Welcome to the Indiana University Saxophone Studio

Professors Otis Murphy and Thomas Walsh

Welcome to the Indiana University Saxophone Studio web page!  Professor Otis Murphy and I are dedicated to extending the long tradition of excellence at Indiana University.  

Saxophonists at IU benefit from being in an extremely active musical environment where hundreds of talented musicians are striving for the highest in musical achievement.  Opportunities for performance include three concert bands, four jazz ensembles, marching band, five orchestras, jazz combos, classical chamber groups, and saxophone quartets.  Many students find additional performance opportunities off-campus in the venues offering live jazz. 

Beyond the campus of Indiana University, our faculty and students are regular and active performers at the World Saxophone Conference and at conferences of the North American Saxophone Alliance. The 2004 NASA Biennial Conference at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro included featured performances with orchestra by both Professor Thomas Walsh (David Baker Concerto for alto saxophone and orchestra) and Professor Otis Murphy (Robert Muczynski Concerto for alto saxophone and orchestra).  And, in addition to the numerous IU student performers at the conference, we were very proud to see two of our saxophonists, Paul Tucker and Stacy Wilson, win second and third prizes respectively in the NASA Classical Saxophone Performance Competition.

The saxophone studio at Indiana University typically numbers between 35 and 40 students distributed among various music degree programs, including the following:

• Bachelor of Music in Saxophone
• Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies
• Bachelor of Music Education
• Bachelor of Science in Music and an Outside Field
  (Classical or Jazz Emphasis)
• Bachelor of Music in Composition
• Master of Music in Saxophone
• Master of Music in Jazz Studies
• Master of Music in Multiple Woodwinds
• Doctor of Music in Saxophone
• Doctor of Music in Multiple Woodwinds
• Minor in Saxophone on master’s and doctoral degrees in other areas (for example, Music Education)

Historically, saxophonists at I.U. are a diverse group. Students have come from Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, Iceland, Spain, Canada, Costa Rica, and other countries as well as from around the United States. Likewise, saxophone alumni of I.U. can be found performing and teaching around the world.

We hope you find our website informative.  We will, of course, continue to add new information as often as possible. If you have any questions that are not answered here, please feel free to e-mail Professor Murphy or myself.

Sincerely,

Thomas Walsh, D.M.
Associate Professor of
Saxophone and Jazz Studies