Dan Goble currently serves as the director of the School of Music, Theatre and Dance at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo. Previous to his appointment at Colorado State University (CSU), Dr. Goble served as the dean of the School of Visual and Performing Arts at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, Conn., where for 21 years his leadership roles also included chair of the Department of Music and coordinator of Jazz Studies. During his tenure at Western Connecticut State University (WCSU), Dr. Goble provided leadership for curricular and programmatic changes that affected positively the School of Visual and Performing Arts (SVPA) and the university, most notably the planning and construction of an award-winning $97 million instructional and performance facility, which opened in 2014.

An arts administrator who is also an active performer, Dr. Goble has performed with the New York Philharmonic for over 16 years, and has been featured with the orchestra as the saxophone soloist on Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, and Ravel’s Bolero, among other works. In addition to the New York Philharmonic, Dr. Goble has performed with the New York City Ballet, The American Symphony Orchestra, The Mariinsky Orchestra, the New York Saxophone Quartet, and the Harvey Pittel Saxophone Quartet.

Committed to recording and promoting contemporary works for the saxophone, his critically acclaimed CD Freeway, includes significant compositions by Pulitzer Prize winning composers Charles Wuorinen and John Harbison (CRI 876). His recording of Quartet, Opus 22, by Anton Webern, conducted by Robert Kraft, is available on the Naxos label, and his most recent project with pianist Russell Hirshfield, Mad Dances, American Music for Saxophone and Piano (Troy 1251), features the music of David Diamond, William Albright, David Del Tredici, Libby Larsen, and Kevin Jay Isaacs.

On the international stage, Dr. Goble has toured extensively with the New York Philharmonic, including the historic visit to North Korea in 2008, as well as recent tours to Europe, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and China. He was a featured performer at the 2004 Thailand International Saxophone Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, and has performed recitals in Japan, China, and in Europe. He was the First Prize-winner at the 1993 Louise D. McMahon International Competition, and has won or placed in numerous other prestigious competitions, including, the Concert Artist Guild International Competition, the Ima Hogg International Young Artist Competition, and the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition.

Dr. Goble received his Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and his Bachelors degrees in Saxophone Performance and Music Education from the University of Northern Colorado. Recently, he was named distinguished alum of Casper College in his hometown of Casper, Wyoming. His saxophone teachers include Roger Greenberg, Thomas Kinser, Harvey Pittel, and Albert Regni.

Dan Goble is a D’Addario performing artist.

U.S.-based saxophonist, Nathan Mertens (he/him) is Assistant Professor of Saxophone at the University of Colorado Boulder. As an active soloist and chamber musician, he has performed recitals in Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Bolivia, the United Kingdom and throughout the United States. He has performed as a soloist with orchestras including the Busan Philharmonic Orchestra, Hastings Symphony Orchestra, The University of Texas Symphony Orchestra and the University of Arkansas Saxophone Ensemble. Mertens’ orchestral experience includes performances with the San Antonio Symphony and the Omaha Symphony. In competition, he was awarded Third Prize in the 14th Kurashiki International Saxophone Competition, Second Grand Prize in the North International Music Competition in Sweden and has been a finalist for many national competitions.

Previously, Mertens lived in Tokyo, Japan, as a Monbukagakusho Research Scholarship recipient with the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. As such, Mertens was the first American saxophonist to formally study in Japan. Realizing that awareness and access to Japanese music were lacking in the West, Mertens created the Japanese Saxophone Database—a resource to connect the rest of the world with all things saxophone in Japan. While in Tokyo, he performed with the Kunitachi Saxophone Ensemble, the Japan Saxophone Orchestra, Marie Kikuchi and Emi Kondo.

Mertens has commissioned and premiered works by composers including Lucy Armstrong, Akiro Ito, Sachie Kobayashi, Andrew Boss, Rob Buckland and Zach Browning. He has premiered these works with many ensembles across the globe at the World Saxophone Congress, North American Saxophone Alliance Conference and other concert venues. Most recently, he commissioned Anthony Greene for a work titled “kWEe(a)r(e)” which centers around celebrating and uplifting queer identities.

As a clinician, Mertens has been a guest artist at the Conservatorio Plurinacional de Música (Bolivia), Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (Singapore) and many universities and high schools throughout the United States. Mertens has previously been on the faculty at the University of Arkansas, Baylor University and Hastings College.

Mertens studied at The University of Texas at Austin—Butler School of Music, Hastings College and Kunitachi College of Music with Stephen Page, Debra Rhodes and Masato Kumoi, respectively. Mertens is a D’Addario Woodwind Artist, a Yamaha Performing Artist and a Rousseau Artist Endorser; he performs exclusively on these products.

