Paul Cohen is one of America’s most sought-after saxophonists for orchestral and chamber concerts and solo recitals. 

He has appeared as soloist with the San Francisco Symphony, New Jersey Symphony,  and the Charleston Symphony.  

His many solo orchestra performances include works by Debussy, Creston, Ibert, Glazunov, Martin, Loeffler, Husa, Dahl, Still, Villa-Lobos, Tomasi, and Cowell. 

He has also performed with a broad range of orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera (NYC), American Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, San Diego Symphony, and the Cleveland Orchestra.

Recent CDs include American Landscapes, (American music), Common Ground (chamber music), New York Rising ( American music for saxophone quartet),  Heard Again for the First Time (premiering lost music) and his latest,  Soprano Summit  (soprano saxophone).

Dr. Cohen is currently on the faculties of the Manhattan School of Music, NYU, Columbia University  and Rutgers University.

The opening music was Feathers and Sax, by Amanda Harberg, and the outro music was Lesson from the Sky, by Rodney Rogers, both from his latest CD, Soprano Summit.

We talked about:

* Why saxophone became the perfect instrument of choice for him

* Listening to Paul Desmond and playing by ear

* How the skill set of today’s generation changed

* Saxophone virtuosos students should listen to

* Developing musicianship

* Exploring other types of saxophones

* His new ‘Soprano Summit’ album and his approach on recording new music

 

If you don’t have any meaning or depth behind what you are saying, you might as well be reading out of a phone book

Paul Cohen

 

Resources

* Soprano Summit -The Movie: https://youtu.be/EZSpqYOafuk 

* The Altissimo Primer – on Hickey’s Music site: https://www.hickeys.com/music/woodwinds/sax/methods_and_studies/studies_and_etudes/products/sku100323-cohen-paul-altissimo-primer-the-2014.php 

* Paul’s email:  [email protected]

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