Gary Louie
Saxophone
Internationally recognized as one of the leading saxophone virtuosi of our time, Gary Louie possesses a lively interpretive imagination coupled with a refreshingly understated artistry and a warm, supple tone, qualities that have earned him consistent praise from audiences and critics alike. Gary Louie's career has long been distinguished by his successful efforts to break boundaries and integrate the saxophone and its repertoire into the mainstream of classical music life, both here and abroad. He has appeared as soloist with Hugh Wolff and the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, under the batons of Daniel Hege, David Lockington, Juanjo Mena and Yan Pascal Tortelier, in performances of Milhaud’s La création du monde, Debussy's Rhapsody for Saxophone and Orchestra and Glazunov's Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra.
An avid supporter and interpreter of contemporary music, Gary Louie is actively involved in the commissioning and performing of new scores for the saxophone. He has premiered new works by the distinguished American composers William Albright, John Harbison, MIchael Hersch, Lori Laitman, John Anthony Lennon and Jonathon Leshnoff. This season he premieres Michael Hersch’s of ages manifest for unaccompanied saxophone. In 2015, he is scheduled to premier a new concerto for saxophone and orchestra written for him by Lowell Liebermann.
Gary Louie’s career was launched in 1986, when he won the coveted Pro Musicis International Sponsorship Award. In 1988 he was selected as a “Young Artist to Watch” by Musical America. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants, including having been chosen by the United States Information Service for its "Arts America" program and a National Endowment for the Arts Solo Recitalist Grant. Mr. Louie has also served on the National Screening Committee for the Fulbright Awards.
