Jeffrey Allardyce is a saxophone performer, music theorist, and educator from West Michigan. He currently serves as Visiting Assistant Professor of Saxophone and Music Theory at the University of Utah. On the stage, in the classroom, and beyond, he connects with his audiences through his musical passion, welcoming personality, and desire to make a meaningful impact in his community.

Allardyce has built and maintained a national and international presence as a performer and scholar with performances throughout the United States and Europe. Dating back to 2015, he has performed abroad in France, Croatia, and Italy for previous World Saxophone Congresses and workshops, and in Belgium for the 8th International Adolphe Sax Competition. Within the United States, he’s artfully performed around the country from New York, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, and Mississippi, to the Midwest for recitals, conferences, and competitions held by the likes of the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA), Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), Michigan Music Conference, and more.  

As a chamber musician, he holds the tenor chair in Sound Session, a professional saxophone quartet which ignited the chamber scene in its founding year of 2021. Sound Session received first place in the Fischoff “Lift Every Voice” Competition, NASA Quartet Competition, MTNA Chamber Music Competition, Barbara Wagner Chamber Music Competition, and graduate division of the NOLA Chamber Fest. Sound Session’s mission involves educational and community outreach alongside the commissioning and premiering of new works for the saxophone. Among their many premieres, they notably recorded and released a new single featuring Desdemona’s Last Words for saxophone quartet by renowned composer Jeff Scott. Allardyce serves as Director of Operations for the ensemble’s L.L.C.

As an applied faculty member and academic professor, Allardyce focuses on the “whole student” approach to pedagogy, which emphasizes the importance of knowing, understanding, and respecting students beyond their academic selves. He creates a safe, yet critical learning environment which allows students to grow as individuals, collaborate with peers, and explore their individual interests. Previous musical and academic research of his involves topics related to performance and analysis, identity and religion in music, musical narrative, and a dissertation on popular music influences on contemporary saxophone music relating to groove, timbre, and harmony.

Allardyce holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Saxophone Performance and Master of Music in Music Theory Pedagogy from Michigan State University, a Master of Music in Saxophone Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music, and two Bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Performance from Central Michigan University. His previous teachers include Joseph Lulloff, Chien-Kwan Lin, John Nichol, and Jonathan Nichol. Past teaching positions of his include Adjunct Professor of Saxophone at Alma College, Instructor of Music Theory at the University of Olivet, and Saxophone Instructor at the Flint Institute of Music.