Jean-Marie Londeix
« Master of the Modern Saxophone »
Jean-Marie Londeix, “on of the greatest musicians of our time” (Edison Denisov), “On of the greatest musicians of our time” (Edison Denisov); is considered without question as one of the world’s greatest saxophonists and professors of saxophone, his influence has been stringly felt in the international community of wind music” (Gerald Danovitch); “The most revered of French saxophonists, he has made the Bordeaux Conservatory the world’s leading center of saxophone studies” (Washington Post); “Perhaps after Adolphe Sax and his teacher Marcel Mule, the most important ‘inventor’ of the modern saxophone” (Francesco Salime).
Jean-Marie Londeix has become known and appreciated as a concert artist, teacher, lecturer and author of numerous pedagogical works. He has performed more than 600 times as a concert soloist appearing in cities around the world, many times inaugurating the first saxophone concerts and recitals in many of the world’s concert halls. In the early 1950’s he was even one of the first wind instrumentalists to perform full recitals. He has been frequently recorded and has 13 LPs and 6 compact disks to his credit. About one hundred of the most important works for saxophone have been written for and dedicated to him.
More than 130 students have traveled from around the globe to study with him at the Bordeaux Conservatory of Music, among them 47 Americans. Among these former students now ambassadors of music and concert artists in their own right, a number teach at major universities and conservatories and perform internationally. Monsieur Londeix is frequently invited to teach in the conservatories and universities of Europe, Japan, the United States, Russia, Canada, Scandinavia, or to lecture in well known pedagogical centers.
Elected by his peers as Honorary President of the Association of Saxophonists of France (AsSaFra) and President of the International Saxophone Committee of the World Saxophone Congress, Jean-Marie Londeix has also organized a number of international festivals including The World Saxophone Congress and the World Conference on the General State of the Saxophone. He is responsible for the creation of the Ensemble International de Saxophones and he commissioned and premiered over 50 original works of excellent quality with this group.
Having carried on a double career as concert artist and teacher, Jean-Marie Londeix is also the author of over twenty important pedagogical works for saxophone, many of which have been translated into five languages. As well, he has written books on the history of the saxophone, most notably “Le Saxophone”: Cl. Lattès, Paris and “Hello! Mr. Sax” (in French and English): A. Leduc, Paris.