Summary: A musician of international repute, French saxophonist and composer Philippe Geiss has given concerts and masterclasses all over the world. Excelling in diverse disciplines, he has mastered a repertoire that extends from classical to improvised music. He is in great demand as a composer, with a catalogue ranging from solo pieces to symphonic repertoire. He is published by Billaudot, Robert Martin and Leduc.<br> <br> Philippe is Professor at the Strasbourg Conservatory and the Strasbourg Superior Music Academy / Haute École des Arts du Rhin, as well as a guest professor at the Senzoku Gakuen College of Tokyo. He is a member of the scientific committee of LabEx-GREAM at Strasbourg University. Philippe Geiss is a valued member of the International Saxophone Committee, in which role he masterminded the artistic direction of SaxOpen – the 17th Congress and World Festival of the Saxophone – in Strasbourg in 2015.<br> <br> In this wide-ranging interview, listen to Philippe describe how he wanted to play the trombone and his mother bought him a saxophone In France, students learn the saxophone from age 6. Kids should have fun practising and learn something at the same time. We need to find some way to have people motivated to keep practising. The very boring mechanical exercises. My teacher's 12 copy-paste students. Ivan Roth, had fun playing jazz. Jerry Bergonzi called me crazy. Last teacher was Jean-Marie Londeix. You learn to master your body, your mind and your stress. Weeks really working hard at a restaurant, and after that, I decided to stay with the saxophone. You have to decide what you will practise because you do not have enough time. Taking care of my body. Some people play better when they read, some other people play better when they memorise. Tips on coming back from a jazz embouchure to a classical embouchure. Five years with Zulu musicians from South Africa. Learning and studying traditional music from different countries. Travelling makes you understand that we are really on a small planet. You have to learn to listen, to sample, and to respect different origins and traditions. For a long period time, I didn't think about my career. Doing around 250 concerts each year. The first thing about improvisation, especially teaching improvisation, is don't say improvisation. Things worked well because I learned to trust my colleagues. Open your mind to different cultures and don't only practise your saxophone.
