American Accordionists’ Association (AAA) Executive Board member, Dr. Robert Young McMahan, is a versatile musician who composes not only for the accordion but many other instruments. A graduate of The Peabody Institute of Music and St. John’s College, he is a composer, noted classical accordionist, and published music researcher. 

On April 4th,2011 the Manhattan Saxophone Quartet performs Robert Young McMahan’s
“Three Sets for Saxophone Quartet (2010)”:
I. Set 1:  Moderato / Agitato
II. Break and Brief Walk to Set 2:  Moderato, casual, loose
III. Set 2:  Allegretto marziale

Members of the Manhattan Saxophone Quartet are:
Jordan P. Smith – soprano saxophone
Aaron Patterson – alto saxophone
Daniel Kochersberger – tenor saxophone
Jay Rattman – baritone saxophone

The composition was commissioned by Saxophonist Jordan Smith for the Manhattan Saxophone Quartet.The world premiere of the composition was on Feb.3, 2011 at The College of New Jersey by the Manhattan Saxophone Quartet.

The concert takes place on April 4, 2011 at 8 pm at Rutgers University, Nicholas Music Center, New Brunswick, NJ. It will be a diverse recital program of works by Larsen, Downes, Chance, Decruck, and more
Featuring: soprano vocalist, Rachel Hall; timpanist, Uijoung Ryu; and the Manhattan Saxophone Quartet.

Dr McMahan said, “I always find it deeply gratifying when a former student asks me to write a piece for him or her, especially when that person has survived my courses in music theory and ear training at The College of New Jersey and is still on speaking terms with me! (Theory teachers everywhere will understand this statement.)

This is the case with my present offering.  Having never written for saxophone, Jordan Smith suddenly remedied that situation for me last year by asking me to write for not one saxophone, but four of them, for the Manhattan Saxophone Quartet’s appearance in fall 2010 at TCNJ’s weekly lunch time  “Brown-bag” series.  The entire program was a great success and certainly a triumphant return by Jordan to his alma mater.   I feel particularly honored that he has decided to give it a second performance at this, Doctorate Degree recital, at Rutgers University.”

Jordan P. Smith is a New York-based saxophonist and conductor. His teachers have included Dr. Paul Cohen, Dr. John Sampen and Kathleen Mitchell, as well as Dr. William Silvester for conducting.

He has concertized extensively throughout the United States and internationally in Greece as a soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician, and has recently performed multiple times with the New World Symphony, The MSM Orchestra, the Brooklyn College Orchestra, and the French Woods Orchestra. Jordan was winner of the 2006-2007 TCNJ Concerto Competition, later performing Tomasi’s Ballade for Saxophone and Orchestra with The College of New Jersey Orchestra.

Recent performance venues have included the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Knight Concert Hall at the Adrienne Arsht Center, Yamaha Concert Hall in New York City, St. Peters Citigroup Center in New York City, the Professional Children’s School, Yale University, Eisenhower Hall at West Point, and the 2011 International Saxophone Symposium.

Jordan P. Smith is currently a D.M.A. candidate at Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University, where he studies with Dr. Paul Cohen. He holds an M.M. degree in Saxophone Performance from the Manhattan School of Music and a B.M. in Music Education from The College of New Jersey. He is the interim adjunct Professor of Saxophone at William Patterson University, the conductor for the saxophone choir and saxophone ensemble of Youth Orchestra of Central Jersey, and saxophone faculty for the Mason Gross School of the Arts Extension Division.

Dr. McMahan is Professor of Music at The College of New Jersey where he is also Area Coordinator of Music Theory, Composition, Ear Training, and Classical Accordion.

Prior to his appointment at TCNJ, Dr. McMahan taught Music Theory and related subjects at Towson University, Morgan State University, College of Notre Dame, Essex Community College, and the Peabody Preparatory School (of the Peabody Institute) where he was Head of the Theory Department and developed its curriculum. He also taught Classical Accordion at the Peabody Preparatory School and at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Dr. McMahan studied composition with Robert Hall Lewis, Jean Eichelberger Ivey, and Stefan Grove at the Peabody Institute. He received honors in composition there and awards in composition from the Annapolis Fine Arts Composers’ Competition and Contemporary Recording Society.

In addition, he has received a number of Meet the Composer grants since 1996. Dr. McMahan is a recognized authority on the American composer, Carl Ruggles, and has published articles in American Music, Sonneck Society Bulletin, New Grove Dictionary of Opera, and New Grove Dictionary of Music. He is presently working on a book on the life and works of Ruggles.

Dr. McMahan’s primary instrument is classical accordion, and he has tirelessly promoted the instrument in serious contemporary music throughout his career. He has been commissioned to write works for the accordion by various individuals and organizations, including the American Accordionists’ Association and the New York State Council on the Arts. He has recorded on the CRS and Orion labels and is published by Ernest Deffner Music.

During his years in the Baltimore area, Dr. McMahan was accordionist for the Baltimore Symphony, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Washington Ballet and American Ballet Orchestras (at the Kennedy Center), and for other cultural and performing organizations.

He has performed under such notable conductors as Julius Rudel, Rob Fisher, Sarah Caldwell, Sergiu Comissiona, Gunther Schuller, Frederik Prausnitz, Murry Sidlin, bandleader Les Elgart, Leon Botstein, Leon Fleisher, and Peter Schickele, and with Sting, Georgia Brown, Maureen McGovern, Alvin Epstein, Boyd Gaines, and Theodore Bikel. Besides his numerous published articles,

Dr. McMahan has been featured in articles by others in Keyboard Magazine, The Music Connoisseur, High Fidelity, Who’s Who in American Composers: Classical, and several other highly regarded publications.

Dr. McMahan serves as a reader and table leader at the annual examinations readings of the College Board’s Advanced Placement Program for Music Theory and had been a reader for the Graduate Record Examination in Music Theory prior to its discontinuance.

For further information: mcmahan.rymcmahan.robert@gmail.com