TCNJ Alumni Saxophone Quartet
Nick Napier
@nicknapiermusic
Nick is a saxophonist, music educator, and student currently based in New Jersey. From his hometown of Township of Washington, NJ, Nick has performed locally with the Westwood Community Band, New Jersey Wind Symphony, and has performed alongside and worked with notable artists in the Northern NJ and NYC area.
Nick received his Master’s in Saxophone Performance at the University of Michigan in May of 2024, and was a student of internationally-acclaimed, GRAMMY Award-Winning saxophonist and performer, Dr.Timothy McAllister. In his time there, he additionally studied jazz saxophone, completing a Master’s in Improvisation with critically-acclaimed jazz saxophonist and educator, Dr.Andrew Bishop. In his time at U-M, he performed with the U-M Symphony Band, Jazz Ensemble, and Saxophone Ensemble.
Nick holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from The College of New Jersey, where he studied saxophone with Professor Kathleen Mitchell. He has performed as Principal Saxophone of the Wind Ensemble, Principal Clarinet of the Concert Band, and Lead Alto of the Jazz Ensemble. Throughout his time there, he was fortunate to study flute with Professor DiGiaccobbe, and Clarinet with Professor Joshua Kovach.
As a chamber musician, Nick was the alto saxophone chair of Liminal Quartet, a U-M chamber ensemble based in Ann Arbor, MI. Liminal Quartet won 3rd prize in 2023 at the MTNA Chamber Music Competition, 3rd prize and Michigan Prize at the 2024 Briggs Chamber Music Competition, and was named a quarterfinalist at the 50th Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.
As a soloist, Nick was named winner of the 2020 TCNJ Concerto Competition in his sophomore year, performing “Concert Suite for Alto Saxophone and Band” by William Bolcom as a soloist with the TCNJ Wind Ensemble in 2022. He was awarded 3rd Prize in the 2023 Vandoren Emerging Artist Competition, and was a quarterfinalist and participant in the prestigious International Adolphe Sax Competition held in Dinant, Belgium in 2023.
As an educator, Nick has experience teaching students of all ages, both as a private woodwind instructor and NJ-certified educator in the K-12 music classroom. He is currently the Band Director in the Woodcliff Lake School District, in Woodcliff Lake, NJ, where he teaches grades 6-8 band at Woodcliff Middle School and 5th grade beginning instrument lessons at Dorchester Elementary School. Nick is passionate about sharing music with young learner, and is an avid member of the New Jersey Music Educators Association (NJMEA) and the National Association for Music Education (NAfME).