|
|
|
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Prior to coming to Fredonia, Dr. Wyman taught at the Community School in Teheran, Iran, and taught music theory at Maryville College and the Eastman School of Music. Throughout his teaching career, he has been active as a soloist, recitalist and clinician. These activities have taken him through many parts of the United States and to countries in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and South America. He has played as a member of the Chautauqua Orchestra and the Erie Philharmonic Orchestra. Dr. Wyman's interest in acoustics has led to two important books...one on the acoustics of saxophone mouthpiece design and the other on the subject of difference-tones and their use in tuning harmonic intervals. He has lectured at major universities on these subjects. He has extensive experience in mouthpiece refacing and frequently does mouthpiece modifications for students and professionals here and abroad. His work in composition has included several works for saxophone which are frequently played in the United States and in Europe. Two of them are found in the NYSSMA listing of solos for high school saxophonists. Several of his compositions have experimented with laser optics. His Saxophone Abstractions for Laser Beam and Prepared Audience (1969) was the first work to make use of a four color krypton laser in a live musical performance. He has developed extensive audio-visual material on saxophone pedagogy, the history of music notation, and music form. Through funding provided by the State University of New York, he has developed one of the largest university collections of music, books, and recordings pertaining to the saxophone. These materials, housed in Reed Library, are available to students for their use in research and study of saxophone literature.
Saxophone students from Fredonia have gone on to teach saxophone in prestigious colleges and universities in the United States and Europe. The Rascher Saxophone Quartet (based in Germany) is the most active in inspiring works from the most important European composers of today. They have performed in Eastern and Western Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Russia. Two members of the Quartet (founded in 1969) are Fredonia graduates. Fredonia graduates are also members of the New York Saxophone Quartet, the Aeolian Saxophne Quartet ad the Empire Saxophone Quartet. While curricular instruction in saxophone is primarily related to classical music, the Fredonia Jazz Ensemble program has been the beginning for students who have gone on to very successful careers in commercial playing. Fredonia students have found themselves in bands such as that of Maynard Ferguson, in the recording studios of the East and west Coasts and in the jazz departments of major universities. |
|
Information about the Fredonia school of music and its programs may be obtained from the Music Office, Mason Hall, State University of New York, Fredonia, New York 14063. Phone: (716) 673-3151. Please visit the school of Music web site at: http://www.fredonia.edu/som or, click the link located on the left -hand side menu bar above.
|
Dr. Laurence Wyman has earned degrees at Maryville College (B.A. - Music Theory) and the Eastman School of Music (M.A. and Ph. D. - Music Theory). His saxophone teachers include Orville Kiltz, Sigurd Rascher and William Willett.