Portrait of Paul Bro

Selmer Paris Artist

Paul Bro

Paul Bro has performed across the United States and Canada, as well as in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, and Thailand. As a soloist, he has played concertos with notable ensembles, including the U.S. Navy Band, the Royal Air Force Band of Belgium, the Tambov Symphony Orchestra in Russia, and the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra.

Bro recorded Libby Larsen's "Holy Roller," a piece composed specifically for him, with the Indiana State University Wind Ensemble, featured on the compact disc "Symphonies & Such." In the summer of 2000, he released his first solo CD, "Nostalgie: A Retrospective of the Saxophone Music of M. William Karlins."

Additionally, Bro has collaborated with prestigious orchestras and ensembles such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Opera Theater, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Sinfonietta, the Grant Park Orchestra in Chicago, the St. Louis Symphony, and the Lydian String Quartet.

Bro was the alto saxophonist of the Chicago Saxophone Quartet from 1982 to 2016. His contributions can be heard on the quartet's three compact discs: The Chicago Saxophone Quartet, Capriccio, and July. Additionally, as part of the saxophone/cello ensemble Bro-Fowler Duo, he has commissioned works from notable composers such as Libby Larsen, Augusta Read Thomas, Zhou Long, and Dorothy Chang. With the Bro-Street Duo, he has showcased his talents on platforms like Minnesota Public Radio and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. As the principal saxophonist of the Philharmonia à Vent, Bro has lent his skills to all seven of the group's compact discs.

Dr. Bro has a distinguished background in music education and performance, having presented clinics at prominent events such as the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic and the Indiana Music Educators Association Convention, as well as at various colleges and universities across the U.S., Canada, and France. He was also an artist-in-residence at the Banff Centre in Alberta, Canada. Along with William Street and Jean-Marie Londeix, he co-founded the saxophone research website SaxAmE.org, which focuses on the saxophone's role in American and European music. Currently, he is a professor of music at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana. His academic credentials include a Doctor of Music and a Master of Music from Northwestern University, where he studied under Dr. Frederick Hemke, as well as a Bachelor of Music from Iowa State University, where he learned from Dr. Joseph Messenger.