Jonathan Wintringham, a master’s degree student at the Eastman School of Music, will be featured as a “Young Artist in Residence” on Performance Today, a national classical music radio series that airs locally on WXXI FM 91.5. (Read and watch the feature online.)
A saxophonist and recording artist who made his professional debut at 17, Wintringham has given recitals, master classes, and residencies throughout United States, Canada, Mexico, England, and Japan. He is an advocate of contemporary music, working with composers to commission and premiere new works.
Wintringham’s residency included an in-studio performance and interview in St. Paul, Minn., where the series is produced by American Public Media. A portion of Wintringham’s performance can be heard during WXXI’s broadcast of the show on Saturday, Nov. 23, from 9 to 11 a.m.
Wintringham has been described as “a major force in the saxophone world” (American Record Guide) and “nothing short of a virtuoso” (The Sax Magazine, Japan), and has received praise for his “confidence and grace that comes from somewhere beyond experience” (Arizona Daily Star). He has collaborated with many musicians including saxophonist Timothy McAllister, director of the Institute for New Music at the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University; Japanese saxophonist Masato Kumoi, and the Masato Kumoi Saxophone Quartet; and Kazuhiro Takagi, concertmaster of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra.
As a soloist, Wintringham has received first place awards in numerous competitions, including the Astral Artists National Auditions, the Music Teachers National Association’s National Young Artist Competition, the Tucson Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, and the Tucson Chamber Orchestra Concerto Competition. Wintringham’s debut CD, Walimai, is available on the Equilibrium (Albany) label and has been broadcast internationally on England’s BBC and Japan’s FMN1 networks. He is an Astral Performing Artist.
Wintringham regularly presents duo performances with composer and pianist Michael Djupstrom and with Kuninobu Bando, saxophone professor at the Kunitachi School of Music and the Tokyo School of Music. The Bando/Wintringham Duo has received numerous accolades for their international performances since their formation in 2009. In 2012, Wintringham was invited to premiere Alex Orfaly’s Divertissement No. 2 as a member of the New World Symphony Orchestra. He is a former member of several recording and awarding-winning chamber ensembles including the Presidio Saxophone Quartet, the Catalina Saxophone Quartet, and the Trikaya saxophone trio.
In addition to pursuing a Master of Music degree under Associate Professor Chien-Kwan Lin, Wintringham serves as assistant director of the Eastman Saxophone Project and as a teaching assistant at the Eastman School of Music. He received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Arizona, where he received an undergraduate research grant and spent six months in Tokyo investigating the inner workings of Japanese collegiate training systems and musical cultures.
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