Meet the
Current Studio
Feel free to contact the studio members directly by clicking the little envelopes next to their names. To contact any alumni, please view the alumni page.
Hannah Hickman
DMA Saxophone Performance
Hannah Hickman is a saxophonist and music educator based in Hartford, Connecticut. She has presented and performed for organizations across the country including the Music for All Summer Symposium, North American Saxophone Alliance, and the Iowa Bandmasters Association. In 2017, she was named a Yamaha Young Performing Artist. Hannah is passionate about commissioning new music and increasing accessibility to music education. Hannah has worked with students of all ages in public schools and private lesson settings. In 2020 she founded KeySpark (keysparkmusic.com), an online platform that provides curated classes and learning resources for 7th-12th grade saxophonists. Hannah holds degrees in music education and saxophone performance from the Univ. of Minnesota, Univ. of Michigan, and Univ. of Missouri-Kansas City. She is currently a doctoral student at The Hartt School, where she studies with Carrie Koffman. Her previous teachers are Zach Shemon, Timothy McAllister, Preston Duncan, and Eugene Rousseau.
Graduate Professional Diploma
Hunter is a performer and music educator hailing from Pilot Mountain, North Carolina. As an advocate for new music and community engagement, He has been involved in premiering works as both a soloist and chamber musician. In the spring of 2023, Hunter was named a winner of the Ithaca College Concerto Competition, where he performed Kenneth Fuchs' Rush Concerto with the Ithaca College Wind Symphony. In addition to this, He has presented programs nationally at conferences such as the North American Saxophone Alliance. Hunter is most passionate about creating engaging programs that captivate and inspire audiences to pursue their own musical interests.
Hunter will be pursuing a Graduate Professional Diploma at The Hartt School. Hunter recently received his M.M in saxophone performance from Ithaca College where he studied with Professor Steven Banks and Dr. Eric Troiano. Prior to this, he received his B.M in saxophone performance from the University of North Carolina School of The Arts under the instruction of Dr. Robert Young.
Hunter Hellard
Lauren Bagshaw
MM Saxophone Performance
Lauren Bagshaw is a saxophonist and educator based in her hometown of Hartford, Connecticut. As a soloist, and as the baritone saxophonist of the saxophone quartet Mantis, Lauren strives to create music that uplifts communities and gives voice to people and ideas that are underheard. She has performed across the nation at venues and conferences such as the North American Saxophone Alliance.
Lauren is a current graduate student at The Hartt School, where she is pursuing a M.M. in Saxophone Performance under the instruction of Carrie Koffman. Previously, Lauren studied with Taimur Sullivan at Northwestern University, where she earned a B.M. in Saxophone Performance and Music Education and a B.S. in Education and Social Policy.
MM Saxophone Performance
Growing up in North Texas, versatile saxophonist Rob Brown gained an appreciation for music from a young age. Armed with his passion for music, Rob aims to realize not only his musical dreams, but also the dreams of his peers and students.
As a professional saxophonist, Robert has been involved largely in the creation of new music from living composers. In 2022, Rob worked with both CNSNC and The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center on The Ocean’s Cry, a series of pieces written for piano, percussion, and saxophone that focus on ocean preservation.
Over the course of his career, Robert has studied primarily with Gary Louie and Donald J. Fabian, and he currently attends graduate school at The Hartt School under the instruction of Professor Carrie Koffman.
Robert Brown
MM Saxophone Performance
Jessica recently graduated in Spring 2022 with a Bachelor of Music degree in music performance and music education at Central Washington University (CWU) where she studied with Dr. Adam Pelandini, Dr. Ashley Kelly, and Dr. Kendra Wheeler. She was heavily involved in several areas of the department both as a leader and performer. In her undergrad, Jessica served as the secretary and president of the CWU saxophone club, where she helped organize the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) Region one conference hosted at CWU in April 2019 and performed the Glazunov Concerto with the CWU chamber orchestra after placing in the school’s concerto competition. In her first semester, Jessica is the baritone saxophonist in the Atlas Saxophone Quartet. Atlas is currently preparing music for performing at the Navy Band Symposium 2023, NASA Biennial Conference 2023, their Atlas Saxophone Quartet recital, and recording for various other chamber music competitions.
