Dr. Todd Gaffke

Title: Professor
Dept/Program: Interim Director, School of Music, School of Dance, Theatre, and Arts Administration
Office: Guzzetta Hall 261
Phone: 330-972-6622
Email: tgaffke@uakron.edu

Biography

Saxophonist Todd Gaffke is inspired by the capacity of music to bring people together and promote understanding.  He enjoys a multi-faceted career as performer, educator, and administrator.  Dr. Gaffke can be heard in various settings ranging from concert halls and classrooms to outdoor festivals and clubs performing chamber music, classical, or jazz.  His playing has garnered numerous awards including Downbeat Magazine’s Outstanding Classical Soloist, the Liberace Foundation Scholarship Competition winner, and 1st prize in the Plowman Chamber Music Competition. He has performed in the Blossom Festival Band, Akron Symphonic Winds, and the Akron, Canton, Richmond, Flint, Saginaw, Midland, Jackson, and West Michigan Symphony Orchestras.  He is a member of the Iovi Saxophone Quartet and the University of Akron Faculty Woodwind Quintet.  Dr. Gaffke has performed with the UA Faculty Jazz Group, Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, DanJO Jazz Orchestra, Harry James Orchestra, and Lansing Symphony Big Band, and has appeared at the Detroit Jazz Festival and Lansing Jazz Festival.  Active in professional organizations, Dr. Gaffke has performed at the World Saxophone Congress, North American Saxophone Alliance national and regional conferences, International Clarinet Association conferences, the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors conference, the College Band Directors National Association conferences, and the Ohio Music Education Association Professional Development Conference.    
 
            While he loves performing music from the past, Dr. Gaffke actively promotes music by living composers.  His recent recording project features music for saxophone by Akron composers Robert Brownlow, Cody Ray, Nikola Resanovic, and James Wilding.  This project was supported by a University of Akron Faculty Summer Research Fellowship and will be available through the Neuma Records label.       
 
Dr. Gaffke is Professor of Saxophone, Interim Director of the School of Music, and Interim Director of the School of Dance, Theatre, and Arts Administration at The University of Akron.  His students have achieved success in performance competitions including the Tuesday Musical Association and Music Teachers National Association, can be found pursuing successful careers as professional musicians, and teach throughout Ohio and beyond.  Dr. Gaffke’s frequent outreach performances and clinics take him to numerous universities and K-12 schools annually.
 
Before coming to UA, he was Adjunct Instructor of Saxophone at Grand Valley State University and held Graduate Teaching Assistantships at Michigan State University and Central Michigan University. Dr. Gaffke earned a Bachelor of Music degree in saxophone performance from Central Michigan University, and a Master of Music in performance and Doctor of Musical Arts in saxophone performance with jazz cognate from Michigan State University. His primary teachers include Joseph Lulloff, John Nichol, and Rob Smith.  Dr. Gaffke is a Yamaha Performing Artist and D’Addario Woodwinds Performing Artist.