Artists’ Profiles

Christopher Dragon

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Conductor

Christopher Dragon has a versatile portfolio, ranging from live-to-picture performances of Nightmare Before Christmas, Jurassic Park, and Mary Poppins to conducting Danny Elfman’s violin concerto and leading the Colorado Symphony’s “Classical Top 40” series. Dragon has worked with Ben Folds, Gregory Alan Isakov, Indigo Girls, Wynton Marsalis, Pink Martini, and the Flaming Lips. Also known for his charisma and affinity for a good costume, Dragon consistently delivers outstanding and unforgettable performances.

Dragon works regularly in Australia and has guest conducted the Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and West Australian Symphony Orchestras. His 2015 debut performance at the Sydney Opera House with Josh Pyke and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra was released on album by ABC Music and won an ARIA the following year. Christopher’s international guest conducting includes the Orquestra Sinfônica de Porto Alegre, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

Dragon began his conducting studies in 2011 and was a member of the prestigious Symphony Services International Conductor Development Program in Australia under the guidance of course director Christopher Seaman. He has also studied with numerous distinguished conductors including Leonid Grin, Paavo and Neeme Järvi at the Järvi Summer Festival, Fabio Luisi at the Pacific Music Festival and conducting pedagogue Jorma Panula.

Steven Banks

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Alto Saxophone

Recognized for his “glowing mahogany tone” and “breathtaking” performances, American classical saxophonist Steven Banks (b. 1993) “is at the forefront of musicians of his generation in his display of the highest level of both artistry and pedagogy.”

Steven Banks is the first saxophonist to earn a place on the Young Concert Artists roster in its 59-year history. Banks has an ongoing relationship with The Cleveland Orchestra, having performed with the legendary ensemble in Severance Hall, Carnegie Hall, and at the Blossom Music Center. Banks is the baritone saxophonist of the award-winning Kenari Quartet. Banks is an advocate for diversity and inclusion in music education, performance, and newly commissioned works in the classical realm. He gave a talk at the TEDxNorthwesternU 2017 conference with ideas about how to create change in institutionalized prejudices against women and people of color.

Banks serves proudly as Assistant Professor of Saxophone at Ithaca College. He previously served on faculty at the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory. He has a Master of Music degree from the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music in Saxophone Performance and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Saxophone Performance with a minor in Jazz Studies from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. His primary saxophone teachers have been Taimur Sullivan, Otis Murphy, Jr., and Galvin Crisp.

Banks is an endorsing artist for Conn-Selmer instruments, D’Addario Woodwinds, lefreQue Sound Solutions, and Key Leaves.