Carrie Koffman, Jackson Symphony Orchestra & Matthew Aubin
Biographie Carrie Koffman, Jackson Symphony Orchestra & Matthew Aubin
Carrie Koffman
is Professor of Saxophone at The Hartt School of Music, Dance and Theater at the University of Hartford and Lecturer of Saxophone at the Yale School of Music. Prior to this, she held positions as Assistant Professor of Saxophone at Penn State University, Assistant Professor of Saxophone at the University of New Mexico, and Lecturer at Boston University.
She has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States and on five continents. Commissions and premieres include 68 compositions. One review in Fanfare Magazine calls her playing “suave, subtly nuanced, and technically secure in its every gesture,” while another refers to her “melting tone and touching sensitivity.” Music Web International describes her as “brilliant and dauntless.” She also has an ongoing recording and performing series with the tongue-in-cheek title Pink Ink that is dedicated to promoting the music of living women composers. She is a founding member of the Committee for Gender Equity of the North American Saxophone Alliance and is the project manager for CGE’s Community Engagement Initiative.
She is also a founding faculty member of the American Saxophone Academy, an annual educational program designed for advanced college students and beyond. She formerly taught saxophone for the All-State Program at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, and was the Director of Bands at Belleville South Middle School in Belleville, Michigan. Koffman holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and a master's degree from the University of North Texas. Her primary mentor is Donald Sinta.
Koffman is a certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher and teaches Yoga for Performers. She is a Selmer Paris and Vandoren performing artist.
Matthew Aubin
A leader in the 21st-century orchestral landscape, Dr. Matthew Aubin is constantly reaching new audiences through innovative performance formats and creative initiatives both on and off the podium.
In his 5th season as Music Director of the Jackson Symphony Orchestra, Dr. Aubin also serves as Artistic Director for The Chelsea Symphony in New York City. In this role, he has led notable collaborations with partners such as actor John Lithgow, award-winning television series Mozart in the Jungle, and the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Dr. Aubin has played a principal role in the initiation and development of The The Chelsea Symphony’s annual competition for emerging composers with high profile adjudicators such as Conductor Laureate of the Seattle Symphony and music director of the All-Star Orchestra, Gerard Schwarz. Dr. Aubin has led TCS in their Lincoln Center debut and conducted the New York City premieres of works by Mark O'Connor, Fazil Say and Caroline Shaw, among others.
As a consultant for the Amazon Prime series Mozart in the Jungle created by Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman, Dr. Aubin was the off-camera conductor for an episode filmed on Rikers Island. Since then, Dr. Aubin has continued a relationship with the NYC Department of Correction, designing and conducting a series of concerts and education initiatives for detainees, both in-person and online. He also served as the onstage conductor for the film Bel Canto with Julianne Moore and has been an artistic consultant for the hit television show Younger.
As Music Director of the Jackson Symphony Orchestra, Dr. Aubin has transformed the orchestra’s visibility, both in the community and on a national scale. He has collaborated with world-renowned soloists such as pianist Pascal Rogé, cellist and composer Jeremy Crosmer, cellist Julian Schwarz, and composer Lowell Liebermann. During Dr. Aubin’s time as Music Director, the JSO’s season has expanded. The organization is now regularly reaching audiences of all ages through expanded family concerts, education concerts, and the JSO’s Music on Tap series geared towards young adults. During the 2020 pandemic, he launched a series of digital initiatives, most notably the Random Acts of Music series. Under Dr. Aubin's leadership, the JSO also released a series of asynchronous, multimedia educational videos to be used in K-12 classrooms. These videos were based on the 2021 season's virtual programming and explored musical concepts.
Dr. Aubin is the foremost scholar on the French composer Fernande Breilh-Decruck. He has earned multiple research grants to study her significant life and work. A champion of the critical role of women in composition, Dr. Aubin is working to promote Decruck’s newly discovered lost music. He has edited and created critical editions of her work, which are now in the process of publication with the French publishing firm Gérard Billaudot, and has organized performances of Decruck’s music in the United States and abroad. The 2021-2022 season brings a large-scale recording project of Decruck’s orchestral works aimed at giving orchestras further access and insight into her brilliant work.
Dr. Aubin continues to be active as a freelance horn player and regularly performs across the country. A devoted music educator, Dr. Aubin’s past associations include Assistant Professor of Music at Washington State University, Adjunct faculty at The Hartt School and Educational Programs Conductor for the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.
