Saxophone Studio
Ian Briffa
MASTER OF MUSIC
STUDENT PROFILE
Ian Briffa is a First-Year Master’s student from Princeton, New Jersey pursuing an MM in Saxophone Performance under Dr. Chien-Kwan Lin. He has been playing the saxophone since the age of 11 and has been fortunate enough to perform across the United States, Austria, The Czech Republic, Italy and Germany. At the Eastman School of Music, Ian is a member of the Eastman Wind Orchestra and Eastman Wind Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Mark Scatterday and the Eastman Saxophone Project directed by Dr. Chien-Kwan Lin. He has also had the opportunity to pursue additional studies with Timothy McAllister, Carrie Koffman, Otis Murphy, Kenneth Tse and Paul Cohen. Prior to his time at Eastman, Ian studied under saxophonist Daniel Kochersberger. As a competitor, Ian recently placed runner-up in the Heddy Killian New York State Empire Competition collegiate instrumental division and was a semifinalist for the North American Saxophone Alliance Quartet Competition. He has premiered new works by Eastman composers and participated in masterclasses with professional ensembles such as the Sinta Quartet. He graduated from the Eastman School of Music in 2022 with a Bachelor’s in Saxophone Performance and a certificate in Arts Leadership with high distinction.