Bio

J. Michael Holmes is a talented solo and chamber musician who “…is emerging as one of America’s stars in the world of the concert saxophone” (states saxophonist John Sampen). Professor Holmes’ active playing career has seen him performing at some of the most prestigious venues in the United States, including Carnegie Hall, and also throughout Europe and Taiwan. Holmes has shared the stage with artists ranging from Ben Folds to The Temptations – Manhattan Transfer to Idina Menzel… just to name a few. Mr. Holmes is currently Clinical Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Illinois School of Music as well as the Enrollment Management Director for the School of Music. Prior to his appointment at the University of Illinois, Michael was the Director of Marketing for Reed Instruments at Conn-Selmer, Inc. and had previously held the position of Artistic Advisor and Product Specialist with the Vandoren Corporation.

Michael has presented clinics, masterclasses, and given performances at some of the most prestigious saxophone programs in the United States. Professor Holmes also held recent appointments at the University of Oregon as Visiting Guest Artist as well as Guest Instructor of Music at the University of Notre Dame. Holmes is ABD for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Saxophone Performance, holds a Bachelors degree in Music Education from Bowling Green State University where he was a student of Distinguished Research/Artist Professor John Sampen, and a Masters degree in Saxophone Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois where he was the graduate saxophone teaching assistant for Professor Debra Richtmeyer. He has had additional studies with saxophonists Jean-Marie Londeix, Claude Delangle, Griffin Campbell, Daniel Kientzy, and Eugene Rousseau.

Michael is a member of the North American Saxophone Alliance and has performed in many of the national and regional conferences. He is an active soloist of contemporary music and has commissioned and premiered numerous works for the saxophone. His performances have received great accolades and can be heard on the Mark, SEAMUS and Klavier Record label and an interview about Michael’s emerging career as a saxophonist was published in the January/February 2008 Saxophone Journal. He has performed as principal saxophonist with numerous orchestras including the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia da Camera, the Toledo Repertoire Theatre, and the Champaign-Urbana Symphony. Michael was the woodwind finalist for the 2006 Krannert Debut Artist Competition and the winner of the 2006 University of Illinois Concerto Competition.

Professor Holmes is the former director of the Bowling Green State University saxophone camp and current co-headmaster for the Illinois Summer Youth Music saxophone camp held at the University of Illinois. Michael is pleased to be a Selmer Artist/Clinician and performs on Selmer Paris saxophones exclusively, as well as a Vandoren Artist and plays Vandoren reeds, ligatures, and mouthpieces exclusively.

Guest Lectures, Guest Performances, and Masterclasses

University of South Carolina (2010)
University of Oregon (2010)
University of Missouri at St. Louis (2010)
Lawrence Conservatory (2009)
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (2009)
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2009)
Danville High School (2009)
Ohio Music Education Association Conference (2009)
Drake University (2008)
Simpson College (2008)
University of Iowa (2008)
Cincinnati Conservatory of Music (2008)
University of Florida (2008)
University of North Florida (2008)
Bowling Green State University (2008)
Northwestern University (2008)
University of Seattle (2007)
State University of New York – Potsdam (2007 and 2008)
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2006)
Indiana State University (2006)
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2004-2006)
Milikin University – Decatur, Illinois (2004)
Taipei National University – Taipei, Taiwan (2004)
Toledo Pubic Schools – Toledo, Ohio (2003-2004)

Commissioned(*), Group Commission(#) and Premiered(^) works for saxophone:

- Untitled for tenor saxophone and tape by Ed Martin (tentatively 2010)*
- fo•ci for 13 saxophones by Erik Lund (2009)#
- Awakening for 13 saxophones by Ed Martin (2009)#
- World Without Words for 13 saxophones by Steve Taylor (2009)#
- The Line We Can’t Cross for alto saxophone and tape by Kyung Mee Choi (2008)*^
- Reflection for solo alto saxophone by Hee Yun Kim (2008)*
- Flurry for soprano saxophone and tape by Ed Martin (2006)^
- For Luciano for solo alto saxophone by Marilyn Shrude (2004)*^
- Postcard from Riva del Garda for solo alto saxophone by John Stafford III (2004)*^
- Shotscattered Snap for solo alto saxophone by Sean Hagerty (2004)*^
- Postcard from the Dolomites for solo alto saxophone by Matthew Brazofsky (2004)*^
- Aria for alto saxophone and piano by Luke Rosen (2002)*^