About Me
Born in Boston in 1978, Shawn took to music, like a fish to water. At a very young age, it was clear that a life in music was imminent. Shawn performed at various district, and all state festivals, but, his primary inspiration towards a life in music were three fold. First, as a 4 year member of the Massachusetts Wind Ensemble or, MYWE, Shawn enjoyed learning and studying under legendary conductor Daniel Riley at the esteemed New England Conservatory in Boston. This group was honored to perform for the president of the Sony Cooperation in Japan, as well as concertizing all around New England, Canada and Japan. Membership in this group led to Shawn being invited as a scholarship student to the Tangle Wood Institute and as a Governors scholar to the world-class Interlochen Arts Camp.
In 1997, Shawn enrolled at The University of Miami to study with saxophone master Gary Keller. While in Miami, Shawn met hundreds of highly talented and motivated jazz students. The school is a breeding ground for the country's best young musical talent. His earliest inspirations in jazz were iconic alto masters like Bird, Cannonball Adderly and Phil Woods but in Miami he absorbed music by Kenny Wheeler, Chris Potter, Joe Henderson, Sonny Rollins, Kenny Garrett, and scores of others. These great saxophone players became a fountain of ideas for him. However his desire was not to play like them but, to draw ideas and musical philosophies from them. During his time in Miami, Shawn performed with many of the renowned artists in the South Florida scene. As a member in the “Monk/Mingus Ensemble†and the “ECM†Ensemble, Shawn’s groups were honored by two Down Beat awards in 2001.
In 2002, Shawn moved to Chicago. While pursuing a graduate degree at DePaul University, Shawn hit the streets at night, sitting in and playing wherever and whenever possible. Shawn developed a great reputation that led to his acceptance into the vibrant Chicago live music scene. It was while at DePaul that Shawn’s playing truly began to flourish. Under the watchful eye of jazz masters such as Larry Novak, Mark Colby, and Bob Palmieri, Shawn studied harmony intensively and while playing lead alto with the nationally recognized DePaul University Jazz Ensemble, he played behind such luminaries as Phil Woods, Bobby Shew, Wynton Marsalis, Jim McNeely, and Kenny Werner. The band had highly successful engagements at Chicago’s Jazz Showcase, and aboard Norwegian Cruise Lines, “Jazz Party at Sea.†Additionally, Shawn played in several great bands; 56 Hope Rd., Treologic, and FreeSpace. He also taught in the Naperville, IL school system for 3 great years.
In 2006 while pursuing a doctoral degree at the University of Northern Colorado, Shawn was a featured Tenor soloist in the UNC band which won the coveted "Best College Band" award from DownBeat magazine. A highly successful album has been released on Colorado's Bear Tracks Records and Shawn is a prominent soloist on the recording. During this great transitional year in Colorado, Shawn was hired at the Harvard-Westlake School in North Hollywood, CA. He is currently enjoying his time there as the director of jazz studies.
In addition to being a dedicated jazz educator, Shawn Costantino is a gifted multi-instrumentalist and performer. He is available for concerts, clinics, recording sessions and master-classes. Shawn plays Yamaha Saxophones and uses mouthpieces by Selmer, Ralph Morgan, and S. R. Technologies.
