Greg Banaszak, one of today's leading saxophonists, has performed with orchestras and at concert halls throughout the world. He has appeared as concerto soloist and recitalist throughout the United States, Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, including the countries of France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Austria, Sweden, Belgium, Egypt, South Korea, the Dominican Republic, Finland, India and Japan.
Mr. Banaszak is one of the most sought after orchestral saxophone soloists of his generation. As one of the few saxophonists active in both the classical and jazz mediums, Mr. Banaszak includes a combination of concerto performances, solo and chamber music recitals, and jazz festival appearances. He has presented recitals in such prestigious concert halls as Vienna's Bösendorfer Concert Hall, the Royal Palace in Warsaw, Poland, and New York's Lincoln Center's Bruno Walter Hall. He has presented master classes at Austria's Musik Hochschule, the Cairo Conservatory, Oberlin Conservatory, and the Tanglewood Institute and has served as Orchestral saxophonist for the leading opera orchestras of Warsaw, Berlin, Paris, and Cleveland. Mr. Banaszak was the first saxophone concerto soloist to appear with orchestras in both the Middle East and Korea, including performances with the Cairo Symphony and the Taegu City Symphony. Mr Banaszak has been under the baton of such conductors as Gerard Schwarz, Leonard Slatkin, Philippe Entremont and Randy Newman.
Mr. Banaszak's critically acclaimed CDs, "The Music of Alan Hovhaness" "Duo Concertos for Alto Saxophone, Flute, and Orchestra", "Romances for Saxophone and Orchestra" and "Saxophone Concertos", are available on the Naxos sand Centaur Records label. He has also recorded on the Chanson, DUX , Hyperion, MMO and Open Loop labels.
In 2009 Mr. Banaszak was the first saxophone soloist to appear at the 14th annual Henryk Mikołaj Górecki Polish Music Festival, performing with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra; he premiered two concertos dedicated to him by celebrated composer Krzesimir Dębski. He was also the first saxophone concerto soloist to perform and tour with the Berlin Opera Symphoniker Orchestra.
As a member of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences, Mr. Banaszak is a voting member for the annual Grammy Awards ceremony. He serves on the faculties of the Cleveland Institute of Music, and Case Western Reserve University and is the Artistic Director at Lutheran West. He is a Vandoren Performing Artist, Selmer Saxophone clinician, and Rovner Products consultant, and endorses RS Berkeley instruments as well as DeJacques Inc., Pro Tec and Oleg Products. He has performed as saxophonist for the Cleveland Orchestra
Mr. Banaszak is a B.M. cum laude graduate of the Hartt School of Music. He holds an M.M. degree "with distinction" from the Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw and an Artist Diploma from the Centre Musical d'Annecy in France. He cites his successful career on having studied with such prominent masters as Vincent Abato, Daniel Deffayet and jazz legend Jackie McLean, as well as David Pituch, and David Schiavone. Mr. Banaszaks' former students currently hold positions as both highly acclaimed performers and educators throughout the United States and abroad. Mr. Banaszak takes great pride in educating the future generation of world class saxophonists and young artists. Hailed as a Saxophonist "Tour de Force" by the New York Times, Mr. Banaszak is represented exclusively by Phoenix Classical Ltd. of Canada.
