(lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) - Welcome to "11th & Grant."

I'm Eric Funk.

Tonight, internationally renowned classical saxophonist, Dr.

Wonki Lee, showcases his rich and varied repertoire in an extraordinary performance.

(lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music) - Throughout my 20s, I was doing just as many competitions as possible, both nationally and internationally, to try to build my career.

(lighthearted music continues) Once that's over, I felt like I'm free.

And that way I perform the music was completely different.

I'm here delivering the message of the composer.

It's not about me.

(frenzied upbeat music) (frenzied upbeat music continues) (frenzied upbeat music continues) - Dr.

Wonki Lee, next on "11th & Grant."

(frenzied upbeat music continues) - [Announcer] "11th & Grant" was made possible by the Greater Montana Foundation, Montana State University Office of the President, Quinn's Hot Springs Resort, Donna Spitzer-Ostrovsky, in loving memory of Jack Ostrovsky, the godfather of "11th and Grant," Gomez & Mary Routhier, great music will blow the dust off your soul, Iris Model, Sanbell, Betty Clauson, honoring Bob and Suzy Sterling, Regina M. Wunsch & Walter G. Wunsch, Music Villa and Gibson Guitar, the Utzinger Family, Bill and Jane Gum, Rob Maher & Lynn Peterson-Maher, Nancy Thompson Flikkema, and by these generous donors.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music) (lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music) (lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music) (lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music) (lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (rhythmic music) (lighthearted music) (rhythmic music) (lighthearted music) (dramatic music) (rhythmic music) (lighthearted music) (rhythmic music) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) - We're so lucky at Montana State University School of Music to have you here on faculty.

There's this wonderful thing that's happened with these internationally renowned musicians who've ended up in Bozeman, Montana.

And because there aren't very many classical saxophone jobs open in the world in the first place, but it's made a tremendous difference to the quality of the student that's attracted here.

One of the things that I've really come to value is how you've drawn these individuals out.

They don't sound like you, but they all have the same quality control.

They know what they're after.

They know what to evaluate.

I guess maybe you've taught them how to self-evaluate what they're doing.

Is that fair?

- Right, that's very fair.

Yeah.

And, you know, like, Montana State is a very different kind of school than, let's say Manhattan School of Music.

You know, Manhattan School of Music or Julliard, you get the international talents and, you know, school get to choose the best ones, right?

It's almost easy for me to teach those students because they're already good and talented.

You know, not much to do.

You just can't take the full credit as a teacher, which is good for teachers.

But here at Montana State, you know, we have a very different kind of a background of students.

Most of the students never took any private lessons until they come here.

And many of them are Music Tech or Music Ed majors or sometimes no music majors.

You know, not necessarily they're gonna be a performer, they're gonna be a music educator or going to the industry, commercial industry.

My goal for them is really to get as far as possible, because they don't even know what they're capable of.

I don't even know what they're capable of.

But together, we wanna just find how far can we go, you know, with this instrument.

And through that discipline and experience, I hope that they become more confident as a person and become successful in their own endeavors.

- Yeah, it's so interesting because there are more professional wind ensembles now in the States than there used to be, but most of the professional ensembles are symphony orchestras.

- Right - And American orchestras particularly don't want a saxophone in the orchestra, and there's not that much repertoire with saxophone in it.

- So it was invented around 1840 in Belgium by a guy named Adolphe Sax, who was a very talented instrument maker.

He was a very sophisticated acoustician and thought there was something missing from symphony orchestra from late romantic period.

And acoustically, there was no instrument that can play loud, fast, and low in the register.

It didn't exist.

We had a tuba.

It can play loud, but cannot play fast.

Double bass can play pretty fast, but it's not loud enough.

That's why you need 8 or 10 of them.

So Adolphe Sax says, "Why don't I combine the elements of wind instrument and brass and then create something new?"

So the original saxophone was classically used in a symphony orchestra.

Now next question is, like, why didn't it stay in the orchestra?

Well, Adolphe Sax was very talented that he also perfected, perfected it, the structure and design of a bass clarinet.

And bass clarinet was not as loud as bass saxophone, but it's pretty close.

And it was easy for clarinetist to play the bass clarinet that re-educating musicians to play the new instrument.

So practically, Adolphe Sax killed its own past because he perfected the design of a bass clarinet.

So instead, he went to the route of a military band, the French military band, and he wanted to sell his instrument.

And that became really successful.

And through the military band, the saxophone just spread it to the rest of the world.

In the beginning of the 20th century, the saxophone arrived in New Orleans.

And early jazz musicians thought this was very vocal and expressive instrument and took it in, and then rest of the history in America.

(frenzied lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (no audio) (haunting music) (haunting music continues) (haunting music) (haunting music) (haunting music) (haunting music) (haunting music continues) (haunting music) (haunting music continues) (haunting music) (haunting music) (haunting music) (haunting music) (haunting music continues) (haunting music continues) (no audio) (haunting music) (haunting music continues) (no audio) (haunting music) (haunting music continues) (haunting music) (haunting music) (haunting music continues) (haunting music) (haunting music) (haunting music continues) (haunting music) (haunting music continues) (haunting music) (haunting music) (haunting music) (haunting music continues) (haunting music) (haunting music continues) (no audio) (no audio) - My experience of watching you play is that I can almost see you completely empty out, and then the next piece comes in, and that connection.

- I mean, growing up, especially when I was in New York since high school, you know, I got to see the best concerts, like, from best performers, right?

I was surrounded by these amazing musicians and amazing talents.

