Doug O’Connor

Assistant Professor/ Woodwinds

 
Background

Praised for his “seamless technique” and “sumptuous lyricism” (The Philadelphia Inquirer), Doug O’Connor has performed as soloist across Asia, Europe, and the U.S., including appearances at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Merkin Hall, Carnegie Hall, and Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. He holds DMA and MM degrees from the Eastman School of Music, and a BM in Saxophone Performance from the University of Maryland. O’Connor recently served as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Saxophone at the Eastman School of Music, as Associate Lecturer of Saxophone at the University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire, as saxophonist with the United States Naval Academy Band, and is currently employed as ceremonial saxophonist with the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own”.

Education

  • Eastman School of Music, MM and DMA degrees in 2008 and 2012,

  • Served as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Saxophone in the fall of 2017

  • Associate Lecturer of Saxophone at the University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire, as a saxophonist with the United States Naval Academy Band

  • Since 2016 he has been a saxophonist with the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own” (TUSAB)

Accomplishments

  • Released a collaborative album on the Innova label with composer Dr. Baljinder Sekhon, “Alchemy”, a compendium of a decade of output from their composer-performer partnership.

  • Performed as a concerto soloist at the 2014 and 2018 North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial Conferences, at the World Saxophone Congress XV in Bangkok, where he gave the world-première performance of Christian Lauba’s 15th etude, Worksong, and has been featured with the National Symphony Orchestra, Symphony in C, Musica Nova, the Eastman and University of Wisconsin Eau Claire Jazz Ensembles, as well as various college percussion ensembles.

  • 2nd Prize winner of the 2008 International Jean-Marie Londeix Saxophone Competition in Bangkok.

  • He has won top prizes in many other solo competitions:

    • NASA Classical Solo Competition

    • MTNA Young Artist Woodwind Competition

    • The 2004 National Symphony Orchestra Young Soloists Competition

    • The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra’s Mary Graham Lasley competition.

  • Winner of Astral Artists’ 2003 National Auditions

  • Finalist for the Concert Artists Guild competition in 2009.

Masterclasses

On January 29, 2025, Doug O’Connor, assistant woodwinds professor at the Peabody Institute, hosted a masterclass conducted by Nicolas Arsenijevic, a world-renowned saxophonist. Good Beats sponsored this event as part of our effort to promote music education. The following interview was conducted with Prof. O’Connor following the masterclass.

Click the link below to read Doug O’ Connor’s interview about masterclasses.

Photos of Nicolas Arsenijevic with selected students for his masterclass

Group photo of the masterclass