Saxophone - Jose Barrientos, MA

A native from Texas, José Barrientos is a saxophonist and educator. José Barrientos has a master’s degree in saxophone performance from the University of Iowa, where he studied with Dr. Kenneth Tse. Prior to moving to the midwest, he completed his undergraduate studies in music education at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) in Nacogdoches, TX, receiving a bachelor’s in Music Education. At SFA, he was a student of Dr. Nathan Nabband was a finalist in the Concerto/Aria Competition in 2012.

As an active classical saxophonist, José Barrientos has performed throughout North America, Asia, and Southeastern Europe. In the summer of 2013, José Barrientos was selected to perform Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition as a guest artist with the prestigious American Festival for the Arts Conservatory Youth Orchestra under the baton of Jeffry Grogan in Houston, TX where Mr. Grogan described José Barrientos’sinterpretation of Pictures as “memorable”. Having garnered several achievements, José Barrientos was awarded first place winner in the 2015 North American Saxophone Alliance Region 3 Conference held at Drake University inDes Moines, IA, which led to an invitation back to Drake University to present a Guest Artist Recital in SheslowAuditorium in Fall of 2015. During his time at Iowa, José Barrientos was a two-time national finalist at the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Young Artists Competition in San Antonio, TX (2016) and Baltimore, Maryland (2017). In 2017, José Barrientos also performed as a national finalist with the ICON Saxophone Quartet in the MTNA Chamber Music Wind Competition.

Through many collaborations with composers and enthusiastic musicians, José Barrientos has worked immensely with the Society of Composers, Inc. (SCI) at the University of Iowa to promote new music. SCI hosts The24 + 24 Hour concert, a project where the goal of the event is to foster strong bonds and collaborative relationships between performers and composers at the school of music. The event begins by randomly assigning composers to a volunteer musician or small ensemble from the school of music. These composers then have twenty-four hours to compose an original work for their assigned performer or ensemble. Once the performers receive the new work, they have up to twenty-four hours to learn, practice, and rehearse the piece until they perform it at a concert.

Each year the composers have raised the bar by developing the concert to include not only solo works, but also collaborations with small ensembles, dancers, and even the Laptop Orchestra of the University of Iowa (LOUi).Through SCI, José Barrientos has premiered works by Carlos Toro Tobon and Alexandros Spyrou. Works premiered are Carlos Toro Tobon’s U26 (2015) for unaccompanied alto saxophone and Expanded Shapes(2016) for alto saxophone, viola, and prepared piano, and Alexandros Spyrou’s Untitled IV for soprano and alto saxophone. José Barrientos has also performed these works in various performance venues throughout Iowa City, IA and performed Expanded Shapes at The 2016 Midwest Composers Symposium. The Midwest Composers Symposium takes place every year at the home of one if its four member institutions (Indiana University, University of Michigan, University of Iowa, and University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music).

As an educator, José Barrientos has taught private lessons and has given masterclasses to students of various age groups throughout Texas. His students have also received superior ratings at Solo & Ensemble Competitions and at the All-State level. In addition to private teaching, Mr. Barrientos has worked numerous band camps such as the SFA Summer Band Camps and The Young Saxophonist’s Institute in North Houston and Ft Worth, TX. José Barrientos plans to continue his studies at the doctoral level in the near future.