Ashu is an American

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

soloist. He has won numerous international and national awards and has performed solo concerts throughout the world. He has developed a trailblazing career as the first and only full-time concert saxophone soloist.

Biography and career

Ashu has performed solo concerts throughout Great Britain, Finland, Norway, Russia, South Africa, New Zealand, Switzerland, France, Germany, Austria, Portugal, French West Indies, Kyrgyzstan, Poland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Canada, and the USA. Ashu has been praised by critics for his charismatic and communicative performance style. The

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

stated that he "possesses a deep musicality which pours through his playing and hooks the audience" and the

Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ''Galvesto ...

claimed "he’s just as much fun to watch as to listen to." He has performed recitals and concertos with orchestras at venues including

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

, Ravinia Festival,

Vienna Konzerthaus The Konzerthaus is a concert hall located in Vienna, Austria, which opened in 1913. It is situated in the third district just at the edge of the first district in Vienna. Since it was founded it has always tried to emphasise both traditional and ...

, Zurich Tonhalle,

Kravis Center The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts (often referred to as the Kravis Center) is a not-for-profit, professional performing arts center in downtown West Palm Beach, Florida. History 1978–1992 In 1978, the Palm Beach County Council of the Ar ...

, and New York's

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...

. He has recently been invited to perform concertos with major orchestras in Vienna, New York City, Chicago, St. Petersburg, Lisbon, Montreal, Bremen, Edmonton, Cape Town, Prague, and more. Ashu was selected as the winner of the prestigious "Audience Award" at the renowned International Musical Olympus Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia, competing against the First Prize winners of the world’s foremost string, piano and voice competitions. The festival’s honorary committee included Yo-Yo Ma, Daniel Barenboim, and Valery Gergiev. He has been featured in interview and performance on NBC, CBS, NPR, and more.

Personal, influences

Ashu currently is based in the Chicago area. On several occasions he has expressed his influence and admiration for artists including

Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...

, Jascha Heifetz, and

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

. Ashu also arranges works for saxophone which he performs in his concerts.

Awards and successes

Winner: International Musical Olympus Festival “Audience Award” (St. Petersburg, Russia), Salon De Virtuosi Career Grant (NYC), International Houston Symphony Concerto Competition, National KSO Concerto Competition, National SVSO Concerto Competition, W.A.F.A Concerto Competition, Interlochen Governor's Award, (Grand Prize) Houston Symphony Flores-Smith Competition, Northwestern University Concerto Competition. First Prizes: American Opera Society Competition, International Heida Hermanns Competition, National Federation of Music Clubs Competition, National Midland-Odessa Competition, International Kingsville Wind Instrumentalist Competition, National Lennox Competition, National George S. Howard Competition, National Alliance for Excellence Competition.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashu Living people Northwestern University alumni Interlochen Center for the Arts alumni American male saxophonists Musicians from California Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American saxophonists 21st-century American male musicians