West Virginia University music alumnus Joseph Wytko, one of the most highly regarded saxophone players in the United States tod ay, will present a concert at the WVU Creative Arts Center, Tuesday, Dec. 2. The program begins at 6 p.m. in the Gladys Davis Theatre.

The New York Times described Wytko as a performer with”vivid projection, effortless precision, charm and savoir-faire.”

A past recipient of the prestigious Solo Recitalist Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, Dr. Wytko is currently professor of saxophone at Arizona State University, an artist-clinician with the Selmer Company, and saxophonist with the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra. He has performed solo recitals in Carnegie Recital Hall, San Francisco’s Herbst Theater, and at the Paris Conservatory, and has appeared as soloist with the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Phoenix Symphony, and orchestras in Europe and Mexico, among others.

He has performed as orchestral saxophonist with several orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Grant Park Orchestra, and the Chicago Civic Orchestra. He presented recent solo performances and master classes in Italy, Belgium, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, St. Paul and throughout Oregon. His 2003-04 concert schedule includes solo performances and guest artist appearances with orchestras in Poland, where he also will conduct saxophone master classes.

As a result of a Senior Scholar Grant from the International Research and Exchanges Board in Washington, D.C., Wytko presented solo concerts, master classes and seminars in Macedonia in 1994. He has also performed in Canada, Mexico, and Guam, and has served as a resident performer in 1993 and 1995 during the Ernest Bloch Composers’Symposium in Newport, Oregon.

Wytko, whose disc recordings have been featured on United Airlines and America West Airlines”in flight audio entertainment,”has recorded on the Brewster, Orion, TimeGrabber Digital, and ACA Digital record labels.

Wytko is listed in the upcoming 58th editions of”Who’s Who in America,”and holds a bachelor of music degree from WVU and both a master of music and a doctor of music degree in performance from Northwestern University. In addition to his solo performing and teaching, he performs frequently with the Wytko Saxophone Quartet, which was featured on National Public Radio’s Performance Today in 1998. He also performed with the quartet in the historic East Room of the White House in 1993.

Donations will be accepted, following the recital, to support the WVU Saxophone Studio’s upcoming trip to Europe.

For more information about the recital, contact the College of Creative Arts at (304) 293-4841 ext. 3108.