Eugene Rousseau

Born August 23, 1932 in Blue Island, Illinois, Eugene Rousseau has performed across America and on five continents since his Carnegie Hall debut in 1965. His teaching includes guest professorships and master classes throughout the world, including the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna, the Paris Conservatory, and yearly courses at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and Ticino Musica in Lugano. Rousseau is Honorary Professor at the Prague Conservatory and at the Instituto G. Braga in Italy. His Deutsche Grammophon recording in 1971 is the first complete disc of saxophone concertos with orchestra. In addition to a number of compact discs with piano, he has recorded with the Haydn Trio of Vienna, the Budapest Strings, the Winds of Indiana (Frederick Fennell, conductor), and the Zagreb Saxophone Quartet. Rousseau served for 20 years as chief consultant to the Yamaha Corporation for research and development of saxophones. He co-founded the World Saxophone Alliance in 1969 and has been President of both the North American Saxophone Alliance (1979-80) and the Comité International du Saxophone (1982-85). In 2003, Rousseau hosted the 13th World Saxophone Congress in Minneapolis. He holds degrees from the Chicago Musical College (music education and clarinet), Northwestern University (oboe), and the University of Iowa (clarinet). He received a Fulbright Grant to study with Marcel Mule in Paris in 1960-61. Rousseau is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Indiana University and is a member of the Artist Faculty of the University of Minnesota’s School of Music.