Saxophonist Michael Hernandez performs Chen Yi’s Monologue for soprano saxophone on 10/20/22 during the 2022 San Jose Contemporary Music Festival. Chen Yi was the resident composer and had this to say regarding the performance:
““Michael’s great performance was so gripping, shinning, energetic, and powerful, that made my music touching and enjoyable”
– Chen Yi
Monologue (Impressions on The True Story of Ah Q) for solo clarinet (1993) by Chen Yi
— transcribed for solo saxophone (2010) by Jeff Heisler
It has been strongly haunting me for a long time to think about ignorance and civilization, lowliness and pride. This piece for solo clarinet is a meditation of introspection inspired by Lu Xun’s The True Story of Ah Q. Lu Xun (Zhou Shuren, 1881-1936) is China’s best-known 20th-century author of essays and short stories, in which he called on the Chinese people to rise and give battle of feudalism. The piece is commissioned by the Inter-Artes in London, and premiered at a concert The World of Lu Xun in April 23, 1993 in Birmingham, U.K. The work was transcribed for saxophone by Dr. Jeff Heisler in 2010. The duration of the work is 6 minutes. – CY
Michael Hernandez has been described as one of the finest soprano saxophone artists of the present generation. He has been heard in concert halls throughout Germany, Switzerland, Poland, France, Holland, Austria, Italy, the UK, Canada, and the United States. Recently He has been featured on WPRB’s Classical Discoveries- Viva 21st Century, WCNY Classic FM’s Fresh Ink, and has been broadcasted multiple times nationwide on NPR’s Performance Today. Recently Hernandez has appeared with the Brooklyn Symphony, Redwood Symphony, San Jose Chamber Orchestra, Echo Chamber Orchestra, Espressivo Chamber Orchestra, Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, The Phoenix Symphony Guild, The San Jose Wind Symphony, New Century Chamber Orchestra, The Santa Cruz Symphony, The National Music Festival Orchestra, The Hot Springs Music Festival Orchestra, North Valley Symphony, Musica Nova Orchestra, The San Jose State University Wind Ensemble, The San Jose University Orchestra, The Monterey Symphony, and the West Valley Symphony.
As a new music advocate, Michael has collaborated with and premiered over 100 works by some of the most notable composers of the 21st century including Marc Mellits, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Miklos Maros, Dimitri Terzakis, Nicola LeFanu, Belinda Reynolds, Enrico Chapela as well as emerging composers such as Danny Clay, Luis Miguel Delgado, Kevin Villalta, Gabriel José Bolaños Chamorro, Alan Theisen, Olivia Kieffer, Karalyn Schubring, and Roger Zare.
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Hernandez frequently collaborates with Bay Area organizations such as Empyrean Ensemble, Earplay, Opera Parallele, West Edge Opera, Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, Composers Inc., MEDIATE Art Group, Mercury Soul, Hot Air Music Festival, StoreFrontLab and the SF stARTup Fair.
Recent highlights include performances at San Francisco War Memorial, BachFest Leipzig, The SFJAZZ Center, Manhattan School of Music (NYC), Szczecin International Saxophone Festival (Poland), Utrecht Bartholomeus Gasthuis, the Citè de la Musique de Strasbourg (France), Roulette Intermedium, San Francisco Mint, Hanns Eisler Musikhochschule (Germany), Ducal Castle (Poland), SpectrumNYC (NY), Music in the Mansion (CA), Ethos New Music Festival (NY), FeNAM/Festival of New American Music (CA), Trinity Chamber Concerts of Berkley (CA), El Dorado Chamber Concerts (CA), The Artist Series (FL), SoundWired Chicago (IL), Jacksonville’s Friday Musicale (FL), Community Concerts at Second of Baltimore (MD), Roche Family Visiting Artist Series (PA), Fairmont Chamber Music Society (WV), and countless others.
Michael is the Co-Founder and owner of MANA Mouthpieces Inc. He has been invited to lecture on the topic of Music Business and Entrepreneurship at colleges, conservatories and music festivals across the United States and Germany.
As founding soprano saxophonist of the critically acclaimed MANA Quartet, Michael has held residencies at dozens of music festivals including Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, Hot Springs Music Festival, National Music Festival, Music in the Mountains, The Taneycomo Festival Orchestra, The Festival of New American Music, Ethos New Music Festival, and the Oklahoma State Contemporary Music Festival.
Hernandez is an endorsing artist for Key Leaves, RooPads, Lefreque Sound Bridges, MANA Mouthpieces and D’Addario Woodwinds. He performs on historical saxophones built to the acoustical specifications of the instrument’s inventor, Adolphe Sax and is currently principal saxophonist of the Santa Cruz Symphony. Michael resides in San Jose California where he serves on the faculty of San Jose State University as the Assistant Professor of Saxophone and Music Entrepreneurship.
Michael’s primary teachers include, Wildy Zumwalt, Ronald Caravan, Patrick Meighan and Carina Raschèr.
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