Project China: a resource of contemporary saxophone music written by Chinese-born composers

In recent years, performances of newly composed Chinese music have become more common at national and international saxophone conventions. However, saxophone works by Chinese composers are still rare, and this body of work is largely unfamiliar to Western saxophonists. Moreover, no specialized and compiled reference material exists about these works, making them difficult to find. Chinese saxophone music deserves a higher level of Western exposure both for its high quality and for the skillful use of contemporary saxophone techniques its composers have utilized to express traditional Chinese musical elements. This document is a bibliographic resource that includes contemporary saxophone music written by living Chinese-born composers from 1952 until 2015. The Londeix guide to the saxophone repertoire, 1844–2012 by Jean-Marie Londeix and Bruce Ronkin is used as a model to make it convenient for readers to browse for contemporary Chinese saxophone works. Each entry contains available information, including dedication, program notes, instrumentation, level of difficulty and publication information. My resources for collecting the repertoire and its information include the Londeix guide, programs from major saxophone conferences, and personal networking with the composers. In addition, the essays on selected works offer a stylistic overview of contemporary Chinese saxophone music, giving a basic introduction to readers regarding various compositional styles that exist in this genre, as well as performance suggestions. The ultimate aim of this study is to promote contemporary saxophone music written by Chinese-born composers and to bring these composers and their works to a higher level of Western exposure