Summary: The Barry Sax Show<br> <br> Debra Richtmeyer, an internationally renowned saxophonist and pedagogue, has been Professor of Saxophone at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign since 1991 and has performed as a soloist and clinician in North America, Europe, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Thailand and China. She has performed or recorded as a concerto soloist with numerous bands and orchestras, including the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, The Slovak Radio Orchestra, The Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the United States Navy Band. She was principal saxophonist with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra from 1981-1991 and with the St. Louis Symphony from 1992-2002. She is Past-President and Honorary Life Member of the North American Saxophone Alliance and an Artist/Clinician for Conn-Selmer Incorporated.<br> <br> Debra has premiered commissioned works at eight World Saxophone Congresses and four North American Saxophone Alliance Conferences. In 1997 in Valencia, Spain she became the first woman to be invited to perform a concerto with orchestra at a World Saxophone Congress. In 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand, she became the first woman to be invited to give a master class at a World Saxophone Congress. <br> <br> Prior to her appointment at the University of Illinois, Professor Richtmeyer was a saxophone professor at the University of North Texas and an instructor at Lawrence Conservatory. She received her degrees from Northwestern University where she was a Teaching Assistant and student of Dr Frederick L. Hemke.<br> <br> Richtmeyer’s students and former students are leaders in the next generation of classical saxophonists and teachers.<br> <br> Show Notes: Getting started on curved soprano in a family of musicians. Hearing Hemke perform live for the first time. Learning with my parents, Larry Combs and Fred Hemke. Learning to be my own artist. Helping students to teach themselves. Needing competition for motivation. Increasing the practice hours to develop a foundation. Decreasing the practice hours with a foundation. Teaching efficiency for students to increase their learning speed. Breaking down music to learn it fast through correct repetition. Listening from the heart. How to write a book. Advising the Committee on the Status of Women in the Saxophone. Building awareness of minorities in music. Being the first woman to perform a concerto and give a masterclass at a world saxophone congress. Making tough musical choices when life gets busy. Learning to say no. Working with composers. Keeping in touch with former students. The source of original interpretation. Using recordings without being overly influenced by them. Practising with artistic intention. Improvising at home. Effortless to make music sound better. Directing energy to an audience. Building endurance with breaks. Embracing the possibility of failure as a learning process by stepping outside your comfort zone.
