Rick VanMatre is one of the most exploratory saxophonists in the worlds of jazz, classical and progressive music. He has presented solo recitals, orchestral concertos and jazz club performances throughout the United States, Europe, Israel, Brazil, China, South Korea, Thailand and Australia. He is widely recognized for bringing a unique and identifiable voice to a variety of genres.

In addition to recording with his own groups showcasing his compositions, VanMatre has recorded as a featured jazz soloist with ensembles including the PsychoAcoustic Orchestra, the Kim Pensyl Ensemble and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra alongside Manhattan Transfer and John Pizzarelli. His diverse experience ranges from appearances with celebrated jazz ensembles such as the Duke Ellington Orchestra under Mercer Ellington, the Woody Herman Orchestra under Frank Tiberi and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra under Buddy Morrow, to collaborations with Roland Vazquez, Frank Vincent, Dee Felice, John McNeil, Gene Bertoncini and Tim Hagans.

VanMatre has commissioned five crossover jazz-classical concertos and performed them with orchestras including the New York Repertory Orchestra, the Sichuan Symphony Orchestra, the Jeju Wind Orchestra and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. As both a classical and jazz saxophonist, he has recorded interactive drama-music videos with composer and bassist Frank Proto and has appeared with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, Middletown Symphony Orchestra, Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra, concert:nova, the Ariel Quartet and James Conlon’s Linton Series.

He holds the soprano chair in the New Third Stream Saxophone Quartet, an ensemble that combines jazz and classical traditions. His collaborations have also included commissions and premieres of hybrid works featuring art installation, aleatoric computer music, organ, vocal ensemble, Indian music, drama and multimedia presentations, including Earthkind-Humankind, which incorporates poetry and dance.

Reviewing his Summit Records release Lines Above, Fanfare magazine wrote that “VanMatre is simply an outstanding and awe-inspiring improviser and jazz composer.” The Chicago Star wrote “VanMatre’s art is without comparison; his technique exact, yet smooth, his expression poignant and personal,” and the Cincinnati Enquirer stated that his “artistry was seamless, technically superb and musically inventive … His musicianship was so effortless.”

VanMatre is also active as a conductor and has directed programs on American Jazz Radio Festival and NPR, as well as performances featuring artists including Kenny Garrett, Slide Hampton, Joe Henderson, Ahmad Jamal, David Liebman, Jim McNeely, Joshua Redman, Kenny Werner and Kenny Wheeler. In broadcasting, he served as on-air host and interviewer for the nationally syndicated radio series Jazz — Live From the Hyatt, featuring artists such as Joe Lovano and John Clayton.

VanMatre is professor emeritus of jazz studies and saxophone at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and continues to teach there part time. As the conservatory’s former director of jazz studies, he expanded the Bachelor of Music degree in jazz, created the Master of Music degree in jazz studies and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in saxophone, and established the Jazz Recording Studio.

He also directed the CCM Visiting Artist Series, one of the nation’s most extensive programs of its kind, presenting more than 150 prominent jazz performers and composers, including Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, Maria Schneider, George Duke and Eddie Daniels. As conductor of the CCM Jazz Ensemble, he produced five recordings for Sea Breeze Records. Cadence magazine described Serenade in Blue as “a necessary part of any big-band enthusiast’s library,” while Jazz News praised Carnival of Life as being “performed with conspicuous elegance and precision.”

VanMatre has presented performances and lectures for the International Association for Jazz Education, the Music Educators National Conference, the North American Saxophone Alliance, the World Saxophone Congress, the Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshops, the International Summer Jazz Academy in Warsaw, Poland, and for universities, conferences and all-state ensembles throughout the United States, Europe and Asia.

He is an honorary member of the Sichuan Saxophone Society and was the first Western saxophonist to serve as a visiting teacher and present a formal concert at the conservatory in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. He has written for Saxophone Journal, serves on the editorial board of The Saxophone Symposium, has served as an executive board member and jazz coordinator for the North American Saxophone Alliance, and was president of the Ohio Unit of the National Association of Jazz Educators.

VanMatre has been named “Best Jazz Musician” by Cincinnati Magazine, a “reed titan” by Midwest Jazz, Ohio Jazz Educator of the Year by the National Association of Jazz Educators and the Ernest N. Glover Outstanding Teacher by CCM students. In 2018, he was inducted into the Cincinnati Jazz Hall of Fame.

He completed undergraduate studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and Berklee College of Music and earned a Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies and Contemporary Media from the Eastman School of Music. Many of his former students are active performers throughout the nation and others hold teaching positions at prominent universities. VanMatre is an endorsing artist for Selmer Saxophones and D’Addario reeds.