BIOGRAPHY
Bonson Lee currently resides in Tempe, AZ, and teaches in the Phoenix area including being the Adjunct Professor of Saxophone, Chamber Ensembles, and Humanities at Ottawa University and Glendale Community College, the Woodwind Caption Head, Instructor of Saxophone and Director of Chamber Ensembles/Saxophone Choir at Campo Verde High School, and the Instructor of Saxophone and Director of Chamber Ensembles/Saxophone Orchestra/Jazz Ensembles at Mountain Ridge High School. As an active musician, Lee has competed and been awarded prizes in the solo and chamber rounds throughout his music career, recently including the Gold Medal at the 50th Fischoff Chamber Music Competition with his professional saxophone quartet, Kodachrome.
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Lee has had the great privilege of performing at the highest level in collaboration with ensembles. In 2016, he was part of the UNLV Wind Orchestra’s album entitled The Return, and in 2017’s album, 24K Gould from Klavier Records. In 2016, Lee was also part of the UNLV Wind Orchestra’s performance at the grand finale of the Festival des Anches d’Azur in La Croix Valmer, France, by invitation of the city’s mayor. During its 20-year history, the festival has grown and evolved significantly, and the UNLV Wind Orchestra has been the only American university ensemble ever invited to perform.
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Lee was also in UNLV Jazz Ensemble I’s album Rail Trails/Latin Journey III 2017. Through UNLV Jazz Ensemble I, Lee was able to compete at the 60th Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival held in Monterey, California in March 2017, in which they received 1st Place Prize at the Top College Big Band division. After winning the competition, Lee and the UNLV Jazz Ensemble I was invited to perform at the 60th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival in September 2017.
As a musician, Lee has performed with many artists throughout the US. Notable artists Lee had the opportunity to collaborate with include Nathan Tanouye, Derek Brown, Allen Vizzutti, Adam Schroeder, Bob Mintzer, Carl Saunders, Kenny Rampton, Don Cunningham, Clint Holmes, Eric Marienthal, Bernie Dresel, Kevin Axt, and among others. Lee also had the opportunity to work with conductors including Tom Leslie, Johan de Meij, David Waybright, Dave Loeb, Yunior Lopez, Nathan Tanouye, Jason Caslor, Gary Hill, Jamal Duncan, as well as Col. John Bourgeois.
In addition to numerous solo performances within the US and abroad, Lee has great experience in chamber music playing and collaboration in many wind ensembles and saxophone ensembles, one of which was being the baritone chair of the Kodachrome. Through Kodachrome, Lee has been able to educate and perform at numerous schools and universities in the US, and abroad. Competitively, Kodachrome has recently won the First Prize at the 10th Coltman, 10th Plowman, and the Gold Medal at the 50th Fischoff Chamber Music Competitions.
As a baritone saxophonist, Lee’s Doctoral Project focused on the soloistic qualities that the baritone saxophone offers, and collaborated with 4 composers to write pieces for baritone saxophone and piano, with emphasis on creating pieces that help aide the developing high school/collegiate baritone saxophonist. The 4 composers include Brooke Herndon, Kevin Day, Jorge Machain, and Tanner Bayles. Lee premiered Vignettes by Herndon and Fantasia V by Day recently at the 2023 NASA Biennial Conference, and will premiere On the Hunt by Machain and Lonepine by Bayles, later this upcoming year.
Lee earned his Doctorate of Musical Arts and Master of Music in Performance degrees at Arizona State University Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts School of Music under Dr. Christopher Creviston. Lee has also received a Bachelor’s of Music in Education at the University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Music. His saxophone teachers included Dr. Creviston, Mark McArthur, John Seaton, and Eric Maine.
Lee is an endorsing artist and clinician for D’Addario Woodwinds, Silverstein Works, LefreQue Sound Solutions, and ReedGeek Inc.