Stephen Pollock is the tenor saxophonist and founding member of the New Century Saxophone Quartet. He was born into a US military family in Wurtzburg, Germany and grew up in various cities in the United States and abroad.
He received his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts where he studied with Concert Saxophonist, James Houlik.
While Steve has always felt most at home playing chamber music, he has also performed as principal Saxophonist with the Western Piedmont, Salisbury, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Charlotte, North Carolina, Charleston South Carolina, and the Tanglewood Massachusetts Festival Symphonies. As a solo recitalist Steve has been heard throughout the United States including performances at Wake Forest University, the Hartt School of Music of the University of Hartford, the University of Michigan, the University of South Carolina, Samford University in Birmingham, Louisiana State University, University of Memphis, Florida State University, University of Florida, and the Cleveland Institute of Music to name but a few. He has also appeared with entertainers such as Steve Allen, Helen Reddy, Marvin Hamlisch, Boots Randolph, and Natalie Cole.
Steve has been very committed to increasing the solo literature for the tenor saxophone and has commissioned several works from a number of composers, including Sherwood Shaffer, David Ott, Thomas Massella, Steven Jones, Glenn Haynes and Suzanne Polak.
Steve has released two solo recordings for Alanna Records entitled So Near, So Far and Songs of the Heart. Both CD's are recordings of love songs for tenor saxophone, piano and strings with several guest artist including the New Century Saxophone Quartet, concert saxophonist, James Houlik; Alanna records recording artist, Amanda Ford; former lead trumpet player for the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Sean Jones; the legendary saxophonist, Boots Randolph; Steve's long time colleague in the New Century Saxophone Quartet, Michael Stephenson; guitarist, producer and president of Alanna Records, Thomas Kikta; Pittsburgh jazz pianist, Craig Davis; the baroque flutist and Steve's long time friend, Stephen Preston; the Alexander String Quartet; Pittsburgh bassist Jeff Grubbs; world renowned jazz bassist John Patitucci, saxophone giant Branford Marsalis; and Armenian pianist Vahan Sargsyan.
Steve served as the saxophone judge for the North Carolina Governor's School from 1994 to 1999, and was also asked to judge saxophones and chamber music for the 2004 MTNA Midwest College Level Competition at the Oberlin Conservatory in Oberlin, Ohio.
Teaching saxophone and chamber music has always been a passion of Steve's. He has served on the faculties of Davidson College, the Community Music School of the North Carolina School of the Arts, Catawba College, Salem College, Pitt Community College, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Wake Forest University in Winston Salem, and Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. In the summers, Mr. Pollock can be found in Little Switzerland, NC where he is the Coordinator for the James Houlik Saxophone Retreat at Wildacres.
