Woody Chenoweth
Biography
A native of Pinckney, Michigan, Woody Chenoweth is emerging as an important voice for the saxophone and contemporary music. He maintains a multi-faceted career as performer, educator and researcher. Woody's performances as a soloist and chamber musician have taken him around the United States and across the globe. He has performed at numerous North American Saxophone Alliance conferences at the regional and national levels, as well as at the 13th World Saxophone Congress in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His experiences on the international stage include performances at World Saxophone Congress XIV in Ljubljana, Slovenia and World Saxophone Congress XV at Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand. Most recently, he has performed with his saxophone chamber music duo – Brickmeat – at both the Constella Festival of Music and Fine Art and the Cincinnati-based Chamber Music Network's Chamberpalooza.
Committed to the development of new music, Woody has commissioned new works by notable composers, including Marc Mellits and Grammy-nominee, Carter Pann. He has also premiered the works of many of today's top young composers, including Robby McCarthy, Tom Peterson, Randall Cornelison and Andrew Ardizzoia. Woody has also been a featured performer on Eastern Michigan University's biennial Music Now Fest.
A versatile educator, Woody has presented engaging masterclasses on a wide range of topics for numerous events and organizations, including the Red Cedar Festival of Community Bands, the Highland Jazz Festival, Yavapai Community College and EMU's Wind and Percussion Clinic Day.
Woody holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Central Michigan University, as well as a Master of Music degree from Arizona State University. He is currently in the final stages of completing his doctoral studies in saxophone performance at Arizona State University, where he served as teaching assistant for the ASU Saxophone Studio from 2010–2012. His primary teachers have been John Nichol, Rob Smith, Timothy McAllister, Michael Kocour, Bryon Ruth and Christopher Creviston. Woody has previously held teaching positions at Chandler Gilbert Community College and Paradise Valley Community College. He currently serves as instructor of saxophone and humanities lecturer at Eastern Michigan University. In addition to his pedagogical duties for the EMU Saxophone Studio, Woody also teaches several classes, including MUSC 105 Appreciating Jazz: America's Music and an Honors College section of MUSC 107 Music Appreciation. Woody lives in Ypsilanti, Michigan and is happy to call EMU his home.
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