About
Artist Statement
“I am an artist who is actively exploring a wide range of musical genres and styles, performing both new and old music with the same energy and excitement. I enjoy engaging an audience, performing works with light, multimedia, movement, and spatialization and believe in music as a vehicle for social change, seeking works that can engage an audience in thought.”
Biography
Joel Ferst is a saxophonist and sound artist who is establishing himself a multi-hyphenated career as a soloist, educator, arts administrator, collaborative artist, composer, and improviser. In the Fall of 2023, Mr. Ferst will be continuing his studies as a Doctorate of Musical Arts student in Saxophone Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Colorado, Boulder under Dr. Nathan Mertens, where he will be a teaching assistant in the saxophone studio.
As a saxophonist, Joel has performed with the University of Texas Wind Ensemble, University of Texas New Music Ensemble, Florida State Wind Ensemble, Florida State Wind Orchestra, Soundmaps Ensemble, Aurochs Quartet, Austin Saxophone Ensemble, and Density 512. He has given performances or lectures at the Texas Music Educators Association Conference, Florida Music Educators Association Conference, and North American Saxophone Alliance Regional and Biennial Conferences.
Joel is an advocate and supporter for new, contemporary, and electronic music, believing in the importance of the voices and compositions of his generation. He has premiered or commissioned works of composers such as Katahj Copley, Tanner Jones, Maxwell Franko, Sussanna Hancock, Gala Flagello, and others. He has also performed and collaborated on projects with the Austin-based music Ensemble Density 512 and the Austin-based non-profit Church of the Friendly Ghost, performing at their New Music Art and Sound Summit. He has a longstanding collaboration with the Experimental and Electronics Music Studio at The University of Texas at Austin, where he has worked with composers and performed the music of Carmine Cella, Panayiotis Kokoras, and Franck Bedrossian. They are currently working towards getting more music written for saxophone with an emphasis on contemporary techniques and electronics, as well as recording and creating a database and library of saxophone techniques for other composers to use.
Mr. Ferst is a founding member and saxophonist of the SoundMap Ensemble, an Austin-based contemporary chamber orchestra. After making their debut in the Spring of 2023 they are gearing up for their exciting 2024 season entitled "Aesthetics in the Domain of Sound." This season brings to the audience an ensemble of pieces that present a strong and singular approach to contemporary questions in music. The season will include works by composers such as Rebecca Saunders, Fausto Romitelli, Alexender Kubevch, and Claude Vivier, Liza Lim, Januibe Tejera, Panayiotis Kokoras, and Fernanda Navarro. In 2024, SoundMap will do their first US tour.
Mr. Ferst is currently finishing up his Masters degree in Saxophone Literature and Pedagogy with a portfolio in Arts leadership and cultural management from the Butler School of Music at The University of Texas at Austin, where he served as an academic assistant. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Saxophone Performance with a minor in music entrepreneurship from Florida State University. His primary teachers include Stephen Page, Geoffrey Deibel, and Januibe Tejera De Miranda.
Joel Ferst uses he/him pronouns.
In his free time he enjoys eating the best croissants he can find, as well as running, and playing with his cat Arya. He is an avid sports fans and like watching the Dallas Mavericks and Baltimore Ravens, as well as the sports teams of the colleges he has attended.
