Rate My Professor Ian Jeffress

Prior to his appointment at Western Carolina University, Jeffress held faculty positions at Allen University and the Palmetto Center for the Arts, and served as a graduate teaching assistant at the University of South Carolina and Ithaca College. He earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Theory from Furman University. Jeffress's doctoral research centered on the application of narrative theory to post-tonal music. A strong supporter of contemporary composition, he has commissioned and premiered new works for saxophone by composers including Marilyn Shrude, Jennifer Watson, Ruby Fulton, James Matheson, Andrew Hannon, Lewis Spratlan, Shih-hui Chen, and Jacob ter Veldhuis. His achievements include being a finalist in the MTNA Young Artist Competition and a semifinalist in the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. Jeffress is a co-founder and faculty member of the Assembly Quartet Saxophone Workshop and an endoring artist for Légère Reeds. His principal teachers were Clifford Leaman and Steven Mauk. He currently serves as Region 7 Director for the North American Saxophone Alliance.