TROY – Three Troy University students in the John M. Long School of Music and their professor will perform at the International Saxophone Symposium Jan. 23-24.

Sponsored by the United States Navy Band and conducted at George Mason University in Washington, D.C., the Symposium is the first time TROY students have been selected to participate.

“Performance at an event that has internationally known artists will not only increase our students’ exposure, but will allow them to evaluate their performance level with the benchmark of outstanding artistry,” said Raymond Smith, an associate professor of music who will lead the TROY contingent.

He also added that the performance will allow colleagues from all over the world to see a different part of John M. Long School of Music.

Accompanying Smith are:

• Tony Hawthorne, a graduate student from Dothan who is completing a masters of music education. Hawthorn, a graduate of Dothan High School and Troy University, has served as a graduate assistant for the Sound of the South Marching Band and is a free-lance musician. He teaches music in the Elba City School System and has taught clinics in saxophone and jazz at the University of North Florida, TROY and public schools across the southeastern United States.
• LaRoy Bodiford is a graduate of Luverne High School and is a junior music education major at TROY. The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame recently selected him as the Outstanding Collegiate Soloist. Bodiford has returned to the Alabama area to study saxophone with Smith after service in the United States Marine Corps. Before his return to Alabama, Bodiford performed extensively in the Washington/Baltimore area. He is now the first-call jazz saxophonist in Alabama. Ed Lisk, National Band Association Hall of Fame member, recently said of Bodiford, “There is no better collegiate jazz saxophonist in America.”
• Matthew Woulard is a graduate of McGill-Toolen High School in Mobile and is a senior music education major at TROY. He is principal saxophone in the Troy Symphony Band and baritone saxophone in the Troy Jazz Ensemble #1. Woulard also studies classical guitar and composing.

With Smith, the students comprise the Troy University Saxophone Quartet #1.