Bio

 

 

Saxophone is the vehicle through which Nick Ortiz shares his love for music. He explores all avenues in which he can use his saxophone, serenading audiences through classical, jazz, and contemporary music.

Nick has shared his music at the North American Saxophone Alliance (regional and biennial conferences) and through local communities across the midwestern United States. He has appeared with the Chicago Wind Symphony, DuPage Symphony Orchestra, UW-Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and the UW-Milwaukee Saxophone Ensemble.

As an jazz musician , Nick has appeared on Darius Rucker’s 2022 Tour stop in Milwaukee and at Summer Camp Music festival with the New Orleans style 6^th Street Brass Band after winning a main stage set in the Summer Camp on the Road Tour in Champaign.

Nick has commissioned and premiered new works by Benjamin Damann, Mofan (Amber) Dai, Morgan Easterday, Elsie Bae Han, P.R. Martin, Emily McPherson, and Jenni Watson. Nick is also an advocate for free-improvised music, performing acoustic and electro-acoustic improvisation in solo and multidisciplinary collaborations with fellow musicians, visual artists and dancers.

He holds degrees in saxophone performance and music education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the University of Illinois respectively. Nick has been a member of the UWM Wind Ensemble, Elmhurst College Saxophone Choir, UIUC Wind Symphony, UIUC Wind Orchestra, Illinois Modern Ensemble, Illinois Improvisers Exchange, and UWM Jazz Ensemble. His primary teachers include Dr. Nicki Roman, Debra Richtmeyer, and Roger Birkeland.

When not performing, Nick can be found working with his private studio, serving on the Professional Development committee of the North American Saxophone Alliance, or serving as a clinician for concert band, marching band, jazz band, or improvisation. If you are searching for Nick outside of the realms of music, he can be found reading, baking brownies, or running somewhere in the DuPage County trail system.