Nancy Newman s'implique activement dans les domaines du spectacle et de l'éducation musicale depuis plus de vingt-cinq ans. Elle a débuté comme spécialiste des bois dans des camps d'été de musique dans les Maritimes et donnait des cours privés pendant ses études universitaires. Après l'obtention d'un baccalauréat en Performance de la faculté de musique de l'Université McGill, elle poursuit dans le domaine de l'éducation comme directrice d'un jazz band et spécialiste des bois pour diverses commissions scolaires de Montréal, de même qu'aux Collèges Vanier et John Abbott ainsi qu'au conservatoire de musique de McGill et plusieurs écoles de musique privées.

Toutes ces activités ne l'ont pas empêché de poursuivre une carrière de musicienne à la pige dans les théâtres, les salles de concerts de même que pour la télévision, la radio et en studio d'enregistrement. Pendant 19 ans, elle a joué le saxophone baryton et la clarinette basse au sein du Gerald Danovitch Saxophone Quartet, qui s'est produit dans des concerts et a offert des classes de maîtres et des ateliers en Europe, en Asie, à travers le Canada de même que dans le nordest des États-Unis. Ils ont aussi produit quatre disques compactes que l'on entend régulièrement sur les ondes de la CBC. Les membres de ce quatuor étaient des artistes et cliniciens subventionnés par Yamaha. Nancy œuvre présentement comme co-fondatrice du duo de bois à vocation éducative Duo Bilanci et elle est saxophoniste baryton du tout nouveau quatuor de saxophones Phénix.

Nancy Newman has been actively involved in the fields of performance and music education for more than twenty-five years. She began working as a woodwind specialist in the Maritimes for summer music camps, and teaching privately during her university years. After receiving her Bachelor of Performance from McGill University she continued in education as a jazz band director and woodwind specialist for the various schoolboards of Montreal, as well as Vanier Cegep, John Abbott Cegep, McGill Conservatory, and several private schools.

During this time she was also busy as a free-lance performer in theatres, concert halls, and for television, radio and recording. Her 19 year association with the Gerald Danovitch Saxophone Quartet on baritone saxophone and bass clarinet, included performing concerts and doing master classes and clinics in Europe7 throughout Asia, across Canada, and in the north eastern United States, as well as producing four compact discs regularly played on CBC. The Quartet members were Yamaha artists and clinicians. At present she is co-founder of the educational woodwind duet Duo Bilanci, and the baritone saxophonist of the recently formed Phenix saxophone quartet

Julia Nolan is a busy soloist and chamber musician in a wide variety of genres. She is featured as soloist on the CBC Vancouver Orchestra CD "Globetrotting" and has recorded Concerto by Fred Stride commissioned for her by the CBC. She was recently featured with the CBC Jazz Orchestra playing Jimmy Dorsey's Oodles of Noodles. She has also performed and recorded with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver New Music Society, Vancouver Opera Orchestra and with the "Showboat Orchestra" as well as with the Alan Matheson Septet and Saxoduo with her husband David Branter.

In January and April 1999 she will be on tour with Saxology Canada in British Columbia as well as being active in the Vancouver based Saxophilia Saxophone Quartet.

Yamaha Canada will sponsor Julia Nolan as the featured guest artist for the 1999 National Youth Band of Canada at Musicfest in Toronto.

Julia Nolan teaches saxophone at the University of British Columbia and at Western Washington University, and a clinician for Yamaha Canada.

* Création / World premiere