Grant Larson

An active recitalist and proponent of new music, saxophonist Grant Larson has premiered works for saxophone by Philip Wharton, Chiayu Hsu, Steven Makala, and John Drumheller at regional and national conventions. He is the soprano saxophonist with the Colorado-based Chautauqua Saxophone Quartet and has performed with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, the Chippewa Valley Symphony Orchestra, and the Fargo/Moorhead Symphony Orchestra.

Dr. Larson holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Saxophone Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Colorado at Boulder. His doctoral dissertation, a pedagogical resource for skill acquisition in the jazz idiom, reflects his passion for teaching jazz to classically trained musicians. He also holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Colorado and a Bachelor of Music from Concordia College.

Equally comfortable in both classical and jazz settings, Dr. Larson has performed on stage with notable artists such as Maria Schneider, Kurt Elling, Mulgrew Miller, Art Lande, Brad Goode, Johannes Weidenmueller, Peter Erskin, Ray Charles, Ignacio Berroa, and “Slammin” Sammy K. His new album, Terrane, released under the Dazzle Recordings label (Denver, CO) features nine of Larson’s original jazz compositions. Dr. Larson has studied saxophone with Tom Myer, Peter Sommer, Russell Peterson, Ron Wray, and oboe with Jennifer Peterson. Previously, he served on the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Concordia College, and the Boulder Arts Academy.

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