Korean-American Saxophonist Eugene Ryoo is pursuing his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Saxophone Performance with the secondary area in Chamber Music Entrepreneurship at the University of Iowa studying with Dr. Kenneth Tse where he previously served as the Graduate Teaching Assistant. Prior to pursuing his doctorate, he earned a Master of Music in Saxophone Performance from University of North Carolina School of the Arts and Bachelor of Music in Music Education (Instrumental Emphasis) from The University of Texas at Austin. Eugene was previously the Saxophone Teaching Assistant, Woodwind Graduate Assistant, and Jazz Ensemble Manager at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Eugene is also a founding member of IOWinds Alliance and serves as Vice-President.

Eugene enjoys maintaining an active career as a solo and chamber musician and working to support new music. He has recently made his Carnegie Hall debut in New York as the 1st place winner and recipient of the Judges’ Distinction Award in the 2021 American Protégé International Concerto Competition. He has performed with Iowa Saxophonists’ Workshop, Cedar Rapids Municipal Band, Piedmont Wind Symphony, Density 512 and Twin City Reed Quintet.

Eugene collaborates with his wife and oboist, Lisa Ryoo in their chamber ensemble, Emergence Duo. Their past projects include a co-commission in a piece called, Emergence for oboe, saxophone and piano by Jared Beu, which was premiered at the 2021 North American Saxophone Alliance Virtual Conference. In April 2022, they premiered Three Indian Folk Sketches by Anish Raj Pandit, and The Solitude of Stars arranged for tenor saxophone, oboe and piano by Stacy Garrop. More recent commissions include Paper Year by Jenni Watson. In December 2023, they will perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s Concerto for Oboe and Violin BWV 1060R (arranged for saxophone) at the World Saxophone Congress in the Canary Islands.

As an active educator in Iowa, Eugene maintains his own private studio along with teaching at West Music in Coralville. Eugene has also taught at the University of Iowa’s 2022 and 2023 National Youth Saxophone Summer Camp as the Teaching Assistant aiding Dr. Kenneth Tse in teaching lessons, saxophone quartet, and giving masterclasses.

At the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Eugene was also a team member of ArtistCorps ArtsEngage. ArtistCorps provides an artist-driven service opportunity by artists in public schools and community-based institutions to work with high-needs students. He has worked directly with preschool, middle school, and high school students to help strengthen community and learning through the use of the performing, visual, written, and motion-picture arts.

Eugene is a winner of the 2023 Artist Presentation Society Competition, 2021 American Protégé International Concerto Competition, 2020 Iowa and Central Region MTNA Young Artist Competition, 2018 North Carolina MTNA Young Artist Competition, runner-up for 2018 MTNA Chamber Music Competition, prizewinner of the 2017 Texas MTNA Young Artist Competition, and Silver Medalist of the 2018 Young Texas Artist competition.

Eugene’s primary teachers are Dr. Kenneth Tse, Dr. Robert Young, and Dr. Stephen C. Page.