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DEREK GRANGER | saxophonist & educator
Derek Granger (saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger, & music educator) is completing his DMA in Saxophone Performance at the Hartt School, where he served as teaching assistant in the studio of Carrie Koffman and garnered awards in the Paranov Concerto and Hartt Chamber Music Competitions. A native of Las Vegas, Nevada, Granger earned his MM in Saxophone Performance from Indiana University in 2019, where he studied with Otis Murphy and served as an Associate Instructor of Saxophone. Granger earned his BM in Saxophone Performance and Music Education from the University of Arizona in 2011, where he studied with Timothy McAllister and Kelland Thomas.
Granger previously served as Director of Choirs at Flowing Wells High School in Tucson, Arizona from 2011-2017. During his tenure at FWHS, the four Caballero Choirs earned numerous superior ratings at local, state, and national festivals, collaborated with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, and students won auditions into honor ensembles including Arizona All-State Choir, University of Arizona Honor Choir, and ACDA Honor Choir. While teaching, Granger maintained an active performing schedule, playing alto saxophone with the Presidio Saxophone Quartet, giving recitals throughout the Southwest United States for the Placitas Artists Series, Lake City Chamber Series, University of Arizona Fred Fox School of Music Concert Series, and more. In the Tucson area, Granger collaborated as a multiple woodwind artist with Artifact Dance Project, The Rogue Theatre, and Arizona Repertory Theatre, performing in over 30 pit orchestras and dance productions, including two tours of China with Artifact Dance Company's "Great American Dance Project."
Since his solo debut with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra in 2009, Granger has garnered awards at multiple MTNA Solo and Chamber Competitions, Indianapolis Matinee Musicale Young Artist Competition, and has premiered new works for saxophone at Midwest Composers Symposium and Society of Composers, Inc. National Conference. Duo Axon, his saxophone and percussion collaboration with percussionist Dan Ingman, was awarded second prize in the Hartt Chamber Music Competition. Recent performances include performing the Dahl Concerto with the Hartt Wind Ensemble, recitals at the International Conference for Saxophone Pedagogy and Performance, the Music by Women Festival, and the NASA Region 8 Conference. Granger serves on the summer teaching faculty of Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, and teaches clarinet and saxophone lessons from Unique Music Studio on Outschool.com. He is currently living in Texas with his partner and two dogs, where he is teaching and completing his dissertation synthesizing vocal and saxophone pedagogies.
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