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Jessica Mccready
David Cortez
MM Saxophone Performance
David Cortez has been described as an “insightful artist with a beautiful and memorable sound” (Karlos Rodriguez, Catalyst Quartet). He is a California native who received his BM in Saxophone Performance under Dr. Michael Hernandez, receiving San Jose State University’s Outstanding Musician of the Year Award. Recently, he has appeared as soloist with the Redwood Symphony, ECHO Chamber Orchestra, Resound Ensemble, Peninsula Cantare, Disrupt Ensemble, and Santa Cruz Symphony. He is an alumni of Chamber Music Silicon Valley's Emerging Artist Fellowship, Quinteto Latino’s Seminario Cohort, the Yarn/Wire Institute, and Ensemble Evolution. As an active chamber musician, he has performed on series at the Encinitas Library, Beverly Hills Greystone Mansion, San Jose Museum of Art, Mexican Heritage Center, and more. David was a winner of the Frances Walton Chamber Music Competition, finalist in the MTNA National Chamber Music Competition, and competitor in the Naumburg Saxophone Competition. He is a member of the critically-acclaimed MANA Quartet, and can be heard on NPR’s Live Sessions and Classical KING FM.
MM Saxophone Performance
Benjamin Levesque is a saxophonist and educator based in his hometown of Windsor, Connecticut. Benjamin recently graduated from the University of Connecticut with a B.M in Saxophone Performance and will be attending the Hartt School of Music to pursue a M.M. in Saxophone Performance. Benjamin has been a member of the UConn Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble, as well as the Rhombus Saxophone Quartet and the UConn Saxophone Quartet. Benjamin has a passion for teaching, and has coached the Rhombus Quartet as well as teaching private lessons for students ranging from the beginner to collegiate level. He has recently been named the undergraduate winner of the 2022 UConn Concerto Competition, and performed Andre Waignein's "Rhapsody for Alto Saxophone" with the UConn Symphony Orchestra. Previously, Benjamin has studied with Kendra Emery, Dr. Colette Hall, Paul Evoskovich, and Greg Case.
Benjamin Levesque
BM Music Production & Technology
Ryan Newell is a saxophonist from Sussex County, New Jersey. He has played the saxophone since the 7th grade and, in entering high school, knew that it was his dream to perform. He has performed with Grammy Award Winning B. J. Thomas, performed in the New Jersey all state band, and played for his county’s youth orchestra. Ryan hopes to continue his studies on the saxophone to become the best musician he can be!
Ryan Newell
BM Music Education
Dakota Jones is a saxophonist from the Central Maine area and grew up on her family’s small farm in Brooks, which has a population of less than 1200 people. Dakota has always appreciated the arts and has been a musician since she was eight years old, with piano as her primary instrument until she began to learn the saxophone in high school. Dakota has immersed herself in many of her high school’s musical ensembles such as Concert Band, Chamber Singers, Jazz Band, Pep Band, and various Honor Festivals including the Maine All-State Band. She enjoys teaching her peers about music and how to play saxophone while sharing her passion and connecting with other musicians. She will be an undergraduate student pursuing a B.M. in Music Education under the instruction of Carrie Koffman.
While she is at Hartt, Dakota is excited to explore the world of classical saxophone and to perform with other saxophonists while preparing to become an educator.
Dakota Jones
BM Music Education
Anthony Pastizzo is a saxophonist from Wynantskill, New York, who graduated in Spring 2023 with an Associate’s degree in the Performing Arts from SUNY Schenectady. At Suny Schenectady, Anthony studied with saxophonist Brian Patneaude, studying both jazz and classical saxophone. Anthony will be continuing his education at the Hartt School under the instruction of Professor Carrie Koffman, and is planning to graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Music Education. In high school, Anthony performed in many different ensembles, including the Empire State Youth Orchestra’s Wind Ensemble and Jazz Orchestra.
