Jeremy Ruthrauff, Saxophone
Saxophonist Jeremy Ruthrauff has performed with groups such as the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Contemporary Chamber Players, the Vision Saxophone Quartet, and The Fulcrum Point New Music Project. He has also given solo and chamber music performances at venues such as the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre and the Performing Arts Chicago Series. His jazz trio frequently performs modern jazz and standards. He has commissioned and premiered numerous new works by leading composers including a sonata by the Pulitzer Prize winning composer John Harbison. Ruthrauff has appeared on numerous compact discs. He has presented recitals and performances throughout the United States and in Europe, and has given masterclasses at institutions such as the New England Conservatory of Music, and the University of Illinois. He has won prizes in many solo and chamber music competitions including the Houston Symphony Orchestra solo artist competition and the Carmel International chamber music competition. He studied with the world- renowned concert saxophonist Frederick Hemke at Northwestern University where he received a B.M. in music performance and was the concerto competition winner. He studied jazz improvisation with Tony Mujica.
His interest in cross-disciplinary performance has led to collaborations with the Chicago based performance ensembles Red Moon theatre, Theatre Oobleck, Abiogenesis, Kinetic Delta Cor, and with the French composer and visual artist Etienne Rolin.
Jeremy's Interview:
Instrument?
Tenor Saxophone
What are you listening to?
“Blood on the Floor” by Mark Anthony Turnage
Describe your work.
I was trained to play classical repertoire, like Milhaud, Debussy; but also contemporary composers like Berio and Stockhausen, the jazz of Coltrane and Cole Henderson, I’ve composed using methods of multiphonics and circular breathing — all of this is great to me, the breadth of music out there is inspiring.
Most important lesson you’ve learned?
Always follow what you feel; be driven by your creative impulse — trying to build a career based on what to do right usually ends up wrong.
Recent dreams?
Actually, I dreamt that I was in a city that was flooded…yeah, and my parents were standing there, and they said, “You know, you don’t have to come if you don’t want to,” and they stood there, in the flood waters, with their hands out to me. I decided not to follow them and instead I took the elevator…yeah, the elevator.