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Biography

Noa Even is a versatile saxophonist dedicated to the creation of new music through close collaboration with other artists, improvisation, and most recently, composition. She embraces the challenge of incorporating unfamiliar elements into her work on a regular basis. The process of navigating new territory and synthesizing ideas yields immense personal and artistic growth.

Trained in the Western “classical” tradition, Noa gradually developed a love for interpreting music that broadened her sound concept and required her to learn new techniques. Contemporary musical scores feel like puzzles that reveal an uncharted dimension full of expressive possibilities. When Noa began collaborating with composers in 2008, she realized that bringing new music to life would be central to her creative pursuits. As she continues to focus on new works and improvisation, she also performs standard saxophone repertoire and existing contemporary music.

Noa began improvising as a doctoral student and has since continued developing her skills in that area. As an improviser, she is interested in iteration, speech patterns, and other forms of vocalized communication, and exploring the idiomatic, tactile qualities of the saxophone. For several recent projects, she requested that her collaborators create space for improvisation in their music. 

Developing a foundation in improvisation has nudged Noa toward pursuing composition. She premiered her tenor saxophone solo, Herzl, in November 2021. The piece represents Noa’s exploration of her own cultural identity and its unfixed nature. More broadly, it is about coming of age, establishing personal values in the face of negative influences and doubt, and accepting the gray area, the not-knowingness, in life. Noa’s next project is a collection of solo saxophone works inspired by impactful pieces of visual art.

As an educator, Noa emphasizes the importance of learning how to learn, critical and creative thinking, and prioritizing expression in both practice and performance. She strives to expose students to a wide range of music and ideas while also keeping their individual goals in mind. Noa considers instruction to be another creative skill that invites experimentation and always leaves room for further development.

Noa lives in Philadelphia, teaches at Rowan University, and climbs rock walls for fun. To learn more about her and her duos, Ogni Suono and Patchwork, visit www.noaevenmusic.com. ­

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Noa is a Conn-Selmer Artist-Clinician and on the Vandoren Artist Roster.

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Education:

• DMA, Contemporary Music (Saxophone), Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH
  • Document: Examining François Rossé’s Japanese-Influenced Chamber Music with Saxophone: Hybridity, Orality, and Primitivism as a Conceptual Framework
• MM, Saxophone Performance and Literature, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 
• Study Abroad, Saxophone Performance, Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Boulogne-Billancourt, France
• BM, Saxophone Performance and Music Education, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 

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