Saxophonist Rick Hirsch is quickly becoming known throughout Pennsylvania as one of the Commonwealth’s leading creative musicians. He currently plays with a variety of local and regional bands which include drummer Phil Haynes and grammy-nominated accordionist Alex Meixner. Until its disbanding in 2007, Rick was a featured soloist with and composer for the 17-member Valley Jazz Orchestra. He writes music for all of the groups with whom he performs, and has been awarded two Fellowships in Jazz Composition from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.
Before Rick and his wife relocated to PA in 1999, he was a mainstay of the Madison-Milwaukee music scene. While there he performed with Tito Puente, the Four Tops, Clark Terry, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, the Whaddya Know? band, and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra.
During his Midwest years (1992-1999), Rick began his composing and arranging endeavors. Since then he has written numerous works on commission for the likes of Eddie Henderson, Yusef Lateef, the Osland Saxophone Quartet, Blue Note vocalist Jackie Allen, and Penn State University Marching Blue Band. Rick’s print music is published by Walrus Music and the University of Northern Colorado Jazz Press. His works for big band and saxophone quartet have received performances in major cities throughout the US and abroad, including London and Tokyo.
Also during his Midwest years, Rick earned an M.M. from Northern Illinois University (1995). At NIU he studied with Ron Modell, Glenn Kostur, and Ron Carter. Prior to this, Rick completed his B.A. Summa Cum Laude from UMass-Amherst (1992) where he had wonderful guidance from Lynn Klock, Jeff Holmes, and Yusef Lateef. And, as a teenager just getting into music, Rick had wonderful encouragement and instruction from Newark HS band director Lloyd Ross, and his first private teacher Bill Byerly.
When not doing musical stuff, Rick spends a lot of time with his family and friends, coaches his daughters’ soccer teams, and serves on the municipal Transportation Commission, where he works to improve the infrastructure for alternative modes of transportation.
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