Noa Even

Noa Even is a versatile saxophonist whose work as a performer and educator is dedicated to the arts of today. In addition to creating new music through commissioning and close collaboration with living composers, she interprets traditional classical repertoire and improvises.

Atomic, Noa’s solo commissioning project, features works for saxophone, interactive electronics, and video that explore themes of human connection, such as support for the transgender community, immigration policies, and feelings of regret. Since the premiere in September 2019, she’s been touring Atomic across the country. Performances include a university tour through Michigan, the Colombian Composer Collective Residency on the Stack Overflow series (Austin, TX), Off the Beaten Path Concert Series (University of the District of Columbia), fp presents (Cleveland, OH) and a visit to the University of Georgia as a 2019-2020 Willson Center Distinguished Artist.

Noa’s saxophone duo, Ogni Suono, has toured Asia, Europe, and North America since their formation in 2009. Most recently, they traveled to Taiwan and China to perform commissioned works and teach as guest clinicians. Much of the music Ogni Suono has commissioned can be found on their albums, Invisible Seams (Teal Creek, 2014) and SaxoVoce (New Focus Recordings, 2018). In 2013, Noa formed Patchwork, a saxophone and drum set duo that continues to build an eclectic body of work for their unique instrumentation. Reflecting a vast range of styles and influences, their music requires versatility and a willingness to experiment. Their debut, self-titled album, described as “bewitching (ClevelandClassical.com) was released in May 2020 on New Focus Recordings. Both Ogni Suono and Patchwork often pair university performances with master classes, student composers reading sessions, and discussions on entrepreneurship in the arts. Noa has also performed with Alia Musica Pittsburgh and Cleveland-based No Exit New Music Ensemble.

Recent performances as an improvisor include the YARDS Project’s CINE-EX in downtown Cleveland, an evening of experimental film and modern dance with music by Noa’s trio, We Three Qings. Noa performed a solo improvisation for Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra Lab Group’s spring concert in 2019 and joined the students for a group improvisation. She has also teamed up with flutist Anne La Berge for improvised sets on their joint concerts in Northeast Ohio in 2018.

Noa won third prize at the Jean-Marie Londeix International Saxophone Competition in Bangkok, where she performed as a soloist with the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra. She has also performed concerti with the Bowling Green Philharmonia and the Concert Orchestra of the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati at the 2018 NASA Biennial Conference.

In 2017, Noa co-founded Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project (CUSP), a non-profit organization that champions new and experimental music by curating a year-round concert series, presenting Re:Sound, an annual festival, and organizing professional opportunities for young composers. She recently helped establish the Committee on the Status of Women in the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) and initiated a mentorship program for female saxophonists; she now serves as advisor for the CSW. Noa was also a panelist at the Kent State College of the Arts Career Conference in 2018 and has been on the editorial board for the Saxophone Symposium Journal since 2014.

Noa is Lecturer and Head of Woodwinds at Rowan University. She was on faculty at Kent State University from 2013-2020 and served as sabbatical replacement at the University of Oregon in the spring of 2017. She holds a DMA in contemporary music from Bowling Green State University, a master’s degree in performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a bachelor’s in performance and music education from Northwestern University. Additional studies include the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Boulogne-Billancourt outside of Paris, where she studied with Jean-Michel Goury. Her other primary instructors include John Sampen, Debra Richtmeyer, and Fred Hemke.