bio

Hailed as a “soloist with impeccable taste,” and praised by audiences and composers for his "gorgeous, lyrical tone, spectacular technique, and heartfelt musicality ..." for presenting "the soprano saxophone at the height of its beauty," Jacob Swanson has performed throughout North America and Europe on concert series, television, and radio.

Since 2011, Swanson has performed regularly as member of the Decho Ensemble which he co-founded with Sarah Marchitelli. Decho Voce, a partnered ensemble dedicated to exploring repertoire for voice and saxophone, was established in 2019 with Dr. Katherine Petersen (soprano). Decho’s repertoire includes established works for saxophone, transcriptions, and new works written expressly for their ensembles. Decho has participated in residencies at Mercyhurst University, Idaho University Moscow, and with the NyMusikks Komponistgruppe in Oslo, Norway. They have presented at the PULS festival, Women Composers Festival of Hartford, United States Navy International Saxophone Symposium, Ethos New Music Festival, Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project, and North American Saxophone Alliance .

Swanson's debut album, Invisible Cities (2016), featured works for soprano saxophone and piano (James Welch) and was met with critical acclaim for "remind[ing] us what a  beautiful instrument the soprano saxophone is ... [performing with] handsome tone, flawless technique, and great musical sensibilities."-ClevelandClassical His second album, wired. (2017), featured music for soprano saxophone and electronic medium - nearly all composer/performer collaborations. Swanson has additionally recorded with Andrew Cote as part of his debut album, Ulterior Motives (2016) and with Decho Ensemble on their self-titled debut album(2023).

Swanson performs on Buescher saxophones ca. 1930's, Mana Mouthpieces, and is a Vandoren Artist Clinician.