Notes Newsletter Student Spotlight: Jacob Peizner

Posted on December 5, 2024

Jacob Peizner plays the saxophone in PYWE. He is also a Junior at Oregon Episcopal School and studies the sax with Phil Baldino

What first brought you into music? What attracted you to your instrument?

My very first experiences with music started when I was toddler, when my mom took me to a music program called “Music Together.” There, I began a deep connection with music, which helped my development and musical competence. The first experience when I was first brought officially into music occurred when I began playing the piano in 2nd grade. My Grandmother, who is a pianist and piano teacher, and studied under the late Sylvia Killman, encouraged me to begin the foundation of my musical journey on the piano. In middle school I decided to pick up the saxophone, partially because I knew I didn’t want to play brass, but also because I’ve always loved jazz, and specifically the jazz saxophone. Ironically enough, I now play very little jazz and have grown a deep passion and interest in the classical saxophone, something that my 6th grade self didn’t know was even a genre!

What are you most excited about for this upcoming season?

I am most excited to play Journey, a lively and energetic piece that the wind ensemble played last year, with the Philharmonic Orchestra during the Christmas Concert! Saxophones obviously aren’t often used in the orchestra, so I was surprised when I learned that there was going to be another opportunity to play with PYP this year, and I am so grateful to be able to play with them again after having so much fun playing Rhapsody in Blue last year!

How did you prepare for your seating audition this summer? Describe your approach and practice routine.

I prepared for my seating audition as I do for any other competition or performance. This means lots of fundamental practice on scales, arpeggios, and sound, playing long tones and overtones, which are all necessities in every day of my practice. Besides that, I practiced slowly at first on the repertoire, which enabled me to work on nuances and the many intangibles that go into a quality performance. I gradually sped up and continued to nuance the excerpts, and, as I often do for pieces I am practicing, I recorded it around a week prior to the audition and critiqued myself.

What is your favorite piece of music?

My favorite piece of music is my favorite work for saxophone, the Glazunov Saxophone Concerto in E-Flat Major, Op. 109. It was written in the post-romantic era, and is a lovely, expressive piece that tells a beautiful story. I enjoy the fluidity of it as well, with one section/theme of the piece melting into the next.I also appreciate how much room for expression and nuance the piece provides, as if you listened to 5 different players’ recordings of it, they would each sound completely different and tell a different story. Take the cadenza, for example. Just focusing on the breathing aspect, there is so much importance and drama where each breath is taken, and that choice alone can shape the colors and the story the cadenza tells.

Do you have any hobbies outside of music?

Outside of the practice room and music, there are quite a few hobbies I enjoy! I enjoy playing tennis with friends and family, as well as at school on the tennis team. I also am a huge Seahawks, Blazers, and Mariners fan, and always love going to baseball games during the summer.  I always like a good book, whether it be a comic, historical fiction, or mystery/thriller. Most of all, I greatly enjoy reading Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz, and have also watched every episode of Peanuts at least 5 times. Last, I appreciate going to Cannon Beach and being outside by the water, which always gives me a boost of joy.

What are your goals this year?

In terms of specific goals in music, I would very much love to perform a concerto with an orchestra and would also like to finish learning the Ibert Concertino da Camera before the summer. Outside of specifics, I would like to find new ways to push the ways I interpret pieces and add nuances. I would like to continue the process of not thinking about individual notes or even the phrase I am playing but instead focus on my overall musicianship and virtuosity that I am communicating when performing. In general, I also would like to find out more about what I am passionate about outside of music, and how that passion might intersect with music in the future.

Who do you admire most?

In music and in my life, there are many musicians and people I admire, but for the intersection of both, I admire Ken Radnofsky of the New England Conservatory the most. He has taught me so much about musicianship, but he has also shown an extreme kindness to me, often telling stories in lessons from his experiences about what it means to do good in the world and being a good person while showing the intersection between selflessness and music. No matter how busy he is, he’s always willing to offer help to myself, his colleagues, and anyone who asks. To do all of these things while being at such an extremely high musical level is amazing, and I aspire and hope to do the same: combining great kindness & care with excellence in music!