Jun Watabe
Jun Watabe
Junichiro Watabe is a single reed specialist. Dr. Watabe plays both saxophone and clarinet in numerous musical scenes as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. He has been featured in national and international concerts and received rave reviews from various media and musicians for his memorable performances. As an educator, Jun Watabe has earned a doctorate in music from the University of Northern Colorado, and he has taught clarinet, saxophone, and chamber music at the University of Alaska Fairbanks as assistant professor of music.
Born in Japan, Jun began his professional musical career while earning his bachelor's degree in saxophone performance at Aichi Prefectural University of Music and Fine Arts, Japan. He then came to the United States to broaden his musical vision, and started playing the clarinet to study with Bil Jackson, one of the world's leading clarinetists. During his graduate studies at UNC, his talents were immediately recognized, and he began winning competitions and performing in professional situations. Throughout his education, he received many honors including the Dean's Award and the Southard Award at UNC, and the Saxophone Fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival.
Playing in orchestras gives Dr. Watabe a special joy because the saxophone is not a usual member of a symphony orchestra. After intensive orchestral study with Ryohei Nakagawa, who played the bassoon in major U.S. orchestras, Watabe took off with his orchestral career. He plays with many orchestras including the Colorado Symphony, National Repertory, and Fairbanks Symphony orchestras on saxophone, and the Fort Collins Symphony, Cheyenne Symphony, Greeley Philharmonic, and Greeley Chorale orchestras on clarinet.
In 2007, Dr. Watabe appeared as featured soloist for Glazunov's Saxophone Concerto and Villa-Lobos' Fantasia with the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra, and Glazunov's Saxophone Concerto and Claude Debussy's Rhapsody with the Littleton Symphony Orchestra.
Chamber music is one of his enthusiasms, and he has performed and recorded with the Tokyo-Bach-Band and Collegio Saxophone Quartet. In 2003, he participated in the 13th World Saxophone Congress in Minneapolis, Minnesota and performed world premières composed by Tim Sullivan and Dr. Evan Copley. Dr. Watabe's international activities include a performance as a guest artist at the Thailand International Saxophone Conference in Bangkok in winter 2004. He also enjoys collaborating with rising composers, and he has commissioned and premiered a number of musical compositions.