Dr. Joshua Heaney is a saxophonist and music educator based in Oklahoma City. Described as, “a sparkling and emotionally charged elixir of sound” (Morning Classics with Mary Claire Murphy), Dr. Heaney’s music and research have taken him to Italy, Switzerland, and throughout the United States for regional and national conferences, festivals, music series, and radio programs. Striving for human connection through contemporary music, Dr. Heaney has commissioned and premiered over 40 works, collaborating with composers such as Augusta Read Thomas, Marc Mellits, Marilyn Shrude, Matthew Kennedy, Viet Cuong, Evan Ziporyn, and many others. A musician in demand, Dr. Heaney most recently performed as a concerto soloist with the Oklahoma City Symphonic Band, Keene State College Concert Band, Heidelberg University Symphonic Band, Atlanta Chamber Collective, Georgia State University Wind Ensemble, among others. He has also performed in the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Lima Symphony, Macon Symphony, Snow Pond Music Festival Orchestra, and the Eastern Music Festival Pops. Dr. Heaney can be heard on his debut album ALCHEMY (Clarinet & Saxophone Classics Recordings) alongside pianist Benjamin T. Nylander, commercial single releases of music by Steve Reich and Viet Cuong, and commercial album releases by composers Stephen Woods and Matthew Quayle.
Dr. Heaney serves as Saxophone Instructor & Recruitment Coordinator at Oklahoma City University’s Wanda L. Bass School of Music and directs the Oklahoma Saxophone Ensemble. During summers, Dr. Heaney teaches saxophone at New England Music Camp as well as the internationally recognized Frederick L. Hemke Saxophone Institute at Snow Pond Music Festival. Dr. Heaney holds music degrees from Susquehanna University, Georgia State, and Bowling Green State University (DMA). His teachers include Gail B. Levinsky, Jan Baker, John Sampen, David Bixler, and Frederick L. Hemke.
OFFICIAL CD ALBUM RELEASE
ALCHEMY - Debut Album This release features contemporary music for saxophone and piano concerned with exploring a fundamentally intertwined relationship. Performed by saxophonist Joshua Heaney and pianist composer Benjamin Nylander, each piece is highly idiomatic for each instrument and makes full use of a wide pallet of techniques, colours, and sounds. The end result is a collection of music that could not be possibly performed on any other combination of instruments. Seeking novel expression, story telling, and human connection through contemporary music.
Track Listing
John Anthony Lennon: Distances Within Me (1979)
Marilyn Shrude: Lacrimosa (2006, premiere recording)
Mischa Zupko: Simple Song (2019, premiere recording)
Benjamin Nylander: Body of Water (2022, premiere recording)
Viet Cuong: Sanctuary (2020, premiere recording)
“Joshua Heaney and Benjamin Nylander execute Alchemy with the elegant precision, resonance, and introspection necessary to formulate a sparkling and emotionally charged elixir of sound.”
“Saxophone & piano duo finds the right chemistry on Alchemy!”
“Alchemy is an intense experience, and it struck me in a powerful way upon first hearing it…an outstanding release absolutely worth purchasing.”
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