Dylan Ward

Acclaimed for his “ethereal saxophone playing” (Vital Weekly), Dylan Ward is a saxophonist, improviser, and sound artist specializing in contemporary and electroacoustic music. He has released recordings on the Neuma, Mother Brain, XAS, and The Oldest River labels that have been described as “meditative, jarring, and cosmic…highly creative” (Take Effect Reviews). Ward has performed nationally at the Bang on a Can LOUD Weekend, Blackbird Creative Lab, and Lincoln Center, and appeared as a soloist with the North Carolina Symphony, Raleigh Symphony, and Jackson Heights Orchestra.

Ward earned his Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Missouri–Kansas City, having previously completed degrees at Michigan State University and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. At UMKC, Ward was the recipient of the Superior Graduate Teaching Assistant Award. His students have received placement in the NC All-State, All-District, and All-County bands, in addition to regional honor band clinics.

Ward’s creative work has received funding from the NC Arts Council, Arts & Science Council Charlotte-Mecklenburg, UMKC School of Graduate Studies, Charlotte Street Foundation, Semans Art Fund, Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts, and William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust. Ward is a JLV Sound Ambassador and endorses all JLV Sound products.