Frederick L. Hemke, DMA (né Fred LeRoy Hemke Jr.; July 11, 1935 – April 17, 2019) was an American virtuoso classical saxophonist and influential professor of saxophone at Northwestern University. Hemke helped to increase the popularity of classical saxophone, particularly among leading American composers. He contributed to raise the recognition of the classical saxophone in solo, chamber, and major orchestral repertoire throughout the world. For half a century, from 1962 to 2012, Hemke was a full-time faculty music educator at Northwestern University's Bienen School of Music. In 2002, Hemke was named Associate Dean Emeritus of the School of Music. He retired from Northwestern University in 2012. Throughout his career, Hemke helped build American saxophone repertoire through many composers including Muczynski, Creston, Stein, Heiden, and Karlins. Journalist and author Michael Segell, in his 2005 book, The Devil's Horn, called Hemke "The Dean of Saxophone Education in America." Hemke died on April 17, 2019.
Paris Conservatory (2007)
Frederick L. Hemke Reeds
The World Saxophone Congress is a festival gathering approximately 1000 saxophonists and other musicians from all over the world. It is held every three years at a different congress centre in a different country and focuses primarily on the performance of classical saxophone music.
Logo of World Saxophone Congress 2012 St Andrews
World Saxophone Congress co-founder Eugene Rousseau
14th World Saxophone Congress at Ljubljana, Slovenia. Promotional logo