Presidio Saxophone QuartetAbout Each Artist
In 2007 Mike created MLKEEPE Publications (ASCAP), a music publishing company dedicated to promoting the finest of today’s concert saxophone repertoire. Focusing solely on saxophone literature allows the company to take a more personal interest in the composer’s works and helps to nurture the connection between composer and performer.
Mike is a great believer in exposing and educating people to all types of music, and does not like placing labels on musical sounds and styles. He has been an instructor of music at Pima Community College in Tucson since 1990, where he directs the Jazz Studies program, and also teaches theory and history. Mike’s dedication to teaching earned him Pima’s "Outstanding Adjunct Faculty" award in 1997. He is also the Director of Bands at Cochise College in Sierra Vista, AZ. Mr. Kuhn earned a Bachelor of Music in 1985 at the Crane School of Music, S.U.N.Y. Potsdam, where he studied with James Stoltie. He received his Master of Music degree in 1987 at the University of Arizona, where he studied with Elizabeth Zinn Ervin. There, he also worked as a Graduate Assistant in Jazz Studies and Music Appreciation.
In addition to performing with the Presidio Saxophone Quartet, Ryan has a thriving private instruction studio in Tucson and is an adjunct faculty member in music at Pima Community College. He is also instructor of Saxophone at the Arizona Academy of Music and Dance. Mr. McCormick holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Saxophone Performance from the University of Arizona, where he studied under Dr. Kelland Thomas. |
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Soprano Saxophonist Michael Keepe is Instructor of Saxophone and Music Industry at Pima Community College in Tucson. He is an active member in local and national teachers associations and is Immediate Past President of the Tucson Music Teachers Association. Mike’s involvement with public and private schools has led him to serve as clinician, adjudicator, and band director for the Tucson Unified School District and the Arizona Music Educators Association, and he has been an independent instructor of saxophone for over 20 years. In addition to performing and touring with PSQ, Mike performs regularly with the Tucson Symphony, the Tucson Chamber Orchestra, the Arizona Opera and The Rodriguez & Keepe Duo: a classical piano and saxophone duo active since 1992 and has performed and recorded with the University of Arizona Wind Ensemble.
Alto saxophonist Daniel Bell received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Saxophone Performance from the University of Arizona in 2004, where he studied with Elizabeth Zinn Ervin. An example of Dr. Bell’s scholarly work appears in the peer-reviewed journal The Saxophone Symposium (2004) titled “The Saxophone in Germany 1924-1935: A Cultural History.” Dan is currently on the faculty of AmeriSchools College Preparatory Academy, an excelling charter high school in Tucson where he teaches courses in science, history, and the arts. A person with diverse interests, he also spent ten seasons conducting wildlife surveys throughout Southern Arizona and New Mexico. In addition to performing with the Presidio Quartet, Dan was a founding member of the critically acclaimed saxophone quartet SaxMania, winner of two consecutive Downbeat awards. Prior to Arizona, he studied music at the University of Michigan and at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. 
Tenor saxophonist Michael Kuhn was born and raised in Buffalo, NY and has lived and worked in Tucson since 1985. He is a first-call musician, clinician and recording artist throughout southern Arizona, and has an active private teaching studio. In addition to his work with the Presidio Quartet, Mike performs with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Arizona Jazz Orchestra and various other groups regionally. He has backed musicians such as Dizzy Gillespie, Lou Rawls and the Manhattan Transfer, among others. In 1993 Mike released Pride and Prejudice, a jazz CD which features all original compositions.
Baritone saxophonist Ryan McCormick maintains a devoted interest in exploring contemporary music and is a frequent performer at both the World Saxophone Congress and North American Saxophone Alliance conferences. He has performed locally as a soloist with the Catalina Chamber Orchestra and internationally with the Arizona Ambassadors of Music. Ryan has also worked with and premiered pieces by composers such as Scott Winshop, Jason Biggs, Alisha Nichols, and Kip Haaheim.