Steve Duke is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 classical

Classical music

Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...

 and jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

  saxophonist

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...

 noted for his performance of contemporary classical music

Contemporary classical music

Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...

, particularly computer music

Computer music

Computer music is a term that was originally used within academia to describe a field of study relating to the applications of computing technology in music composition; particularly that stemming from the Western art music tradition...

.

Education and teaching career

Steve Duke earned both B.M. and M.M. degrees in performance at the University of North Texas

University of North Texas

The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...

. There he studied saxophone performance with Jim Riggs

Jim Riggs

James Garland Riggs, University of North Texas Emeritus Regents Professor is an American saxophonist in both the classical and jazz idioms, big band director, collegiate music educator, and international music clinician.-As performer:...

 and Dennis F. Diemond. He studied flute with Ralph Johnson and Clare Johnson, oboe with Charles Veazey, and clarinet with Lee Gibson. While at North Texas, he was awarded the Phi Kappa Lambda Outstanding Soloist Award, the highest award given for classical music performance. Duke also performed in the One O'Clock Lab Band

One O'Clock Lab Band

The One O’Clock Lab Band for years has been the premier ensemble of the Jazz Studies Division at the University of North Texas College of Music in Denton. The band has performed and toured abroad in Australia, Canada, England, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway,...

 playing lead alto saxophone.

Duke joined the faculty of Northern Illinois University

Northern Illinois University

Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...

 (NIU) in 1980 until his recent retirement in 2011. He was awarded the Presidential Research Professorship at NIU in 1999. In addition to teaching contemporary saxophone repertoire, techniques and performance, Duke also teaches using the Feldenkrais Methods.

Repertoire

As a jazz saxophonist, Duke has worked with Joe Williams (jazz singer)

Joe Williams (jazz singer)

Joe Williams was a well-known jazz vocalist, a baritone singing a mixture of blues, ballads, popular songs, and jazz standards.-Early life:...

, Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...

, Zoot Sims

Zoot Sims

John Haley "Zoot" Sims was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor and soprano.-Biography:He was born in Inglewood, California, the son of vaudeville performers Kate Haley and John Sims. Growing up in a performing family, Sims learned to play both drums and clarinet at an early age...

, Nelson Riddle

Nelson Riddle

Nelson Smock Riddle, Jr. was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid 1980s...

, Rosemary Clooney

Rosemary Clooney

Rosemary Clooney was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the novelty hit "Come On-a My House" written by William Saroyan and his cousin Ross Bagdasarian , which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me" Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 –...

, and Louis Bellson among others. His first solo album "Monk by 2" featured saxophone and piano duo improvisations with Joe Pinzarrone on the music of Thelonious Monk

Thelonious Monk

Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer considered "one of the giants of American music". Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epistrophy", "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser"...

 and was released by Columbia Records

Columbia Records

Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...

 in 1994.

Beginning in 1993, he focused on solo contemporary classical music and computer music works. He has premiered and/or recorded more than 20 solo works. Composers who have written solo works for Duke include Larry Austin

Larry Austin

Larry Austin is a United States composer noted for his electronic and computer music works. He was a co-founder and editor of the avant-garde music periodical Source: Music of the Avant Garde...

, William O. Smith, Jan Bach

Jan Bach

Jan Bach is an American composer. He taught at the University of Tampa from 1965 to 1966 and at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois from 1966 to 2002. His primary performing instrument is the horn, and he is especially renowned for his horn pieces and especially well-known among...

, Cort Lippe, James Phelps, Luigi Ceccarelli, Elainie Lillios, Les Thimmig, Rodney Waschka II

Rodney Waschka II

Rodney Waschka II is an American composer known for his algorithmic compositions and his theatrical works.-Biography:Waschka studied at Brooklyn College, at the Institute of Sonology, then newly part of the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, and earned his doctorate at the University of North Texas...

, Robert Fleisher, and David Maki.

Of particular importance are BluesAx for alto and soprano saxophones and computer music, by Larry Austin, (for which Austin was the first American composer to receive the Magistere (Magisterium) Award in the 23rd International Electroacoustic Music Competition at Bourges in 1996) and "Veiled Resonance" for soprano saxophone and live interactive electronics, by Elalinie Lillios (for which Lillios received a first prize in the 36e Concours Internationale de Bourges in 2009). Saint Ambrose, an opera for soprano saxophonist/actor based on the life of Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist and satirist...

. Saint Ambrose has been widely praised and excerpts have been performed by Duke and John Sampen

John Sampen

John Sampen is an American classical saxophonist.Sampen's degrees are from Northwestern University . His teachers included Frederick Hemke, Larry Teal, and Donald Sinta. He has served as professor of saxophone at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio since 1977...

 throughout the United States. Duke recorded Saint Ambrose for Capstone Records

Capstone Records

Capstone Records is an American classical music record label focusing particularly on contemporary classical music. It was established by Richard Brooks in 1986, and was based in Brooklyn, New York...

.

In 2005, he formed the Steve Duke Trio, which performs new jazz works..

Partial discography

"Monk by 2", New York: Sony/Columbia Records, 1994.

• Works by Thelonious Monk

"The Computer in the Computer Age – VI", CDCM Computer Music Series, Volume 23, Baton Rouge: Centaur Records, 1994.

• Sax Houses by James Phelps

"Cultures Electroniques/9”, Bourges, France: Serie GMEB/UNESCO/CIME, 1996.

• BluesAx by Larry Austin

“Dexter Morrill: Three Concertos”, Baton Rouge: Centaur Records, 1997.

• Concerto for Saxophone & Orchestra by Dexter Morrill

"Saint Ambrose", Brooklyn, NY: Capstone Records, 2002.

• Saint Ambrose by Rodney Waschka II

External links

• Steve Duke official site