Ithaca College

Jazz saxophonist Michael Titlebaum will give a free recital on Thursday, September 24 at 8:15 pm in the Hockett Family Recital Hall at Ithaca College. He will be joined by vocalist Catherine Gale, bassist Nicholas Waler, pianist John Stetch, trumpeters Frank Campo s and Paul Merrill, Jason Titus on banjo and others.

Performer/composer/arranger Mike Titlebaum is the director of jazz studies at Ithaca College, where he directs large jazz ensembles, coaches small combos and teaches courses in jazz improvisation, arranging, pedagogy and history. He earned his BM in Saxophone Performance from the Eastman School of Music in 1991, as well as the coveted Performer's Certificate in Saxophone. He received his MM in 1992 from Eastman in Jazz and Contemporary Media. As a student, he won nine "DeeBee" awards from DownBeat magazine in multiple categories, including Jazz Performance (on both saxophone and trumpet), Classical Performance, Jazz Arranging, and Jazz Composition.

In 1994, Titlebaum moved to New York City where he enjoyed a very diverse career. He played in many of New York’s world famous musical venues, including the Blue Note, Smalls, Augies, Fez/Time Café and the infamous CBGB's as well as the pit orchestra of the Broadway musical "Cats." He has performed with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and with dozens of internationally recognized artists and groups such as Jason Robert Brown, Red Rodney, Randy Brecker, Jack McDuff, the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, the Mingus Big Band, Cab Calloway, Jeff Tyzik, Ernie Watts, Natalie Cole, Billy Taylor, Mel Torme, Manhattan Transfer, Branford Marsalis, Clark Terry, Lee Konitz, Kenny Wheeler, Billy Hart, Paquito D'Rivera, and many others.