Kendra Wheeler
Kendra Wheeler is a saxophonist and educator whose work brings an incisive artistic voice to the instrument, framing performance as a platform for inquiry, artistic development, community engagement, and collaboration. Her versatile practice spans standard repertoire, contemporary works, and experimental music, fostering a flexible and distinctive performance and teaching practice.
Wheeler’s international career as a performer and educator has taken her throughout North and South America and Europe, with appearances at venues such as the Chicago Symphony Center and the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. She has presented solo recitals, masterclasses, and residencies at institutions including the University of Massachusetts, Virginia Tech, and the University of California-Los Angeles. Her work has been recognized by the Concert Artists Guild, the Vandoren Emerging Artist Competition, and DownBeat Magazine.
One dimension of Wheeler’s research is the performance and commissioning of contemporary music, with a particular focus on collaborative projects with living composers. Many of these works integrate fixed, live electronics or spatial audio formats. These projects—often realized in duo or modular ensemble contexts—serve as platforms to explore the evolving sonic and expressive potential of the saxophone.
A complementary strand of her work focuses on developing a repertoire that transcends instrument-specific conventions and centers storytelling, lived experience, and community. This vision is embodied in her initiative Beyond the Instrument: A Repertoire Project, which prioritizes the performance and recording of lesser-performed arrangements and transcriptions of existing works, alongside commissioning new compositions by young, emerging composers and composers of color. With an emphasis on long-term collaboration and reciprocal artistic relationships, the project seeks to shape a more inclusive and representative—one that reflects the voices and lived experiences of our time.
In addition to her research, Wheeler participates in numerous professional organizations and leads initiatives that reflect her commitment to the profession, mentorship, representation, and creative exploration. She is actively involved with the North American Saxophone Alliance and regularly serves as an adjudicator for high school and collegiate competitions and festivals across the United States. Wheeler is the founder of the Women of Color in Classical Saxophone Group, a mentorship and advocacy network supporting women of color in the field, and performs as alto saxophonist with the Medusa Saxophone Quartet, an all-women ensemble dedicated to collaboration, outreach, and amplifying early-career composers and new voices in the saxophone repertoire.
As Assistant Professor of Music at Louisiana State University, Wheeler’s pedagogy integrates rigorous technical training, expressive interpretation, and engagement with music’s cultural and societal contexts. She fosters artistic curiosity, critical reflection, and the cultivation of each student’s musical voice—preparing them not only as skilled performers, but also as creative, thoughtful, and socially engaged artists.
Wheeler is an Eastman Artist, performing on the EAS 850 Rue Saint Georges, and a performing artist for Légère Reeds and Key Leaves.
