We, at the Austin Brass Band, are beyond excited to announce that composer Joe Jaxson will be our first ever ‘Composer in Residence’! For the next three seasons, Joe will be writing three new works for the Austin Brass Band. We are looking forward to working with Joe in this capacity, and it will be a tremendous benefit not only to us but to brass band literature!
Joe started brass banding with the JMU Brass Band directed by Professor Kevin Stees. The ensemble competed at the North American Brass Band Championships as well as the 2022 World Music Championships in Kerkrade, Netherlands, where Joe had his first brass band work premiered overseas, Fanfare for the 21st Century.
Joe Jaxson is enjoying the whirlwind of a burgeoning professional career that is coinciding with his academic pursuits as he begins his doctoral studies.
Joe obtained his master’s in composition at the University of Texas at Austin, where he graduated this past May. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in composition at the same institution. The young composer’s conspicuous rise includes an array of recent commissions, performances, and appearances including the “First Time Composers program | Paramount x 5 Alarm Songwriting Camp” (2024), Joy of the Soul with the Allentown Symphony Orchestra (2024), Through the Bay with the James Madison University Symphony Orchestra and a consortium of ten orchestras across the United States (2023-2024), Within the Flux (2023) for Saxophone Quartet and Percussion, and Treeflowers (2023) performed by the Sandbox Percussion Quartet.
Composer comments:
I’m thankful to the Austin Brass Band for the opportunity to create new pieces and stories for the brass band medium. When I joined the JMU Brass Band, I was enthralled by the demand of the repertoire which inherently made me a better musician. After I graduated JMU, I felt that I had to keep playing in brass band—I didn’t want to leave it. When I got to Austin, I was immediately welcomed into the Austin Brass Band family! It’s great to be playing and making music. I’m looking forward to the experiences we, as a team, can create for our audiences!
