Saxophonist David Milne is an accomplished and versatile performer, composer, and arranger in musical settings ranging from creative jazz, modern big band, and progressive popular styles to orchestral, chamber music, and contemporary classical styles. Originally from Rochester NY, David earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Saxophone Performance at the Eastman School of Music, a Master of Music degree in Woodwind Performance and a Bachelor of Arts in Music degree from the Indiana University School of Music. David Milne is a Conn-Selmer Saxophone Artist-Clinician, and a Vandoren Reeds/DANSR Artist-Clinician.
Based in Minneapolis-St Paul, David Milne performs as a jazz saxophonist in concerts and venues including The Artists' Quarter, The Dakota, Twin Cities Jazz Society, The JazzMN Big Band, and with a diverse range of jazz and popular artists including performances with Ernestine Anderson, Jerry Bergonzi, Wayne Bergeron, Randy Brecker, Ray Charles, John Clayton, Denis DiBlasio, Bob Florence, The Four Tops, Terry Gibbs, Gordon Goodwin, Conrad Herwig, The Hornheads, Eartha Kitt, Johnny Mathis, Rob McConnell, Jack McDuff, Bobby McFerrin, Idina Menzel, Bob Mintzer, Lou Rawls, Smokey Robinson, Mike Stern, Fred Sturm, Doc Severinsen, The Temptations, and Phil Woods.
As a member of the ANCIA Saxophone Quartet, David Milne performs as a classical saxophonist, including featured performances on National Public Radio's Performance Today, Minnesota Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Radio, and in a wide range of concert and chamber music venues in the USA, Asia, and Europe. David has performed as an orchestral saxophonist with the Minnesota Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Opera, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Plymouth Music Series. David has been a featured jazz soloist with the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, and as a member of the ANCIA Saxophone Quartet, has been featured with the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra and the Wayzata Symphony Orchestra.
Dedicated to the performance of new music, David Milne has fostered, commissioned, and premiered new of works for saxophone, saxophone quartet, jazz ensemble, and chamber music ensembles with the ANCIA Saxophone Quartet, JAZZAX Saxophone Quartet, and the contemporary music ensemble Zeitgeist. David has recorded new works for NAXOS International, BIT Musikverlag, New World Records, Artegra Records, Artists' Quarter Records, and Innova (American Composers Forum) recording labels. As a performer, David has received awards, grants, and commissions for new works from The American Composers Forum, The Jerome Foundation, THE Commission Project, and Downbeat jazz journal. David's compositions for saxophone ensembles and have been performed at the North American Saxophone Alliance and World Saxophone Congress conventions. David's compositions for saxophone ensemble and jazz ensemble are published by Really Good Music, LLC.
David Milne is Professor and Chair of the Music Department at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, where he teaches applied saxophone, jazz improvisation, saxophone ensemble, jazz ensemble, and directs the RADD Jazz Series. David has taught master classes and workshops at high schools, music schools and universities throughout the USA, Europe, and Asia. David Milne was an artist-teacher at the Frei Kunst Schule Summer Jazz Workshop in Berlin, Germany from 1996 to 2002, and will return as an artist-teacher in 2013.