadATOMIC Saxophone Quartet, and Road of Creativity (ROC) ensemble have all played major roles in forming his musical identity. Quintet Sirocco performs in a variety of locations around North and South Carolina and was a featured ensemble for the SAVVY Musician in Action Chamber Competition, Classical Revolution Greensboro, and the MANC Summer Artist Series. In 2014, Gao toured with the New Century Saxophone Quartet across nine states in the U.S. Midwest, giving performances and outreach clinics. The ROC ensemble, a collaboration among professional musicians and faculty from four universities, seeks to reinvent concert saxophone and classical chamber music to include elements of jazz, hip-hop, and indigenous music. The ROC ensemble appeared at the University of Georgia on April 17, 2014 for a featured performance and presentation session as part of the university's interdisciplinary entrepreneurship week. The group has also been invited to present keynote addresses at major corporations such as Corning, Inc.
Furthermore, Gao is passionate about new music and has commissioned new pieces from world-renowned composers such as Sherwood Shaffer and Leilei Tian, and he has collaborated directly with young composers such as Wei Dai in his efforts to bring Chinese music to a wider audience. His research involves creating the first annotated bibliography dedicated to Chinese saxophone music.
Gao received his DMA from the University of North Carolina, where he studied with Steve Stusek. He also completed a year of graduate study under the guidance of Connie Frigo at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. His BM and MM in saxophone performance are from Duquesne University, where he studied with James Houlik. Gao hails from Chengdu City, People's Republic of China, where he began his musical studies on clarinet at the age of eight, studying with Professor Zhenglong Xiang at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music. In 1997, at the age of 13, Gao enrolled in the pre-college program at the Sichuan Conservatory and decided to change his major to classical saxophone performance, a major created by Yusheng Li, who was also new to the Conservatory that year.
高欣，音樂藝術博士，現任美國杜魯門州立大學音樂系助理教授，碩士生導師，講授薩克斯風管課程和音樂理論課程。曾執教於東田納西州立大學、北卡格林斯伯樂分校、福爾曼大學、喬治亞州立大學以及北卡音樂夏令營。其博士畢業於北卡羅來納大學格林斯伯樂分校；碩士及學士畢業於杜肯大學。高欣師承李雨生教授，史提夫·斯圖斯克教授，康妮·弗裏歌教授和詹姆斯·霍利克教授，諸位恩師對高欣有著深遠的影響。
2011年，高欣榮獲了全美教師協會（MTNA）大賽木管組青年藝術家級第一名。2014年，高欣入圍了國際ISSAC薩克斯管大賽總決賽，是六位決賽選手中唯一一名亞洲選手。2008年和2014年，高欣先後兩度躋身“讓·瑪麗·隆戴”國際薩克斯管大賽（International Jean-Marie Londeix Saxophone Competition）半決賽。之後，在與室內樂演奏團“QuadrAtomic”薩克斯管四重奏樂團合作期間，高欣進入了菲詩霍夫（Fischoff）大賽和科爾曼（Coleman）大賽決賽，該樂團則榮獲了科爾曼桑德森獎。2016年，高欣出任了MTNA大賽田納西州分賽區的評委，參與了木管組和室內樂組青年藝術家級別賽事的評審工作。
在美國以及亞洲地區，高欣成功地舉辦過多場演出，包括與知名交響樂團的合作演出及個人演奏會。2013年，高欣出色地完成了中國地區的巡演，並在美國西南地區的各大高校演出並講授了大師課。他曾與美國著名的UNCG、UTK和Duquesne交響樂團以及中國知名的四川愛樂交響樂團合作演出。2014年，高欣受邀與芝加哥伊利諾伊大學（UIC）管樂合奏團在UIC駐演克勞德· 史密斯（Claude T. Smith）的薩克斯協奏曲。高欣也曾多次在北美薩克斯聯盟會議和美國國家海軍樂團國際薩克斯管會議進行過講演。2018年10月，高欣在杜魯門州立大學主辦了第一屆美國單簧樂器峰會並在開幕式與世界級大師們同臺獻藝。
室內樂方面，高欣組建了熱風五重奏，QuadAtomic薩克斯管四重奏 和 ROC 樂團。ROC樂團融合了爵士、流行及嘻哈音樂元素，是由多所大學的教授所組成的新興樂團。高欣曾在2014年與新世紀薩克斯管四重奏進行了美國中西部九州巡演和教學；曾被邀請至喬治亞大學以及著名的康寧（Corning）公司總部進行講演。
高欣還致力於推廣當代薩克斯管作品。有多位著名作曲家曾與之合作並接受其委托創作了新作品，其中，外國作曲家包括謝爾伍德·夏弗（Sherwood Shaffer）, 馬克·邁利茲（Marc Mellits）和大衛·馬斯蘭卡（David Maslanka）,中國作曲家有田蕾蕾和戴薇。2016年，高欣發表了關於當代薩克斯管作品的博士論文——《註釋文獻-中國作曲家的當代薩克斯管作品》。
Equipment
Soprano
Saxophone: Selmer Series III
Mouthpiece: Vandoren Optimum SL3 / James Houlik / Selmer Concept
Ligature: Vandoren M/O
Reeds: Vandoren / Légère Signature Series
Alto
Saxophone: Yamaha Custom YAS-875
Mouthpiece: Vandoren Optimum AL3 / James Houlik
Ligature: Vandoren M/O / Meyer 6
Reeds: Vandoren / Légère Signature Series
Tenor
Saxophone: Selmer Series III
Mouthpiece: James Houlik
Ligature: Vandoren M/O
Reeds: Vandoren / Légère Signature Series
Saxophone: Selmer Series III
Mouthpiece: Vandoren Optimum SL3 / James Houlik / Selmer Concept
Ligature: Vandoren M/O
Reeds: Vandoren / Légère Signature Series
Alto
Saxophone: Yamaha Custom YAS-875
Mouthpiece: Vandoren Optimum AL3 / James Houlik
Ligature: Vandoren M/O / Meyer 6
Reeds: Vandoren / Légère Signature Series
Tenor
Saxophone: Selmer Series III
Mouthpiece: James Houlik
Ligature: Vandoren M/O
Reeds: Vandoren / Légère Signature Series