Owen Broder

Owen Broder is a saxophonist, composer, bandleader and UNCSA alumnus who teaches saxophone in the School of Music. A member of the Grammy-nominated Anat Cohen Tentet jazz ensemble, he brings extensive professional experience as a performer, composer and educator to his work with students. Broder has performed with leading jazz artists and ensembles at venues and festivals including Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center and the Newport, Monterey and Umbria jazz festivals.

He has released six albums as a bandleader and has composed and arranged for ensembles including WindSync, the Airmen of Note and the U.S. Air Force Band. He is the creator and leader of Hodges: Front & Center, a project celebrating the music of Johnny Hodges, and founder of the American Roots Project — a band which explores the intersection of jazz and American roots music. His performance credits include Broadway's “Tootsie,” the U.S. premiere tour of “The Bodyguard: The Musical,” Off-Broadway's “Lazarus” and HBO's “The Plot Against America.”

Teaching the saxophone is ultimately about helping each student develop the knowledge, tools, and awareness to discover their own musical voice. My goal is not simply to teach students how to play the instrument, but to help them understand what they want to say — and give them the skills and confidence to say it with intention.

Owen Broder

Credentials

• Director of Jazz, Reed College (2024–25)
• Instructor of Saxophone, Pacific University (2021–25)
• Instructor of Jazz Arranging, Jazz Ear Training and Jazz Theory, Portland State University (2021–25)

Career Highlights

• Member of Grammy-nominated Anat Cohen Tenet
• Creator and leader of Hodges: Front & Center — resulting in two albums, performances across the U.S. and a course offered through Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Swing University
• Founder and leader of the American Roots Project
• Co-founder and co-leader of Cowboys & Frenchmen ensemble

Publications

• Author of “Sound Systems: Developing Your Unique Saxophone Voice"

Honors, Awards, & Recognitions

• Rising Star Alto Saxophone, DownBeat critics poll (2023–25)
• Best Albums of 2022, DownBeat, for Hodges: Front & Center, Vol. 1
• UNCSA Alumni Artpreneur Award (2021)
• Grammy nomination, Anat Cohen Tenet, Triple Helix (2020)
• Debut Artist of the Year, Francis Davis, NPR (2018)

Organizations

• Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble
• American Music Lab