Anna Marie Wytko

Biography:

Anna Marie Wytko, whose artistry has been described by distinguished Paris composer-pianist Roger Boutry as “brilliant – great sensitivity – exceptional color and vivid contrasts,” is Professor of Saxophone within the Kansas State University School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. A Yamaha Performing Artist-Clinician, Dr. Wytko has performed and taught extensively on an international level. International concerto performances include those as soloist with the Banda Sinfónica de Montevideo of Uruguay as the only Featured American Artist in Residence for the Latin American Saxophone Alliance World Congress, as soloist with the Banda de Conciertos de San José in Costa Rica as part of Sax Fest Costa Rica International, as soloist at Carnegie Hall for the New York International Music Festival, as soloist with the Polish Air Force Wind Symphony in Poland, and as soloist throughout England and Scotland, for example. Dr. Wytko performed and taught in Buenos Aires, Argentina at the Conservatorio Nacional Superior de Música and in Uruguay as part of the Latin American Saxophone Alliance World Congress. Her residency included concerto performances, a solo and chamber music recital, and various master classes, for instance. As part of her residency, Anna Marie presented guest performances with Argentine saxophone quartet Cuarteto 4MIL and Costa Rican saxophone-percussion quintet Sonsax. Professor Wytko performed award winning composer Libby Larsen’s “Holy Roller” as soloist with the KSU Wind Ensemble for the American Bandmasters Association Convention (Loveland, CO). She has also served as one of three adjudicators from within North America for the semi-final and final rounds of the Collegiate Solo Competition as part of the North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial Conference. Anna Marie served as Featured American Artist in Residence at the Fourth International Saxophone Festival of Montevideo in Uruguay. Her residency included performing as soloist and working with students in various workshops and master classes.   Dr. Wytko has presented recitals and master classes throughout Italy in cities such as Florence, Milan, Bologna, and Perugia. She performed and taught at music conservatories such as the Conservatorio di Musica “Giuseppe Verdi” di Milano, the Conservatorio di Musica “Giovanni Battista Martini” di Bologna, and the Conservatorio di Musica “Francesco Morlacchi” di Perugia. Anna Marie has presented guest concerts and master classes at the Royal College of Music in London, at the Akademia Muzyczna and the Centrum Kultury Przeźmierowo in Poznan, Poland, and a guest artist concert-teaching tour in France including such venues as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, the Conservatoire Aulnay sous Bois de Paris, and the Centre Cultural La Bouvèche Paris (Orsay). Released by TimeGrabber Digital Recordings (TimeGrabber Digital), “The Loveliness of Air – I Can’t Breathe” is Anna Marie’s newest recording. An original electroacoustic composition composed and engineered by Dr. Joseph Wytko, “The Loveliness of Air” is a work of nearly 70 minutes in length which is comprised of sixteen movements. The piece is based upon select poetry and prose of children under the age of 15 who were victims of the Theresienstadt (Terezín) Nazi concentration camp between the years 1942 and 1944. The composition features uncompressed audio and is scored for acoustic saxophone soloist, electronic and acoustic instruments and sounds, and over ten narrators and one vocalist speaking/singing in over a dozen languages. Anna Marie is featured on alto and baritone saxophones. RJ Upmarket Press (www.rjupmarketpress.com) recently released Professor Wytko’s new book publication titled “The Saxophonist As Musician First – A Sampling of Resources.” The book is the first edition in a planned series addressing various resource materials for the saxophonist who genuinely embraces the notion of comprehensive musicianship. Implicit in the contents is the notion that saxophonists are musicians first and saxophonists second, and that a thorough approach to the study of the saxophone must necessarily include a variety of resources. TimeGrabber Digital Recordings released Dr. Wytko’s solo and chamber music CD titled “Anna Marie Wytko, Saxophonist.” The album is available through CD Baby, iTunes, Spotify, and other numerous download sites, or by contacting TimeGrabber Digital. RJ Upmarket Press released Professor Wytko’s pedagogy book publication titled ”The Saxophonist As Rank Beginner And Beyond – A Guide for Saxophone Methods Class, Band Directors, and Private Instructors.” A 124-page publication, the book is available from the publisher at www.rjupmarketpress.com or by contacting the publisher directly. Anna Marie’s solo CD titled ”When night came…” is produced by TimeGrabber Digital Recordings and is available through CD Baby, iTunes, Spotify, and other numerous download sites, or by contacting TimeGrabber Digital. As guest recording artist, she recorded Paul Hindemith’s “Konzertstück” with saxophonist Eugene Rousseau on the Jeanné Digital Recordings label. See DISCOGRAPHY and PUBLICATIONS at www.AnnaMarieWytko.com Dr. Wytko has performed as soloist with the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, the Topeka Symphony Orchestra, the West Valley Symphony Orchestra, the Tempe Symphony Orchestra, and with bands and orchestras in New York, California, Oregon, Wisconsin, Colorado, and Kansas. Anna Marie appeared as guest soloist for the 37th Annual Dr. Lawrence R. Sutherland Wind Festival (Fresno State University, CA), guest soloist for the College Band Directors National Association Conference (University of Colorado at Boulder), and guest soloist and clinician for the Best of the West Festival (Colorado Mesa University, CO), to name a few. Professor Wytko appeared as featured guest clinician-soloist for the Iowa Bandmasters Association, American Band College in Oregon, and the Kansas Music Educators Association. She has performed as orchestral saxophonist with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, the Orquesta Sinfónica UANL in Monterrey (MX) and with the Musicfest Festival Orchestra (AZ). Anna Marie was a featured guest artist at the IV Miedzynarodowy Festiwal Saksofonowy in Poland and has presented premiere performances at various World Saxophone Congress and North American Saxophone Alliance events. A founding member of the renowned chamber ensemble Ascendo3 and member of the highly acclaimed Joseph Wytko Saxophone Quartet, Dr. Wytko is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Minnesota, where she also earned her MM and DMA degrees as a student of Eugene Rousseau, and where she was the recipient of the prestigious Berneking Fellowship.