Dr. J. Michael Holmes is a talented solo and chamber musician who “…is emerging as one of America’s stars in the world of the concert saxophone” (states saxophonist John Sampen). Professor Holmes’ active playing career has seen him performing at some of the most prestigious venues in the United States, including Carnegie Hall, and also throughout Europe and Taiwan. Holmes has shared the stage with artists ranging from Ben Folds to The Temptations - Manhattan Transfer to Idina Menzel… just to name a few. Dr. Holmes is currently Clinical Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Illinois School of Music as well as the Enrollment Management Director for the School of Music. Prior to his appointment at the University of Illinois, Dr. Holmes was the Director of Marketing for Reed Instruments at Conn-Selmer, Inc. and had previously held the position of Artistic Advisor and Product Specialist with the Vandoren Corporation.

Holmes has presented clinics, masterclasses, and given performances at some of the most prestigious saxophone programs in the United States. Professor Holmes also held recent appointments at the University of Oregon as Visiting Guest Artist as well as Guest Instructor of Music at the University of Notre Dame. Holmes holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Saxophone Performance, a Bachelors degree in Music Education from Bowling Green State University where he was a student of Distinguished Research/Artist Professor John Sampen, and a Masters degree in Saxophone Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois where he was the graduate saxophone teaching assistant for Professor Debra Richtmeyer. He has had additional studies with saxophonists Jean-Marie Londeix, Claude Delangle, Griffin Campbell, Daniel Kientzy, and Eugene Rousseau.

Dr. Holmes is a member of the North American Saxophone Alliance and has performed in many of the national and regional conferences - and will be co-hosting the 2014 North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial Conference. Holmes is an active soloist of contemporary music and has commissioned and premiered numerous works for the saxophone. His performances have received great accolades and can be heard on the Mark, SEAMUS and Klavier Record label and an interview about Michael’s emerging career as a saxophonist was published in the January/February 2008 Saxophone Journal, and a forthcoming feature article about Dr. Holmes will appear in the 2012 September/October Saxophone Journal. Holmes has performed as principal saxophonist with numerous orchestras including the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia da Camera, the Toledo Repertoire Theatre, and the Champaign-Urbana Symphony. Holmes was the woodwind finalist for the 2006 Krannert Debut Artist Competition and the winner of the 2006 University of Illinois Concerto Competition.

Professor Holmes is the former director of the Bowling Green State University saxophone camp and current co-headmaster for the Illinois Summer Youth Music saxophone camp held at the University of Illinois. Dr. Holmes is pleased to be a Selmer Artist/Clinician and performs on Selmer Paris saxophones exclusively, as well as a Vandoren Artist and plays Vandoren reeds, ligatures, and mouthpieces exclusively. For more information, please see www.michaelholmesmusic.com