Calvin Wong

Calvin Wong found his interest in playing saxophone at the age of ten. He followed Man-Sze Tsang and Martin Choy for nine years and actively participated in various music competitions. His professional ensemble appearances include performances with MODUS, Peninsula Quartet, Hong Kong Chamber Wind Philharmonia, Hong Kong Saxophone Ensemble, and Hong Kong Youth Saxophone Choir. He has performed in master classes and lessons for Eugene Rousseau, Claude Delangle,
Arno Bornkamp, Nobuya Sugawa, Masato Kumoi, John Sampen, Thomas Liley, Chien-Kwan Lin, Julia Nolan, James Umble, Jan Berry Baker, Tom Walsh, Adam McCord, Bruce Weinberger, Oasis Quartet, Zagreb Quartet, and Akropolis Reed Quintet.

Calvin studied with Kenneth Tse at the University of Iowa and graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in 2014. Two years later, he graduated with a Masters of Music degree in music performance under the tutelage of Otis Murphy at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Recently, Calvin has performed in The First Asian Saxophone Congress in Taiwan, North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) Conferences, Midwest International Clinic in Chicago, Singapore Saxophone Symposium 2015, World Saxophone Congress XVI in Scotland, New York Wind Band Festival at Carnegie Hall with the Indiana University Wind Ensemble, and the College Band Directors Nation Association National Conference at Kansas City with The University of Texas Wind Ensemble. Calvin has also featured as a soloist
on Four Pictures from New York by Roberto Molinelli with the Wah Yan Symphony Orchestra and Hong Kong Youth Saxophone Choir respectively, as well as Fantasia on Lyun Joon Kim’s Elegy by Richard Dudas with the Hong Kong Saxophone Ensemble.

A recipient of scholarships from the University of Iowa and Indiana University, Calvin competed in the Music Teacher National Association and the International Saxophone Symposium and Competition. He was awarded prizes in the 2013 and 2014 Yamaha Performing Young Artist Competition, and the NASA Region 3 Competition. Besides standard repertoire, Calvin is active in new music performances. He has given premiere performances of works by composers Don Freund, Adam Schoenberg, David Canfield, Aaron Perrine, Jennifer Jolley, Jeremy Podgursky, Stephen Rothermel, Casey Martin, Aaron Smith, Chris Neiner, among
others. His enthusiasm of playing with a chamber ensemble has resulted in opportunities to play under the baton of Ray Cramer, Jerry Junkin, Stephen Pratt, David Dzubay, Victor Tam, Kevin Ngai, William LaRue Jones, and Mark Heidel among others. Calvin recorded with the University of Iowa Saxophone Ensemble in “Contemplation” under Jeanné Records, and was featured in David Canfield’s new album “Chamber Music, vol. 5.” In 2016, he has also commissioned and
premiered La Réflexion by So Ho Chi, and Nymphéas by Larry Shuen Laiyin
at The First Asian Saxophone Congress in Taiwan. Calvin has also participated in the New Music On The Point Festival in Vermont, where he worked with Christian Wolff, Jan Williams, Katharina Rosenberger, Tony Arnold, Timothy Munro, JACK Quartet, and Bent Frequency.

As an educator, Calvin has given master classes at the California State University at Fullerton, MCGP Seacon Square (Mahidol University) in Bangkok, the Summer Saxophone Academy at Indiana University, and the Young Saxophonist’s Institute in Texas. He is currently giving private lessons at Georgetown, Pflugerville and Austin in Texas. His students have been successful at Texas All-State auditions and University Interscholastic League auditions.

Calvin is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma at The University of Texas at Austin under the tutelage of Stephen Page, having been a recipient of the Butler Excellence Scholarship and Giles Endowed Presidential Scholarship. In Spring 2018, Calvin performed Henri Tomasi’s Concerto for Alto Saxophone with The University of Texas Symphony Orchestra, as the winner of the concerto competition.