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Welcome to the website of Canadian-American Composer & Saxophonist Paul Alexander Lessard!
Upcoming Events
Past Events
XIX World Saxophone Congress
06-10 December 2023; Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
PAL gives two performances: the premiere of PAL’s Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra with Casey Dierlam Tse (piano), and a performance with Matthew Geiger (percussion) of works by Paul Richards and PAL.
Premiere of Blowbang
07 December 2023; Teatro Guiniguada, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Slair gives the premiere performance of Blowbang, for alto saxophone and percussion.
Premiere of Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra
07 December 2023; Auditorium of the University of Las Palmas de G.C., Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
PAL and Casey Dierlam Tse give the premiere performance of Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra
ETSU Percussion Faculty Recital
01 December 2023; Martin Center for the Arts, Johnson City, TN
PAL and Matthew Geiger (percussion) give a preview performance of their upcoming recital at the World Saxophone Congress, including compositions by Paul Richards and PAL.
Premiere of Beckoning
18 November 2023; Tranzac Club, Toronto, ON
Midori Marsh (soprano) and Bryan Holt (violoncello) give the first two performances of Beckoning.
North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial Conference
30 March - 02 April 2023; University of Southern Mississippi
The Canadian Armed Forces Saxophone Quartet performs Overworld (Saturday, 01 April, 3:20PM, MPAC - Choir Hall)
ETSU Music Faculty Gala
March 26, 2023; Martin Center for the Arts, Johnson City, TN
Performing with percussionist Matthew Geiger. Music by Paul Richards.
International Conference for Saxophone Pedagogy and Performance
February 24-25, 2023; University of Florida
Performing a duo recital with percussionist Matthew Geiger. Works by Fang Man and Kenneth Broadway.
Premiere of WHAT. ARBITRARY. SILLINESS.
April 2, 2022; MacMillan Theatre, Toronto, ON
The University of Toronto Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Gillian MacKay, gives the premiere of WHAT. ARBITRARY. SILLINESS.
North American Saxophone Alliance Region X Conference
March 14, 2021; Mt. Allison University (virtual)
Performing a solo recital of works by Andy Scott and Jacob TV.
International Conference for Saxophone Pedagogy and Performance
February 26-27, 2021; University of Florida
Performing a solo recital of works by Andy Scott and Jacob TV, with a comparative discussion of approaches to using text in works for saxophone and fixed electronics.
North American Saxophone Alliance 2020 Biennial Conference
March 6-9, 2020; Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
PAL and Casey Dierlam Tse perform selections by Srul Irving Glick, Jean Sibelius, Piet Swerts, and Michael McGlynn, and Brendan Catalano gives the premiere of Death Stick.
Premiere of funkin’ eh
January 16, 2020; Bunker Lane Press - 1001R Bloor Street West, Toronto
Stephanie Chua gives the premiere performance of funkin’ eh at the January Piano Lunaire concert.
2020 United States Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium
January 10-11, 2020; George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
PAL and Casey Dierlam Tse perform Horta Suite by Piet Swerts (North American premiere) and PAL’s transcription of Sibelius’s Luonnotar.
Trinity Laban Saxes play ‘Some Items,…’
December 12, 2019, 1:05pm; St. Alfege Church, Greenwich, London, UK.
The Trinity Laban Saxes give the UK premiere of Some Items, Fox Preferred, Penultimate Destination.
University of Toronto Saxophone Ensemble
April 27, 2019; Father Madden Hall, Toronto
The UofT Saxophone Ensemble gives the premiere of Some Items, Fox Preferred, Penultimate Destination.
North American Saxophone Alliance Region X Conference
February 22-24, 2019; University of Western Ontario
Performing the Canadian premiere of Avner Dorman’s Suite for Solo Saxophone, and the University of Toronto Saxophone Quartet performs Overworld.
University of Toronto New Music Festival
January 23, 2019; Walter Hall, University of Toronto
UofT students give the premiere of Modern Love: XXX and Vocalise
Hagerstown Municipal Band
August 19, 2018, 7:30pm; Hagerstown, MD
Featured soloist with the Hagerstown Municipal Band, performing selections by Jules Demersseman and P.I. Tchaikovsky
XVIII World Saxophone Congress
July 10-14, 2018; Zagreb, Croatia
Performing a recital of works by Avner Dorman and Raaf Hekkema at 1:30pm local time on July 12th at the Church of Saint Mark (Crkva sv. Marka)
Current Projects
Epilogue: A Lament for Birds (5’)
Commissioned by the Bantam Winds quintet
The Cream ‘n’ Shuffle (6’)
A jazz band piece for the Arkansas State University Jazz Ensembles