Kenneth A. Radnofsky (born July 31, 1953 in

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Bryn Mawr, pronounced , from Welsh language, Welsh for big hill, is a census-designated place (CDP) located across three townships: Radnor Township, Pennsylvania, Radnor Township and Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, Haverford Township in Delaw ...

) is an American classical

saxophonist 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 pro ...

. He specializes in the alto saxophone, but plays the soprano and other sizes as well. He currently teaches at the

New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The conservatory is located on H ...

, and

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...

Early life and education

Ken Radnofsky was born in Bryn Mawr, PA. His earliest musical memories were of his mother playing the organ and of his father singing as unofficial cantorial soloist at Temple Shalom in

Broomall, PA Broomall is a census-designated place (CDP) in Marple Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,789 at the 2010 census. History This crossroads community was renamed for the post office established to hon ...

. A move to Texas at the beginning of

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

's space program, where his father was head of crew systems division, brought him to Texas' music education system. Radnofsky was inspired by many teachers, including Duncan Hale, David Salge, Harvey Pittel, Joe McMullen, Terry Anderson and Jeffrey Lerner. He attended the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the university in Texas with over 47,000 students. Its campus, which is primarily in s ...

for his Bachelor of Music degree. Radnofsky completed his Master of Music degree at New England Conservatory, where he studied with

Joseph Allard Joseph Allard (December 31, 1910 – May 3, 1991) was a professor of saxophone and clarinet at the Juilliard School, the New England Conservatory, and the Manhattan School of Music. He also held adjunct positions at many other schools. He succeed ...

and worked closely with

Gunther Schuller Gunther Alexander Schuller (November 22, 1925June 21, 2015) was an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, educator, publisher, and jazz musician. Biography and works Early years Schuller was born in Queens, New York City ...

. Schuller appointed Radnofsky to the faculty upon his graduation in 1976 at the age of 23, making Radnofsky the youngest member of the faculty.

Career

Radnofsky has performed throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia, and has appeared with many orchestras around the world. He made his

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

debut in 1996, under the direction of

Kurt Masur Kurt Masur (18 July 1927 – 19 December 2015) was a German conductor. Called "one of the last old-style maestros", he directed many of the principal orchestras of his era. He had a long career as the Kapellmeister of the Leipzig Gewandhaus O ...

, and made his Carnegie Hall debut several years earlier with the New York premiere of

's Concerto with the National Orchestral Association. He has performed on numerous occasions as saxophonist for the

Boston Symphony The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1881, ...

, including several occasions as John Williams' soloist in

Franz Waxman Franz Waxman (né Wachsmann; December 24, 1906February 24, 1967) was a German-born composer and conductor of Jewish descent, known primarily for his work in the film music genre. His film scores include ''Bride of Frankenstein'', ''Rebecca'', ' ...

's saxophone feature 'A Place in the Sun,' and

Bernard Hermann Bernard Herrmann (born Maximillian Herman; June 29, 1911December 24, 1975) was an American composer and conductor best known for his work in composing for films. As a conductor, he championed the music of lesser-known composers. He is widely r ...

's 'Taxi Driver' suites. He also recorded 'A Place in the Sun' with the

Hollywood Bowl Orchestra The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra (HBO) is a symphony orchestra which is managed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and plays the vast majority of its performances at the Hollywood Bowl. John Mauceri led the orchestra from its founding in 1990 ...

under

John Mauceri John Francis Mauceri (born September 12, 1945) is an American conductor, producer, educator and writer. Since making his professional conducting debut almost half a century ago, he has appeared with most of the world's great orchestras, guest-con ...

, and Debussy Saxophone Rhapsody with New York Philharmonic under Kurt Masur. Radnofsky frequently commissions and performs new music. He founded World-Wide Concurrent Premieres & Commissioning Fund, Inc. to promote the creation of new works, serving as the organization's Executive Director. The composers he has commissioned for new works include

Alan Hovhaness Alan Hovhaness (; March 8, 1911 – June 21, 2000) was an American- Armenian composer. He was one of the most prolific 20th-century composers, with his official catalog comprising 67 numbered symphonies (surviving manuscripts indicate over 70) a ...

