Noah Getz is a jazz and classical saxophonist based in Washington, DC. Hailed as a “highly skillful and an even more highly adventurous player” (Washington City Paper) with “virtuosity, sensitivity, and beauty of tone” (Fanfare), Getz has performed and lectured worldwide, including appearances at the 2012 Summer Academy of Wind Instruments in Poland, the 2011 Australian Clarinet and Saxophone Festival in Melbourne, Australia and the 2011 World Harp Congress in Vancouver, Canada. A finalist in the Havervill International Soloist Competition in the United Kingdom, Getz received a first-round Grammy nomination for his contribution with the New Hudson Saxophone Quartet to America’s Millennium Tribute to Adolphe Sax, Vol. V. His albums Crosscurrents, exploring the intersection of jazz and contemporary classical music, and Still Life, featuring works written for him, were released to rave reviews and are available through Albany Records.
Getz is committed to commissioning and premiering new works for saxophone, including recent collaborations with Aaron Jay Kernis, David Amram, Lewis Spratlan, Judah Adashi, Andrew Earle Simpson, and Andrian Pertout. His premiere of Steve Antosca’s in every way I remember you in March 2011 at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC was acclaimed as “spectacular and wonderfully provocative” (Washington Post). With harpist Jacqueline Pollauf as the duo Pictures on Silence, Getz regularly commissions and performs new music written for their unique instrumental combination. Getz also maintains an active schedule performing jazz with the Levine Jazz Quintet and the Noah Getz Trio.
An avid and enthusiastic educator, Getz has presented masterclasses, recitals, and lectures at universities and events throughout the United States, including at Peabody Conservatory, Mannes-The New School of Music, the Aaron Copland School of Music, the International Saxophone Symposium, and the Sigurd Rascher Centennial Celebration. He instructs private students and coaches saxophone and jazz ensembles as a Musician-In-Residence at American University, and also teaches jazz saxophone at the Levine School of Music in Washington, DC.