Philippe Geiss
Philippe Geiss is a saxophonist, composer and pedagogue. A tireless advocate of reconciliation between different musical spheres, he has always favoured the creation of bridges between music. Partnering both classical and improvised performances together with Jean-Francois Zygel and Jerry Bergonzi, he developed a language based on his many artistic experiences. A specialist in “crossover”, he speaks with the same passion in classical, jazz or multi-cultural music of today.
Philippe Geiss is a Professor at the Strasbourg Conservatory and the Academy of Music in Strasbourg – High School of Arts of the Rhine, as well as a Guest Professor at the Senzoku Gakuen College of Tokyo and a member of the scientific committee of Labex-GREAM at Strasbourg University. He gives concerts and master classes around the world, from the “Blue Note” of New York to Shanghai, Madrid, Boston, Montreal, Tokyo, Bangkok, Miami, Montevideo and Sydney.
Along with Emmanuel Séjourné, he has been awarded prizes for Best Incidental Music at at the Festival d’ Avignon and the Academy of the French Record, as well as the Music Prize of the Académie Rhénane (Education Authority of the Rhine Region) for his arrangements of Debussy, Ibert and Milhaud, and for “The Legend of the Centuries” by Victor Hugo.
Much in demand as a composer, his works have been performed by prestigious performers and performing groups such as the U.S. Navy Band, Branford Marsalis, Nederland Wind Ensemble, Slovenian Police Orchestra, Trombonissimo, as well as the Habanera, Alloy Diastema and Ellipsos Quartets, among others. His works are published by Robert Martin, Billaudot, Leduc and Alphonce. His curiosity for research in the field of new instruments has led him to focus on the “Karlax” new multimedia tool designed for the performing arts.
Philippe Geiss is Vice-President of the International Saxophone Committee, in which role he masterminded the artistic direction of SaxOpen – the 17th Congress and World Festival of the Saxophone – in Strasbourg in 2015.
Philippe Geiss is a D’Addario Woodwinds & Selmer Paris Performing Artist.