Glen Gillis, Professor of Music, conducts the Concert Band and several saxophone ensembles, and teaches saxophone, conducting, and music education courses, and works with graduate students in music education and performance streams at the University of Saskatchewan. 

Dr. Gillis is a Conn-Selmer Artist/Clinician and continues to maintain an active schedule in saxophone performance. He has performed at numerous international music conferences (World Saxophone Congresses and North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial and Regional Conferences) and has appeared as a guest soloist with orchestras and wind ensembles in Canada. 

As a member of SOCAN (Society of Composers, Authors, and Music Publishers of Canada), his diverse performance career and musical experience has spanned over three decades in the realms of classical and jazz, with many published compositions for saxophone, and band through Eighth Note Publications (distributed by Alfred Music) and Cimarron Music Press. He released SaxSpectrum (2009), SaxSpectrum 2 (2014) and most recently SaxSpectrum 3 (double album) through the MSR Classics label performing and displaying many of his compositions and commissioned works, all world premiere recordings. International music magazines such as Fanfare, American Music Guide, BBC Music Magazine, and Gramophone gave strong reviews of his albums. SaxSpectrum 2 received a nomination in 2015 and SaxSpectrum 3 received a nomination in 2023 for Instrumental Recording of the Year from the Western Canadian Music Awards. 

In 2020 he co-released an album with didgeridooist, Dr. James Cunningham on DGC Sonic Eclipse through Hoot/Wisdom Recordings (Boca, Raton, Florida). Recently he and his collaborative partner, Duo Gillis Cunningham (DGC), were selected and presented a lecture/performance at the USASK 2023 TEDx  https://youtu.be/l1ZivFooGaA. He can also be heard on didgeridoo.diversions (Hoot/Wisdom Recordings 2007) and Devotion (Ice Music Press 2015). 

In 2012 he toured China and performed at five city/university venues that included: Beijing, Tianjin, Xi’an, Kunming, and Shanghai. In February 2013 he hosted the North American Saxophone Alliance Region 9 Conference. Currently he is Region 9 Director for the North American Saxophone Alliance and has assisted with the implementation of NASA conferences at the University of Alberta (2017), University of Lethbridge (2019), and the University of Calgary (2015, 2021). 

In the last three decades Dr. Gillis has commissioned numerous works for classical saxophone and has collaborated with many artist musicians, conductors, and composers. He has matriculated many saxophone students at the high school and college level who have received provincial and national awards. Dr. Gillis has given numerous clinics at high schools and colleges over his career and has also served as an artist-in-residence at the Banff Centre in Alberta on five occasions. As an original member of the Saskatoon Saxophone Quartet, he leads the ensemble that performs for special functions in and around Saskatoon.

As an educator and scholar, he has written many articles that appear in the Canadian Music Educator and Canadian Winds about conducting, woodwind pedagogy, and music education. He has contributed to The Encyclopaedia of Music in Canada, Teaching Music through Performance in Band (Vol. X), and Teaching Music through Performance in Middle School Band. As well, he has presented research papers or clinics at several international and national music conferences such as the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles Conference, both Regional and National College Band Directors National Conferences, the Texas Music Educators Association Convention, the Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities, and the U of S Fine Arts Research Lecture Series. Dr. Gillis has remained active as a clinician and adjudicator for solo/ensemble festivals and workshops as well as guest conducting Provincial Honour Bands, the Saskatoon Youth Orchestra, and the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. In 2001, Dr. Gillis returned to Canada after a ten-year residence in the United States, where he spent five years as Director of Bands at Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma. During the last three years in Oklahoma, he regularly appeared as guest conductor for the Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra for both the Master and Chamber Concert Series.

As director of the U of S Wind Orchestra from 2001-10, the ensemble released three commercial albums in 2005, 2007, and 2009. In 2006, the Wind Orchestra toured Texas with a clinic performance at the Texas Music Educators Association Convention in San Antonio. In 2004 he created the Band Directors Professional Development and the High School Select Wind Orchestra. In 2005 he created the North Saskatchewan Wind Symphony, a community ensemble comprised of musicians from Saskatoon and the surrounding area. Just recently in 2021 they presented their 16^th Summer Livestream Concert.

Dr. Gillis’ professional affiliations include WASBE, CBDNA, SBA/CBA, SMEA/CMEA, NAfME (MENC), SOCAN, NASA, Kappa Kappa Psi, Phi Mu Alpha, and Pi Kappa Lambda. He earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Education degree from the University of Saskatchewan, a Master of Music degree from Northwestern University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri.

