Rick VanMatre Area of Instruction: Jazz Studies Faculty Since: 1980 Credentials: BM, CCM, summa cum laude; MM, Eastman School of Music Biography: VanMatre has recorded as a jazz saxophone soloist with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, the PsychoAcoustic Orchestra, Latin X-Posure and the CCM Faculty Jazztet. He has performed with John McNeil, Bobby Shew, Gene Bertoncini, Tim Hagans, Rosemary Clooney, the Duke Ellington Orchestra led by Mercer Ellington and the Woody Herman Orchestra directed by Frank Tiberi. International performances include the Nancy Jazz Festival in France, the Jazz at Old Town Series and the Saxon Gardens Summer Jazz Festival in Warsaw, Poland. He has been active in widely varied genres such as the "Panorama of Indian Classical Music and Jazz," contemporary Latin and rhythmic music concerts with Roland Vazquez, multimedia presentations entitled "Earthkind-Humankind" featuring music, poetry, dance, and art, and numerous collaborations with art exhibitions. His solo recital and his composition in honor of "Jerusalem 3000" at the El-Dan Forum in Israel was described by the Polish magazine Slowo as "stirring (with) the dramatic power of expression." He was called a "superb instrumentalist" by the Cincinnati Enquirer, and a "reed titan" by Midwest Jazz magazine. As a classical saxophonist, he has performed with the Rochester Philharmonic and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra under conductors such as Leinsdorf and Penderecki, and as a concerto soloist with the Illinois Phiharmonic, the Middletown Symphony Orchestra and the Cincinnati Wind Symphony, including the premiere of Gerhard Samuel's Concerto for Soprano Saxophone and Wind Ensemble. As conductor of the CCM Jazz Ensemble, he has directed programs for American Jazz Radio Festival, National Public Radio, and produced three CD recordings for Alissa Records and Sea Breeze Records. Serenade in Blue was described by Cadence as a "necessary part of any big-band enthusiast's library" and Jazz News praised Carnival of Life. He has also conducted concerts for artists like Joe Henderson, Eddie Daniels, Slide Hampton, David Liebman, Kenny Garrett, Joshua Redman, Curtis Fuller and Ahmad Jamal. In the field of broadcasting, he served as the on-air host and interviewer from 1986-90 for the nationally syndicated radio series Jazz - Live From the Hyatt featuring artists such as Joe Lovano, Michel Camilo, James Williams, Houston Person and more. VanMatre has presented performances and lectures for the International Association for Jazz Education, Music Educators National Conference, the North American Saxophone Alliance, the World Saxophone Congress, and has written for Saxophone Journal. He is on faculty at the Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Clinics and has taught at the International Summer Jazz Academy in Warsaw, Poland. He was the president of the Ohio Unit of the National Association of Jazz Educators from 1987-89. He has been named "Best Jazz Musician" by Cincinnati Magazine, Ohio Jazz Educator of the Year by NAJE, and the Ernest N. Glover Outstanding Teacher at CCM. His primary teachers were Bill Dobbins, Rayburn Wright, Ramon Ricker, Joe Viola and David Liebman. Personal Links: Jazz Studies Program e-mail: Rick.VanMatre@UC.EDU