And I always wondered, like, how do they achieve that, like, that specific energy and specific sophistication.

And I never really had an answer for it.

But I do feel, specifically after I turned age 30, I felt a significant shift in my mentality of how I perform, mainly because at age 30, you can no longer do any competitions in the saxophone world.

- I did not know that.

- Yeah, 30 is, like, a cutoff.

Yeah.

So throughout my 20s, I was doing just as many competitions as possible, both nationally and internationally, to try to build my career.

And when you're doing competitions, basically you're judged unfairly probably, right?

You're constantly judged.

And sometimes if you feel like you did great, the result doesn't come.

Sometimes if you did'nt do great, sometimes I won the competition, it's questionable, right?

You constantly ask these questions, am I doing right?

Am I doing right?

And I'm not really focusing on music.

Once that's over, I felt like I'm free.

Like, I was free from that restrictions and I can be me and be able to do what I wanted to do.

And I feel, like, at that moment, I was able to create a different kind of musical experience.

And the way I performed the music was completely different.

And probably that's when I figured it out that I'm here to deliver the message of the composer.

That's my goal.

And it's not about me.

You know, it's not about how great I am, how fast I can play, how beautiful I can play.

But my goal is serve the composer.

You know, I want to convey the meaning.

And with all my technique and all my experience, I wanna bring that to the audience.

(lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (no audio) (frenzied lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (no audio) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) - I've never heard anybody with a kaleidoscopic tone color range that you have.

You've explored the dimensions of the color of the instrument.

Is that something that you learned, or is it something that you're just working on, or are you even conscious of the fact that you're doing this?

- I'm very conscious, actually.

I think about this all the time.

And I try to think my playing from orchestral symphonic perspective, like, in this section, I wanna make it sound like flute, or a trumpet, or electrical guitar, you know?

And I'm thinking from that idea and how can I change my tone quality?

I find a way, you know, inside of my mouth, we manipulate oral cavity, and by manipulating oral cavity, we could change the overtone structures of the tone.

So I spent a lot of time researching how to do it.

And that's kind of a big part of my pedagogy with my students.

But with that knowledge, you know, I can basically tailor my tone quality to fit a certain style of music or colors that I'm trying to express or trying to express the meaning of the composers, you know?

I think that's the goal.

Like, before my opinions, I always wanna reflect what does this composer want.

Like, David Maslanka is one of my favorite, favorite composers, and that's kind of the reason why I'm here, actually.

You know, when I applied for Montana State, I didn't know anything about Montana, to be honest.

I didn't know where it was.

I'd never been to Bozeman.

But only thing I knew was David Maslanka lived in Montana, Missoula, Montana.

And growing up, listening to his music, I always kind of envisioned what it feels like.

And now that I'm here, I feel deeply connected and I feel like I understand his music truthfully.

- One of the beautiful things about David Maslanka's music is that he has a sort of sacred mysticism about him and his music always gets into something very spiritual in the broadest sense.

And so you almost get this monastic sound, and you are able to get this columnar sound that's like some ancient chant from some ancient culture, that I know that, if he were here, he would be in bliss to realize it's not just the notes, but your understanding and that you can actually manifest that.

- He asks everything.

Like, he doesn't just want beautiful sound.

He wants a sound just like edge of breaking apart or just absolutely nothing.

And whenever I play his music, I cannot just give 100%, I need to give 200%.

So after the performance, it's always drowning because otherwise the music is just too shallow.

So it's like you're all in with his music.

- Everything you have?

- Everything.

(haunting music) (haunting music) (haunting music) (haunting music continues) (haunting music continues) (haunting music continues) (haunting music continues) (haunting music continues) (haunting music continues) (haunting music continues) (haunting music continues) (haunting music continues) (haunting music continues) (haunting music continues) (haunting music continues) (haunting music continues) (haunting music continues) (haunting music continues) (haunting music continues) (haunting music continues) (haunting music continues) (frenzied music) (frenzied music continues) (frenzied music continues) (frenzied music continues) (frenzied music continues) (frenzied music continues) (frenzied music continues) (frenzied music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (rhythmic music) (rhythmic music continues) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (frenzied lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music) (lighthearted music continues) (lighthearted music continues) (rhythmic music) (lighthearted music) (rhythmic music) (lighthearted music) (rhythmic music) (haunting music) (rhythmic music) (haunting music) (rhythmic music) (lighthearted music) (haunting music) (rhythmic music) (haunting music) (rhythmic music) (lighthearted music) (haunting music) (haunting music continues) (rhythmic music) (haunting music) (rhythmic music) (haunting music) (rhythmic music) (rhythmic music) (rhythmic music) (rhythmic music) (rhythmic music) (rhythmic music) (rhythmic music) (rhythmic music) (rhythmic music) (rhythmic music) (no audio) (no audio) - [Announcer] "11th & Grant" was made possible by the Greater Montana Foundation, Montana State University Office of the President, Quinn's Hot Springs Resort, Donna Spitzer-Ostrovsky, in loving memory of Jack Ostrovsky, the godfather of "11th and Grant," Gomez & Mary Routhier, great music will blow the dust off your soul, Iris Model, Sanbell, Betty Clauson, honoring Bob and Suzy Sterling, Regina M. Wunsch & Walter G. Wunsch, Music Villa and Gibson Guitar, the Utzinger Family, Bill and Jane Gum, Rob Maher & Lynn Peterson-Maher, Nancy Thompson Flikkema, and by these generous donors.

(lighthearted music) (lighthearted music)