With a background in music performance, education, and psychology, saxophonist Elizabeth Rosinbum maintains a multi-dimensional career as a teacher, clinician, speaker, and performing artist. She maintains a select private studio in one of the most competitive districts in central Texas. The first saxophonist to be hired as a D'Addario Woodwinds clinician, Elizabeth has given hundreds of masterclasses and written resource guides for students and educators alike.

A gifted speaker, she has lectured at several universities throughout the United States and abroad on woodwind pedagogy, entrepreneurship, performance psychology, and career strategies and business skills. She was recently featured on the podcast "Pay to Play" where she talked about building a private studio, the importance of mentorship, and relating to young female-identifying musicians. Elizabeth performs with the Austin Saxophone Ensemble (ASE), is the Director of ASEYouth Summer Camp, and has served on the Board since 2019.

Saxophonist Peter Sommer has contributed his energetic and graceful playing and creative spirit to a wide variety of musical projects ranging from mainstream bebop to classic and contemporary concert music to avant-garde improvisations at venues across the nation and around the world.

Composer and saxophonist, Wil Swindler currently resides near Denver, Colorado, where he leads Wil Swindler's Elevenet, the modern bop quintet GoodRattle, and serves as musical director for vocalist Barron Steffen. He is a performer and contributing composer with Raincheck, the Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra, the 9th+Lincoln Orchestra, the Colorado Jazz Orchestra, Manny Lopez's Latin Jazz Project, and the Legacy Jazz Orchestra. He also performs with the Colorado Symphony, the Fort Collins Symphony, and the Boulder Philharmonic, as well as playing productions at both the Buell Theatre and the Arvada Center for the Arts. In addition to receiving IAJE's Gil Evans Fellowship for 2008, Wil has completed numerous commissions from military bands, local orchestras, and big bands around the world. His most recent commission was premiered at the 1^st China Drum Summit in Beijing, China in 2013. Wil has two CDs available under his own name, Universe B (OA2 Records 2010) and Chamber Jazz Ensemble (NohJoh Music 2006), and can be heard on numerous other albums including Steve Owen's Stand Up Eight, Al Hood/Dave Hansen's You're It, and Manny Lopez's Searching Out. His most recent recording project was The Right Riot with his quintet, GoodRattle, released in 2014.

As an educator, Wil is in demand as a saxophone and jazz clinician and joined the music faculty at Colorado State University as a jazz instructor in 2009. He is currently the coordinator of Jazz Studies and director of Jazz Bands at CSU. He is a frequent adjudicator for high school and college jazz festivals around the country and maintains a private saxophone/composition studio in the Denver area. Wil has served as an adjunct saxophone teacher and Jazz Ensemble director at Denver University, instructor at the University of Northern Colorado, composition teacher for the Colorado Conservatory of the Jazz Arts, faculty at the Yellowstone Jazz Camp, as well as the University of Northern Colorado Jazz Camp, and the Rocky Mountain Summer Music Camp.

Originally from Central Texas, Wil began studying music at age five, and picked up the saxophone at age nine. He earned a B.M. in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas in 2001 where he played in, composed for, and recorded with the 1:00 Lab Band. In 2000 he attended the Henry Mancini Institute on a full scholarship from BMI, and received a commission the following year from HMI for a piece premiered at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. In 2001, Wil relocated to New York City, where he played with Toshiko Akiyoshi and Bill Warfield's NY Fusion Ensemble, among others. During his time in N.Y., Wil studied saxophone with Dave Pietro and composition with Michael Abene and Jim McNeely as a member of the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop. In 2003, he returned to his hometown of Austin, Texas, where he co-founded the 10-pc Chamber Jazz Ensemble and served as musical director for vocalist Kevin Ahart. Mr. Swindler has lived in Longmont, Colorado since 2006 with his wife April Johannesen, and daughter Annika.

Originally from Rochester, New York, Jennifer Turpen completed her B.M. in Music Education from the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, New York. She finished the M.M. and D.M.A. in Saxophone Performance at the University of Georgia where she studied saxophone with Kenneth Fischer.

Sam Williams is a saxophonist, educator, and composer based in Boulder, Colorado. Experienced in a variety of musical styles, Sam performs frequently in concert halls and jazz venues throughout Colorado and beyond. In 2013 and 2014, Sam was awarded the Saxophone Fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival and School, and continues to perform regularly as a guest artist at the Festival. In addition to his appearances at the AMFS, recent performances include engagements with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, and performance tours throughout China with the Hemispheres Saxophone Quartet. Sam is also an in-demand freelance jazz artist and studio musician. His debut album Turn the Moon was released in 2017, and he anticipates the release of a new album with Grammy-nominated pianist Art Lande in 2023. Sam has served on the faculty at Lamont School of Music (University of Denver), University of Northern Colorado, and Metropolitan State University. Sam earned Master of Music degrees in saxophone performance and jazz studies at the University of Northern Colorado, studying with Dr. Andrew Dahlke. Sam is a D’Addario Woodwinds endorsing artist.