SaxSpectrum 3 (2021, MSR Classics) Double Album - Nominated in 2023 for the Instrumental Recording of the Year by the Western Canadian Music Awards

DGC Sonic Eclipse (2020 Hoot/Wisdom Recordings)

SaxSpectrum 2 (2014, MSR Classics) - Nominated in 2015 for the Instrumental Recording of the Year by the Western Canadian Music Awards

SaxSpectrum (2009, MSR Classics)

Innovare: A Celebration (2009) - U of S Wind Orchestra

Lilium: A Celebration (2007) - U of S Wind Orchestra

Winds of the Prairie: A Celebration (2005) - U of S Wind Orchestra

Articles:                

Teaching Music through Performance in Band, Vol. X

Teaching Music through Performance in Middle School Band

Canadian Winds

Canadian Music Educator

Encyclopedia of Music in Canada

Compositions:    

Eighth Note Publications: Elegy Cadenza, Nicole's Aria, Nicole's Gigue, Gigue for Winds and Percussion, Aria for Winds, (pending: Fantasia, Celtic Air, Aria)                                          

Cimarron Music Press: Fantasia, Diversions, Cartoon Duo, Suite for Saxophone, Trumpet and Piano, Homage, Lament, Capriccio

GG Music: Concert Band List - Celebration, Creature, Danza Energétca, Galope España, Harvest Hymn, HEVI-METL LIFTOFF, In Memoriam, ~LAVA~, On the Breeze, Renewal, Rollicking Jig, Space Walk  

James E. Cunningham Publishing BMI: Sonata for Saxophone & Didgeridoo, Hujan Panas, Didgeriblu, Canis Lupi, Walkabout, Fanfare, Abyss, Bleu Genes, Total Eclipse, Whales in a Mechanical Ocean, Canon for Marjory Stoneman-Douglas High School, Cosmic Suite, Aurora Borealis, Aurora Australis, Didjaxiblu, Meta-Morphi, Northern Tales, Doppler Wah Wah Air-Jig

Albums:  

SaxSpectrum 3 (2021, MSR Classics) Double Album - Nominated in 2023 for the Instrumental Recording of the Year by the Western Canadian Music Awards

DGC Sonic Eclipse (2020 Hoot/Wisdom Recordings)

SaxSpectrum 2 (2014, MSR Classics) - Nominated in 2015 for the Instrumental Recording of the Year by the Western Canadian Music Awards

SaxSpectrum (2009, MSR Classics)

Innovare: A Celebration (2009) - U of S Wind Orchestra

Lilium: A Celebration (2007) - U of S Wind Orchestra

Winds of the Prairie: A Celebration (2005) - U of S Wind Orchestra

conducting music music education saxophone wind orchestra

Albums:  

SaxSpectrum 3 (2021, MSR Classics) Double Album - Nominated in 2023 for the Instrumental Recording of the Year by the Western Canadian Music Awards

DGC Sonic Eclipse (2020 Hoot/Wisdom Recordings)

SaxSpectrum 2 (2014, MSR Classics) - Nominated in 2015 for the Instrumental Recording of the Year by the Western Canadian Music Awards

SaxSpectrum (2009, MSR Classics)

Innovare: A Celebration (2009) - U of S Wind Orchestra

Lilium: A Celebration (2007) - U of S Wind Orchestra

Winds of the Prairie: A Celebration (2005) - U of S Wind Orchestra

Articles:                

Teaching Music through Performance in Band, Vol. X

Teaching Music through Performance in Middle School Band

Canadian Winds

Canadian Music Educator

Encyclopedia of Music in Canada

Compositions:    

Eighth Note Publications: Elegy Cadenza, Nicole's Aria, Nicole's Gigue, Gigue for Winds and Percussion, Aria for Winds, (pending: Fantasia, Celtic Air, Aria)                                          

Cimarron Music Press: Fantasia, Diversions, Cartoon Duo, Suite for Saxophone, Trumpet and Piano, Homage, Lament, Capriccio

GG Music: Concert Band List - Celebration, Creature, Danza Energétca, Galope España, Harvest Hymn, HEVI-METL LIFTOFF, ~LAVA~, On the Breeze, Renewal, Rollicking Jig, Space Walk  

James E. Cunningham Publishing BMI: Sonata for Saxophone & Didgeridoo, Hujan Panas, Didgeriblu, Canis Lupi, Walkabout, Fanfare, Abyss, Bleu Genes, Total Eclipse, Whales in a Mechanical Ocean, Canon for Marjory Stoneman-Douglas High School, Cosmic Suite, Aurora Borealis, Aurora Australis, Didjaxiblu, Meta-Morphi, Northern Tales, Doppler Wah Wah Air-Jig

TEDx performance/lecture, January 2023; https://youtu.be/l1ZivFooGaA

Conference Presentations:  

North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial Conferences (1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2023)

North American Saxophone Alliance Regional Conferences (Regions 4, 5, 9 - 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023)

Saxophone Symposium 2020

Shockingly Modern Saxophone Festival 2020

World Saxophone Congresses (1982, 1985, 1992, 2000, 2003, 2012, 2015, 2018)

British Forum for Ethnomusicology 2017

The Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic (2010, 2015)

TMEA - Texas Music Educators Association Conference (2006, 2014)

CBDNA - College Band Directors National and Regional Conferences (2007, 2012)

WASBE - World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (2009)

Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities (2009, 2011)

Ph.D. - University of Missouri

M. Mus. - Northwestern University

B. Mus. Mus. Ed. - University of Saskatchewan