James Stoltie

Born July 10, 1937 in Galesburg, Illinois, James Stoltie was involved with the World Saxophone Congress for several years at a critical time when his efforts were crucial to its survival. Stoltie served as Editor of the World Saxophone Congress Newsletter. In that position he was responsible for much of the organization’s official business, including the granting of official recognition to chapters in several countries such as Switzerland and Australia. Later, as Director of Scholarly Affairs, he was responsible for the reprinting of the booklet Sax and His Saxophone. Stoltie hosted three Eastern Region conferences for the WSC and NASA. He has performed at numerous WSC and NASA events and the U.S. Navy Band’s Symposium presentations as well as at London’s Guildhall and Royal Festival Hall. On his last sabbatical leave from The Crane School of Music, Stoltie represented the United States for Jean-Marie Londiex as one of several judges for the Concours at the Conservatoire in Bordeaux. He recorded two albums: Music for Saxophone Alone and Lyrical Music for Saxophone and Piano. Composers such as Elliot Del Borgo, Arthur Frackenpohl, Gregory Kosteck, and Persis Vehar have dedicated works to Stoltie. He received the degree of Bachelor of Arts in music from Knox College and the degree of Master of Arts in saxophone performance and the Ph.D. in woodwind literature and pedagogy from the University of Iowa. He joined the faculty of The Crane School of Music at SUNY, Potsdam, in 1968 and became Dean in 1989, serving until his retirement in 2000. Stoltie has been the Director of Music for the New England Music Camp, Sidney, Maine since 1987 and remains an active performer in Florida.