, Yang Yong,

David Amram David Werner Amram III (born November 17, 1930) is an American composer, arranger, and conductor of orchestral, chamber, and choral works, many with jazz flavorings.

Michael Colgrass Michael Charles Colgrass (April 22, 1932 – July 2, 2019) was an American-born Canada-based musician, composer, and educator. Life and career Colgrass was born in Brookfield, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. His musical career began in Chicag ...

, John McDonald, Michael Gandolfi, Armand Qualliotine, Jaime Fatas, Pasquale Tassone, Shih-Hui Chen, Andy Vores, Lei Liang, Jakov Jakoulov,

Donald Martino Donald James Martino (May 16, 1931 – December 8, 2005) was a Pulitzer Prize winning American composer. Biography Born in Plainfield, New Jersey, Martino attended Plainfield High School. He began as a clarinetist, playing jazz for fun and ...

Elliott Schwartz Elliott Shelling Schwartz (January 19, 1936 – December 7, 2016) was an American composer. A graduate of Columbia University, he was Beckwith Professor Emeritus of music at Bowdoin College joining the faculty in 1964. In 2006, the Library of ...

, Chris Theofanidis, Larry Bell, Milton Babbitt, Ezra Sims, Roger Bourland, Michael Horvit, Allen Johnson, Vincent Plush, Georgy Dmitriev, and

John Harbison John Harris Harbison (born December 20, 1938) is an American composer, known for his symphonies, operas, and large choral works. Life John Harris Harbison was born on December 20, 1938, in Orange, New Jersey, to the historian Elmore Harris Harbi ...

. In 2015 Radnofsky and violinist Elmira Darvarova created the Amram Ensemble (violin, saxophone and piano), and commissioned composer David Amram for a new work 'Three Lost Loves.' He has recorded for the

Teldec Teldec (Telefunken-Decca Schallplatten GmbH) is a German record label in Hamburg, Germany. Today the label is a property of Warner Music Group. History Teldec was a producer of (first) shellac and (later) vinyl records. The Teldec manufacturing ...

, Boston Records,

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...

, Mode, Albany-Troy, and Philips labels. Among his notable students are Daniel Bennett,

Jimmy Greene James Sidney Greene, Jr. (born February 24, 1975) is an American jazz saxophonist, gospel musician, recording artist, record producer, and music professor. He started his music career in 1997, and has since released eight studio albums. His eig ...

, Greg Banaszak, Chien-Kwan Lin, and Randall Hall.

Interviews

Saxophone Journal (November/December 1999)

Saxophone Journal (January/February 2005)

Saxophone Journal (January/February 2013)

Discography

*''Debussy and Ravel: Orchestral Works'';

conducting (2010,

) *''Michael Gandolfi: From the Institutes of Groove'';

Boston Modern Orchestra Project The Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) is a professional orchestra in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1996 by artistic director Gil Rose, its mission is to explore the connections between contemporary music and contemporary s ...

, Gil Rose conducting (2013, BMOP/sound) *''Alan Hovhanes: Exile Symphony''; Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Gil Rose conducting (2011, BMOP/sound) *''Elliott Schwartz: Voyager, Five Works for Orchestra''; New England Conservatory Honors Orchestra, Richard Hoenich conducting (2004, Albany) *''Michael Colgrass: Deja Vu, Works for Wind Orchestra''; New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble, Charles Peltz conducting (2003, Mode Records) *''Donald Martino: Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra''; New England Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, Richard Hoenich conducting (1998,

New World Records New World Records is a record label that was established in 1975 through a Rockefeller Foundation grant to celebrate America's bicentennial (1976) by producing a 100-LP anthology, with American music from many genres.John Mauceri John Francis Mauceri (born September 12, 1945) is an American conductor, producer, educator and writer. Since making his professional conducting debut almost half a century ago, he has appeared with most of the world's great orchestras, guest-con ...

conducting (1991, Philips)

References

External links

Kenneth Radnofsky official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Radnofsky, Kenneth American classical saxophonists American male saxophonists New England Conservatory faculty 1953 births Longy School of Music of Bard College faculty University of Houston alumni Contemporary classical music performers Living people Boston University faculty People from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Boston Conservatory at Berklee faculty 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century American saxophonists 21st-century classical musicians 21st-century American saxophonists Classical musicians from Pennsylvania 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians