Rate My Professor Ian Jeffress

Ian Jeffress serves as Professor of Saxophone in the School of Music at Western Carolina University, part of the David Orr Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts. He teaches applied saxophone, coaches saxophone chamber ensembles, and delivers courses in music education, musicianship, and music in the liberal arts. Jeffress directs the university saxophone studio and maintains a private teaching studio for secondary school saxophonists in the Asheville area. As an active concert artist, he performs as the alto saxophonist with the award-winning Assembly Quartet and as a saxophonist with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra. His solo and chamber performances have been featured at prominent gatherings such as the World Saxophone Congress, the International Saxophone Symposium, and numerous North American Saxophone Alliance meetings. He has presented recitals and masterclasses across the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.

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.