Craig Sylvern

As a professional saxophonist, Craig Sylvern has performed with many symphony orchestras throughout the United States and has toured for many years with Keith Brion and his New Sousa Band. He can be heard on recordings with the New Sousa Band, the New Hudson Saxophone Quartet, and the Ohio State University Concert Band. At home in both the classical and jazz worlds, he has also played with professional big bands in Florida, Ohio, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. His other performance credits include the Off-Broadway production of Nunsense and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. He has performed on the international stage with percussionists Nathan Davis and Gillian Maitland. In addition to his saxophone performances, he is also in demand as a clarinetist and flutist, performing throughout New England in orchestras and musical productions., and is a D’Addario Performing Artist.

Craig is currently Professor of Music at Keene State College where he teaches applied saxophone, music technology, and conducts the saxophone ensemble. He earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in composition from The Ohio State University, where he studied with Michael Ruszczynski and Marc Ainger. He earned a Master of Music degree in Performance (Multiple Winds) and Bachelor of Music degrees in Composition and Music Education from The Florida State University. There he studied saxophone with Patrick Meighan, flute with Steven Geibel and Charles Delaney, bassoon with Tina Carpenter and William Winstead, and composition with John Boda and Harold Schiffman. He has presented at local, regional, national, and international conferences and has been a clinician at numerous schools and conferences in the New England region.

He has written works for The Empire Saxophone Quartet, the Keene State College Concert Band, and his own saxophone/percussion duo, CS2. His composition, Digitorum, along with five other new works can be heard on CS2’s debut CD due out soon. In 2011, he was named Commissioned Composer of the Year by the New Hampshire Music Teachers Association. His compositions have had premieres throughout North America. At Keene State he established, and coordinates, the annual Faculty Composers Concert, now in its 15th year. Prior to joining, Keene State's Music Department in 1998, Dr. Sylvern taught at Plattsburgh State University.