Nicole Johänntgen began playing classical piano at six. By 13, she’d switched to saxophone and begun performing on stage with her father’s band.
Today, Johänntgen is one of Europe’s premier young saxophonists, with a half-dozen albums to her credit. But in 2013, hoping to help other young musicians, Johänntgen launched the international mentoring program SOFIA (Support of Female Improvising Artists).
At 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, Johänntgen will lead a SOFIA forum and seminar at Washington University in St. Louis at the Danforth University Center’s Goldberg Formal Lounge. The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature a handful of artists and scholars from the College of Arts & Sciences, including pianist Kara Baldus; Eileen G’Sell, lecturer in writing; and musicology doctoral candidates Kelsey Klotz and Ashley Pribyl.
In addition, at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 14, Johänntgen, Baldus and William Lenihan, director of jazz performance, will join pianist Jay Oliver and drummer Steve Davis in Holmes Lounge for an evening of virtuosic improvisation and original compositions. Tickets are $10 and are available through Edison Theatre Box Office at 314-935-6543 or at the door.
The events are sponsored by the Jazz Studies Program in the Department of Music in Arts & Sciences, and by the Jazz at Holmes Series.
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