Josiah Boornazian is an award-winning saxophonist, composer, educator, electronic musician, and scholar of music most recently active in Utah, Europe, South Texas, Miami, New York City, Washington state, and California. He is currently the Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Dr. Boornazian has also taught applied saxophone and jazz studies at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, music technology at Broward College, jazz and general music appreciation at the City College of New York, and applied saxophone, jazz performance, and musicology at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Miami Frost School of Music, a Master of Arts degree from the City College of New York, and a Bachelor of Music degree from California State University, Northridge.

 

As a performing and recording artist, Dr. Boornazian has been cultivating an innovative, technology-based jazz performance practice for several years, which began with his adoption of digital effects pedals for live performances. He has continued to develop his creative musical approach to include the use of software-based synthesizers, evolving electronic effects, and improvised digital accompaniment using Ableton, the popular digital audio workstation.

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Dr. Boornazian’s recordings feature his original compositions and include two modern jazz albums released by the Barcelona-based label Fresh Sound New Talent Records as well nearly thirty self-published jazz and electronic albums available on Bandcamp.com and all major online music streaming platforms. In his career as a jazz and electronic artist, Dr. Boornazian has performed with a stylistically diverse collection of musicians including Mark Farina, Dave Liebman, Chris Potter, Dave Holland, Nick Smart, Diane Schuur, Dave Grusin, Arturo Sandoval, John Faddis, Jimmy Heath, Ignacio Berroa, John Beasley, Dafnis Prieto, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Drew Gress, David Binney, Wayne Krantz, Ari Hoenig, Donny McCaslin, Will Vinson, Ben Wendel, Ferenc Nemeth, Alan Ferber, John Daversa, Kenny Wollesen, the Gil Evans Orchestra, Lew Soloff, Massimo Biolcati, Shelly Berg, the South Florida Jazz Orchestra, and the Hot House West Swing Orchestra, among others.

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As a jazz researcher and scholar, his peer-reviewed publications include articles in Jazz Perspectives, Jazz Education in Research and Practice, The International Association of Schools of Jazz Journal of Applied Research, and The Saxophone Symposium. Dr. Boornazian has also published more than fifty articles for the popular jazz education website LearnJazzStandards.com. Dr. Boornazian regularly gives research presentations and clinics at the Jazz Education Network Conference, the Texas Music Educators Association Conference, and the Utah Music Educators Conference. He was also awarded a Björn Bärnheim Research Fellowship at the Hogan Jazz Archive housed at Tulane University in new Orleans during the 2017–2018 academic year.

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Dr. Boornazian makes his home in the beautiful foothills of the majestic and inspiring Wasatch Mountains adjacent to Salt Lake City where—in addition to teaching, performing, composing, and engaging in research—he enjoys painting, hiking, skiing, bicycling, serving at church, and communing with nature. For additional information and to experience, commission, and/or purchase his music and paintings, please visit www.josiahboornazian.com.