Troy Roberts
The School of Music will welcome saxophonist/composer Troy Roberts for a series of master classes and performances.
Mr. Roberts, hailed as a leading musical voice of his generation, will discuss his wide-ranging expertise with students and perform original compositions and arrangements both on and off campus with the members of the Fredonia Jazz Faculty Collective, the Fredonia Jazz Orchestra and the Fredonia New Moods Combo.
Audiences all over the world have been in awe of Troy’s musicianship. These events are not to be missed!” – Adjunct Lecturer Elliot Scozzaro
"We're elated to bring Troy to campus! I had the privilege of meeting him about nine years ago in Mount Gambier, Australia where we both performed at the Generations in Jazz Festival,” said Adjunct Lecturer Elliot Scozzaro.
“He's a phenomenal musician who has performed and recorded with a wide range of artists, from jazz greats such as Joey DeFrancesco, Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts and Kurt Elling to pop icons like Van Morrison,” Mr. Scozzaro added. Roberts will share invaluable insight into performing and touring as a professional musician with students and the public through master classes and performances.
A jazz improvisation master class will be held Friday, March 28, 11 a.m. in Mason Hall Room 1080. A second master class that day with Ethos New Music Society focusing on his music and composition process will be held at 4 p.m. in Mason Hall Room 2019.
Roberts will perform with the Fredonia Jazz Orchestra and the Fredonia New Moods Combo on Friday, March 28, at 8 p.m., in the Juliet J. Rosch Recital Hall.
A master class with the Fredonia Jazz Workshop will be held Saturday, March 29, at 10:30 a.m., in Mason Hall Room 3140.
All master classes and the Rosch Recital Hall performance are free and open to the public.
Roberts will perform with the Faculty Jazz Collective at PAUSA Art House, Buffalo, NY, on Saturday, March 29, at 7 p.m. More information is available here.
“Audiences all over the world have been in awe of Troy’s musicianship,” Scozzaro said. “These events are not to be missed!”
Embracing his love for a vast variety of stylistic genres, the three-time GRAMMY nominated saxophonist is quickly becoming one of the most widely recorded touring artists of his time. Roberts has also received three consecutive DownBeat Jazz Soloist Awards.
The Australian-born Roberts, now a long-time New York resident, is also an exceptional composer, and has recorded 16 albums as a leader, many of which include original compositions. He maintains a busy recording and performance schedule and also owns and operates his own record label, Toy Robot Music.
Support for the Roberts’ residency has been provided by the Carnahan Jackson Fund for the Humanities through the Fredonia College Foundation.
