hey there!
Nice to see you here! We are Jacob Nance and Natalia Warthen, but you can call us SiP, or Saxophone in Progress. We’re a newly established saxophone duo that founded in summer 2022 at Michigan State University—Go Green! This unique ensemble took shape through long walks to and from the Panera on campus, fueled purely by their Charged Lemonade, stories of Jacob’s hometown (spoiler alert: Lubbock is flat), and Natalia’s vivid descriptions of the trials and tribulations of the Twilight franchise.
We learned so much in these summer walks, but also stumbled upon a common passion for diversifying and expanding saxophone repertoire. With this in mind, the idea of SiP took root: A saxophone duo that centers itself in enriching and broadening saxophone music for players of all ages. Above all, we want to uplift voices that haven’t traditionally been featured in the classical music canon.
With these goals in mind, we created a project this last year that revolves around 3 of our favorite aspects of music-making:
Commissioning 8 underrepresented composers to write new works for saxophone duo
Recording an album of these works
Touring our community and local schools to share that diverse voices exist in classical music!
The results of our commissions were amazingly varied, with concepts ranging from climate change, to clown-core, to highways in Michigan. Throughout the construction of this project, we received grants through sources like the City of East Lansing and won the MSU Running Start Competition. Most recently, we recorded an album of these pieces with audio extraordinaire Tyler Young, which will be coming out later this year.
Keep scrolling to learn more about this project and some other things we’ve been up to. We always have something coming up, so follow our Instagram to check out what’s next!
One of our favorite activities this last year has been playing for kids in our community. Our latest project, Diversifying the Classical Canon, has been a blast to bring to music students around the Greater Lansing area. Contact us if you’re looking for a duo to bring to your band room!
Outreach
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Creator and Composer, Fishing Extraordinaire
Jacob Nance is a saxophonist and musician based out of East Lansing, Michigan. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Oklahoma and a Masters Degree from Michigan State. He is currently at Michigan State University working on a Doctorate of Musical Arts and a Masters in Music Theory. Through pursuing experience in many genres and avenues of music, Jacob has made a name for himself in many musical circles.
As a classical saxophonist, Jacob has achieved success through merging his own creative aesthetic with the aesthetic presented by composers. These achievements can be evidenced through numerous competition accolades including most recently: Advancing to the live rounds of the Dinant Adolphe Sax International Competition, being named a National Finalist in the 2022 NASA Solo Competition, and winning second place in the Music Teacher’s National Association’s Young Artist Woodwind competition in the Spring of 2021. Click here to learn more about our resident fisherman!
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Creator, Broccoli Fanatic
Natalia Warthen is a blossoming young artist who recently graduated with her Bachelor of Saxophone Performance from Michigan State University. An advocate of collaborative music-making, she has received several accolades in the U.S. with her quartet Clap7, including Quarterfinalist at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and National Finalist at the Music Teachers’ National Association. In her solo playing, she has been selected as a National Finalist in the North American Saxophone Alliance Solo Competition, and most recently was awarded the Hans Schaeuble Award in Arosa, Switzerland. One of her central goals as a saxophonist is to champion the music of underrepresented musicians and composers throughout her career. Next year she’ll be attending Northwestern University for her Master’s of Saxophone Performance—Go Cats!
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Executive Director, Man-With-A-Plan
No explanation necessary.