As a composer and multi-genre musician, saxophonist Jacob Nance (b.1999) aims to use his refined knowledge of the instrument to create genre-blurring art that stimulates intellectual discussion while fostering emotional connection for all audience members. Through performance he strives to share his reflection on the human experience, programming a wide array of works ranging from folk music to the avant-garde in an effort to build community through representation.
As a classical saxophonist, Jacob has achieved success through merging his own creative visions with the multitude of aesthetics presented by composers. These achievements can be evidenced through numerous competition accolades including: being named a quarter finalist in the 8th International Adolphe Sax Competition in Dinant, Belgium, winning second prize in the Music Teacher's National Association's Young Artist Woodwind competition, winning the University of Oklahoma's Young Artist Competition, and performing the Glazunov Concerto as the featured soloist with the Conroe Symphony Orchestra. Jacob is also an active proponent of new music for solo saxophone, having premiered works by Eileen Snyder, Ayako Pederson-Takeda, and Jake Sandridge, as well as being a member of numerous consortiums for new repertoire.
As a chamber musician, Jacob brings a wealth of knowledge and performance experience. He performs as the soprano saxophonist with Sound Session, a saxophone quartet formed in August of 2021, the alto saxophonist with Halite, a saxophone quartet formed in June of 2024, and the baritone saxophonist with Codex, a saxophone quartet formed in July of 2019. Each of these groups has enjoyed successes through competition, winning prizes at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the Music Teachers National Association Chamber Music Competition, the North American Saxophone Alliance Quartet Competition, the NOLA ChamberFest competition, and the Barbara Wagner Chamber music competition. In addition to the quartet activities, he is also the saxophonist with Dead Reed Society, a reed quintet formed at the Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival in 2023. Jacob is a co-founder and member of the SiP Duo, a group which fosters diversity in saxophone music through both the commissioning of underrepresented artists and the recording and live performances of unique and nontraditional works. They recently released Saxophone in Progress, an album of eight commissioned works by underrepresented composers. SiP has had successes with various grants and competitions, including the City of East Lansing's Cultural Art Grant as well as Michigan State University's Running Start Competition, where they were selected as the first prize winner and audience favorite.
As a proponent of jazz music, Jacob has released an album with his combo The Way Out. He has been active in Michigan State University's jazz program, being in Jazz Orchestra I under the direction of Rodney Whitaker, where the band placed third in the 2023 Jack Rudin Collegiate Jazz Competition, as well as in the Jazz Octet and Combo program. Jacob is an avid jazz composer as well, having composed and performed over a dozen original works with various combos. He has been frequently seen performing around the Oklahoma City area, as well as Mid-Michigan.
An emerging composer, Jacob searches for truths by merging popular music's stylings within the realm of art music to transcend any particular genre and instead reach strictly for emotion. His works have been performed at various recitals and festivals across the country. He has been commissioned by many ensembles and individuals, including Joseph Lulloff, Jonathan Nichol, Jeffrey Allardyce, FLYDLPHN, Tyler Young, Clap7 Saxophone Quartet, Simian Duo, Lati2de, and numerous others.
Jacob graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Music and Michigan State University with a Masters in Music. He is currently finishing work on a Doctorate in Musical Arts at Michigan State University. He has served as Instructor of Saxophone at the Flint Institute of Music in addition to keeping a robust private studio. Jacob's primary teachers include Professor Joseph Lulloff, Dr. Jonathan Nichol, Professor Jay Wilkinson, and Dr. James Barger.