Jeffrey Loeffert

author of "Handful of Dust," "Neon Flicker" and co-author of "Ascend"

December 11, 2018

Jeffrey Loeffert serves as associate professor of Saxophone at Oklahoma State University. A dedicated teacher, Loeffert recently received the Oklahoma State University College of Arts & Sciences Junior Faculty Award for Scholarly Excellence, the Wise-Diggs-Berry Award for Teaching Excellence, and the Friends of Music Distinguished Music Professor Award. Loeffert is featured on ten commercially available discs and a PBS television episode of Backstage Pass.

Loeffert graduated Summa Cum Laude from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Music double major in Saxophone Performance and Jazz Studies. A Frank Huntington Beebe Scholar, Loeffert studied in Paris at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Cergy-Pontoise where he received the Médaille d'Or à l'Unanimité - Saxophone, and the Médaille d'Or à l'Unanimité - Musique de Chambre. Loeffert also studied at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Boulogne-Billancourt where he received the diploma Cycle d'Orientation Professionnel.

Loeffert completed graduate studies at Michigan State University as the recipient of a University Distinguished Fellowship. He received a Master of Music degree and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Saxophone Performance as well as a Master of Music degree in Music Theory Pedagogy. At MSU, he was awarded the Paul Harder Award for music theory and composition.

The album “Handful of Dust” features the saxophone music of Bosnian-American composer Igor Karača. The album title refers to Karača's award-winning composition of the same title. This work chronicles Karača's experiences in living in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Bosnian war from 1992-1996. The siege of Sarajevo was the longest siege of a capital city in modern history. The composer seeks to depict the suffering of his people and the utter destruction of his city caused by the horrors of war in this music.

“Neon Flicker” features the h2/4 Duo of Dr. Jeffrey Loeffert and Dr. Jonathan Nichol and highlights their collaborative efforts with composers from the United States, Europe and Australia. The performers strive to push the technical limitations of the saxophone in this tour de force. The music spans from contemporary to minimalist and is substantially influenced by rock and roll.

The album Ascend represents the 31st volume of the Society of Composers, Inc. featured composers series. A peer-reviewed audio series, the composers are selected annually by an anonymous panel of adjudicators. My composition, Bombinate, is scored for three soprano saxophones and singing bowl. The singing bowl is performed by the third soprano saxophonist. The word bombinate is a literary device, which means to make a humming or buzzing noise.

The work is largely centered around concert D, which is initially sounded by the singing bowl. The saxophone parts weave in and out of this center pitch the mircotonal fluctuations, tone distortions and articulative techniques. The buzzing noise comes from this constant sounding of a center pitch, which is at times very faint and at other times only inferred. Though the work is a meditation, it also showcases the wide range of emotions from frenetic energy to anger when we close our eyes and reflect on our surroundings.

URL: https://library-dep.okstate.edu/news/celebratingbooks/2019-honorees/jeffrey-loeffert

Last Updated: 17 January 2021