John C. Worley was a college professor, saxophonist, and a composer of classical, as well as more contemporary music for saxophone

Saxophone

The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...

. He was born in Waltham, Massachusetts

Waltham, Massachusetts

Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...

 in 1919 and died on February 16, 1999.

Education

He graduated from Oberlin Conservatory and the Columbia Teachers College. He studied composition with Sir Lennox Berkeley

Lennox Berkeley

Sir Lennox Randal Francis Berkeley was an English composer.- Biography :He was born in Oxford, England, and educated at the Dragon School, Gresham's School and Merton College, Oxford...

 at the Royal Academy of Music

Royal Academy of Music

The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...

 in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 and conducting with Pierre Monteux

Pierre Monteux

Pierre Monteux was an orchestra conductor. Born in Paris, France, Monteux later became an American citizen.-Life and career:Monteux was born in Paris in 1875. His family was descended from Sephardi Jews who came to France in the wake of the Spanish Inquisition. He studied violin from an early age,...

 in Maine

Maine

Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

.

Teaching positions

Worley taught at the University of Bridgeport

University of Bridgeport

The University of Bridgeport is a private, independent, non-sectarian, coeducational university located on the Long Island Sound in the South End neighborhood of Bridgeport, Connecticut. The University is fully Accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges...

, the State University of New York

State University of New York

The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...

 at Oneonta

Oneonta

-Communities:*Oneonta, New York, A small city and inspiration for some of the other "Oneontas"*Oneonta , New York, a town that surrounds the City of Oneonta*Oneonta, Alabama, Blount County*Oneonta, Kentucky, a location southeast of Cincinnati, Ohio...

 and the University of Maine

University of Maine

The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...

 in Orono before moving to Williamsburg, Virginia

Williamsburg, Virginia

Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...

 in 1996.

Saxophone performing career

Worley organized the Williamsburg Saxophone Quartet and was the group's soprano saxophonist

Soprano saxophone

The soprano saxophone is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument, invented in 1840. The soprano is the third smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists of the soprillo, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass and tubax.A transposing instrument pitched in...

.

He performed with the Saxophone Sinfonia at Lincoln Center in New York City; the Cape Cod Orchestra in Massachusetts; and was an active participant at several Saxophone Workshops held by friends Sigurd Raschèr

Sigurd Raschèr

Sigurd Manfred Raschèr was an American saxophonist of German birth. He became one of the most important figures in the development of the 20th century repertoire for the classical saxophone.-Career in Europe:...

 and Lee Patrick

Lee Patrick (saxophonist)

Lee Patrick is an American saxophonist, saxophone teacher, scholar, arranger, and composer. He is the second of six children born to Robert J. and Sara Patrick.-Education:...

.

Compositions

After he retired from teaching, Worley focused on composing and arranging. His original compositions include:

• Claremont Concerto for alto saxophone and orchestra (1962)
• Penobscot Suite
• Owl's Head Sonatina
• Concerto for Saxophone
• Sonatina for Baritone Saxophone
• Sonata for Tenor Saxophone and Piano

Transcriptions include:

• Edvard Grieg's "Holberg Suite", arranged for large saxophone ensemble
• Etienne Ozi's "Adagio et Rondo," arranged for tenor saxophone and piano