Joe Lulloff and His Classical Saxophone Setup

Joe Lulloff and his Classical Saxophone Setup

Transcript:

I'm Joe Lulloff - I teach Saxophone at Michigan State University. I've been saxophone professor there since 1991. Before that, I taught at the University of Illinois from 1984-1991. I got both degrees at Michigan State University, studying with Jim Forger. I also play with the Capitol Saxophone Quartet - based originally out of Washington D.C. Made up of some wonderful, wonderful saxophonists. I'm privileged to play with: Christopher Creviston on the soprano saxophone, David Stambler on the tenor saxophone, Henning Schroeder on the baritone saxophone. I love playing classical, I love playing jazz, I love teaching, I love athletic types of things. That's who I am.

Soprano Saxophone

The Vandoren equipment I use: on the soprano saxophone, the S15 mouthpiece, a wonderful mouthpiece that has a beautiful resonance of sound and a nice bouquet of color, great response, great articulation and control up and down the horn. The M|O ligature - the gold plated version. For the reeds that I play on the soprano saxophone, I play the Traditional blue box #3.5.

Alto Saxophone

On the alto, for my classical setup, I use Traditional blue box #3.5 or V21s - they've just come out. I found they work quite well, particularly in climates where the reed has more thickness in the heart. It gives me a little more fuller sound and a little more resistance in more humid climates.

Tenor Saxophone

On tenor, I use the T20. I think all the mouthpieces are terrific and have such a beautiful, unique color, sound, great articulation, great response, flexibility, and I'm able to really find a lot of reeds which I use all Vandoren reeds and I have been using Vandoren reeds since I started playing saxophone, actually. I use the V21 reeds and occasionally the blue box. The V21s on tenor, I use a 3 and the blue box I use a 3 as well. It really helps me find my sound. I think that's the best way - find my concept of sound which I think is very important for all of us as musicians to constantly strive for the concept we want to sound like.

About Joe Lulloff

Acclaimed internationally for his innovative style and musical virtuosity, Yamaha and Vandoren Performing Artist Joseph Lulloff enjoys a prolific career as both a performing saxophone artist and teacher. A recipient of the Concert Artists Guild Award, the Pro Musicis International Soloist Award, the Michigan State University Distinguished Faculty Award, and the Withrow Award for Excellence in Teaching from the MSU College of Music, Mr. Lulloff has been featured as guest soloist with numerous orchestras and wind bands both in the United States and abroad, including with the Cleveland, Minnesota, Grand Rapids, and Brevard Music Center Orchestra, the US Navy Band, the Dallas Wind Symphony, the Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble, the Bayern Polizei Orchestra and numerous university groups from throughout the USA and Canada. He has concertized extensively throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia, performing at several music festivals including the Ojai Festival, the Lucerne Festival, the Moscow Autumn Festival, and the Ravinia Festival, and notable venues such as Carnegie Hall, Disney Hall, Weill Recital Hall, and the Smithsonian Institute. Mr. Lulloff has also served as principal saxophonist with the Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota, and St. Louis Symphony Orchestras.

Energy, intensity, and artistry characterize Mr. Lulloff's performances in both classical and jazz settings. Commenting on his performances with the Cleveland Orchestra of the Ingolf Dahl Concerto for Alto Saxophone, music critic Dan Rosenberg wrote, "Lulloff was amazing. He traversed the instrument with seamless agility, filled out phrases for all their expressive worth.” The Akron Beacon Journal wrote "Joseph Lulloff played with all the finesse of a top-notch concert violinist." Further, the New York Times commented on this performance, stating that “...Mr. Lulloff demonstrated considerable virtuosity as a soloist.”

Mr. Lulloff holds a strong interest in collaborations with many notable composers to enhance the contemporary saxophone canon. He is quite active in the premiering and commissioning of new works, including those of Zack Browning, David Biedenbender, Steven Bryant, Michael Colgrass, David Cutler, Don Freund, Stacy Garrop, Perry Goldstein, John Harbison, Jere Hutchenson, John Anthony Lennon, Ricardo Lorenz, David Maslanka, Ronald Newman, David Ott, Carter Pann, Gunther Schuller, Charles Ruggiero, Greg Wanamaker, Scott Wyatt, Paul Martin Zonn and others. He holds the position of Professor of Saxophone at Michigan State University where his students have won multiple prestigious national competitions. Alumni of his saxophone studio have found success in a variety of performance and pedagogical fields, from performing with the nations top military bands to teaching at notable music schools at universities throughout the country.

Equally at home in the realms of classical and jazz performance, Mr. Lulloff holds the alto saxophone chair with the Capitol Quartet. During summers, he teaches at the Great Plains Saxophone Workshop in Oklahoma, the Brevard Music Center Summer Music Institute in North Carolina, along with other music festivals throughout the United States and Europe.