Haar named Midwest director for Jazz Ed Network

calendar icon07 Dec 2012    

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Associate Professor of Saxophone and Coordinator of Jazz Studies Paul Haar has been selected to be the Midwest Division Director for the Jazz Education Network (JEN).

Haar’s responsibilities will be to serve as a coordinator/liaison between JEN and Midwest directors and educators in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, North Dakota and South Dakota.

The JEN is an international organization based in the U.S. that seeks to advance jazz education, promote performance and develop new audiences. Founded in 2008, JEN has more than 1,500 members in 22 countries, including every U.S. state and seven Canadian provinces.

In addition, Haar has been selected to be a featured soloist at two festivals in 2013. In April, he will give the premiere of Clare Fischer’s “Piece for Alto Saxophone and Chamber Orchestra” at the Region 3 meeting of the North American Saxophone Alliance Conference.

Fischer’s composition was his master’s thesis from Michigan State University in 1958. The work had never been performed or published and was presumed lost until it was discovered shortly before his death in 2012.This performance will be held on the campus of Minot State University, where Haar will premiere the work with the Minot Symphony Orchestra.

In June, Haar will be the featured soloist and clinician at the 2013 Carlos Gomes International Music Festival in Belem, Brazil. In addition to masterclasses in saxophone performance and jazz improvisation, Haar will be featured with the Amazonia Jazz Band directed by Nelson Neves, who graduated from UNL with a D.M.A. in 2007.

A native of Fremont, Neb., Haar received his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from The University of Kansas and his D.M.A. in saxophone performance with an emphasis in jazz studies from the University of Texas at Austin.

Recognized as one of the most versatile young saxophonists on the scene today, he has performed throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. He has been at UNL since 2004.