FACULTY

Michael Ibrahim enjoys an active career of solo, chamber, and orchestral work in both contemporary and traditional realms. Noted for his "sheer virtuosity and musical intensity" (Calgary Herald), he has performed throughout North America, France, Russia, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Holland. In praise of his solo Bach recording, Saxophone Journal wrote, "The listener is in for an exciting musical ride."

He has won numerous competitions including the North American Saxophone Alliance Classical Artist Competition, the Eisenberg-Fried Concerto Competition for Woodwinds, the Coleman Chamber Music Competition the MTNA Woodwind Collegiate Artist and Chamber Music Competitions, and a Darmstadt Performance Prize for Contemporary Music.

As a freelance performer at the center of New York City's contemporary classical scene, Dr. Ibrahim has worked with Amp Music, Either/Or, Fireworks Ensemble, International Contemporary Ensemble, Manhattan Sinfonietta, PRISM Quartet, Red Light New Music, SEM Ensemble, and Wet Ink. His solo and chamber music performances have taken place in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Merkin Hall, Miller Theater, Symphony Space, and the Kitchen. In New York, Dr. Ibrahim gave the US Premiere of solo pieces such as Stockhausen's Edentia, Boulez's Dialogue de l'ombre double, and Robin Hoffmann's Birkhahn-Studie for black grouse hunting call.

Dr. Ibrahim studied at the Manhattan School of Music, Bowling Green State University, the Université Européenne de Saxophone in France, the University of Calgary, and the University of Regina. His teachers include Paul Cohen, John Sampen, Claude Delangle, Marcus Weiss, Jeremy Brown, and Karen Finnsson.

He has taught at Columbia University, the University of Calgary, and Mount Royal College, and recently received the Outstanding Teaching Award for the School of Music. He recently published the book New Aesthetics in Contemporary Saxophone Music. Dr. Ibrahim is a Conn-Selmer Artist and performs exclusively on Selmer saxophones.

More information can be found at www.michaelibrahim.com, or www.myspace.com/michaelibrahim.

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Paul Scea is the Director of Jazz Studies at West Virginia University. He is a free-lance jazz, new music, and Rhythm & Blues performer on woodwinds, laptop and MIDI Wind Controller, and is active as a composer, arranger, clinician and adjudicator. His experience includes performances with hundreds of nationally known jazz and pop artists. His recordings with Damon Short, and the Steve Grismore/ Paul Scea Group are critically acclaimed. Prof. Scea holds degrees from Western Washington University and the University of Iowa and is an Artist-Representative for Conn-Selmer.

More information can be found at www.paulscea.com, or www.blujazz.com/english/paul_scea.html.