School of Music

Charlie Chadwell

Charlie Chadwell, D.M.A.
Assistant Professor, Saxophone
Browne Studio (E)
Email: C-Chadwell@wiu.edu
Visit: Saxophone Studies

Charlie Chadwell is an active saxophonist, chamber musician, and educator. He currently serves as Assistant Professor of Saxophone at Western Illinois University and recently completed a DMA in saxophone performance at Michigan State University, where he studied with Professor Joe Lulloff. Throughout his career, Chadwell has championed a variety of musical mediums and styles, and his performances have taken him across the U.S., to England, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, and China. Well-versed in both classical and jazz, he has regularly participated in saxophone quartets and large ensembles, jazz bands, jazz combos and new music ensembles at Michigan State University, Oklahoma State University, and The University of Texas at Austin. He's also performed with the Austin Symphony Orchestra, the San Antonio Symphony, and the Lansing Symphony, in addition to performing as a concerto soloist with the UT Symphony Orchestra and Oklahoma State Symphony Orchestra.

An advocate of new music, Chadwell regularly commissions new works for the saxophone. Most recently, he premiered two new works at the 2020 National NASA Conference, Economic Shorts by Spencer Arias for saxophone duo, and Cathedral of Particles for saxophone duo and electronics, by Kakia Gkoudina. In July of 2020, Chadwell collaborated with composer Keaton Garrett and premiered Wandering, a work for solo tenor saxophone, which was performed remotely for the New Music On the Point's 10th Anniversary Commissioning Project. Chadwell has enjoyed participation in numerous award-winning chamber ensembles, from winning second place at the 2015 MTNA National Chamber Music competition with the Indarra Saxophone Quartet, to appearing as a finalist and semi-finalist in the 2018 and 2020 NASA Saxophone Quartet competitions respectively, with the Leaq and Sycamore saxophone quartets.

A native of Austin, Texas, Charlie has taught extensively in the central Texas area as a private lesson and master class teacher, as well as a band clinician. He holds a BM in Music Education degree from The University of Texas at Austin with a Performance Certificate, where he studied with Harvey Pittel and Stephen Page. He also holds a MM in Saxophone Performance from Oklahoma State University, where he studied with Jeffrey Loeffert and Tommy Poole.