What is Next for the World Saxophone Congress?

In August 2022, it was announced the World Saxophone Congress due to be held in Japan in 2023 has been officially cancelled. The International Saxophone Committee implemented a quiz survey of the saxophone community and received the responses below.

We will be using this information to help find a host for the next World Saxophone Congress.

If you have any further you would like communicate, please reach out to any member of the International Saxophone Committee.

Do You Play the Saxophone?

How Many Times Have you Attended a WSC?

How Would You Best Describe Yourself?

What is a Reasonable Price for YOU to Attend the 5-day WSC?

I Would Prefer to Attend the WSC…

Would You Consider Hosting the Next World Saxophone Congress?

Comments Received

A fantastic event that I hope to attend soon!

A location with good fly connections will be appreciated

A possible host city for the event might be San Antonio, Texas USA since it has a great and very large downtown convention center complete with a 2,000 seat modern concert hall, beautiful Riverwalk tourist area and plenty of nice hotels all within a 1 mile square radius from the conference center.

All saxophonist need the WSC for growing together

Although unfortunately have to cancel, but thanks to the Japan host for their efforts.

An in-person congress is really important! We shouldn’t just take the easy option and go online.

As soon as it s possible thé n’est one

Best wishes

Best wishes as you work on this!

Can’t wait for the next Congress

Can’t wait for next time!

Cheer up 🙂

Close to a major airport, close to food.

Concerts

Don’t let this die. There are no other conferences like this.

Eagerly awaiting the opportunity to attend the next WSC and bring my students to witness this important event, whenever it is safe to do so. Thank you.

Events like this are a great way to bring a unified group of musicians together to share their musical experiences and passion.

Everything is affected by the pandemic so it is difficult to plan for future events. So sad for the cancellation of the Japan Congress and hope it can happen again in Japan in near future

Excited for the next WSC

Find a host in a country without a track record of strict entry requirements for at least a year that’s in a desirable location for sightseeing/travel so that they’ll have worked through much of the post-covid realities and be a place people will want to take the time/expense to travel to. Have a welcoming and timely proposal process that emphasizes programming many performers rather than the same people being chosen to perform 5-10 times at the same conference.

For me the wsc is memorable for the connections ad reconnection made with like minded saxophonists from around the world. In person would be most preferable, but perhaps a hybrid thay allows others to join online would be best for everyone.

Give more opportunity for young saxophonist to perform with orchestra. maybe holding competition in the Congress as well

Glad I could contribute

Go to a cheap european country. Asia is nice, but way to costly to go to a festival without income

Good luck and thanks for giving your time for us !

Good luck!

Have been missing out on WSC activities since 2009! Hope to make it to the next one. ~

Have hosted before (Assistant Director, Scotland) so not sure if we could host in our country again at all or at such short notice but happy to lend a hand in any way that would help.

HAVE IT IN AMERICA. WE WONT CANCEL

Hope it continues

Hope it happens!

hope the congress will keep going

Hope to attend one!

Hope we can find a solution!

Hopefully do the congress soon, maybe 2024 in others countries

hopefully the WSC can be scheduled in a country which will be easily reachable, allthough in covid-times travel might be very difficult…

Host in Uk to boost economy

I am a new professional, just recently graduated, and would love the oppportunity to finally attend a conference. The primary limiting factors for me are money and timing.

I am confident of the committee’s work to develop the next World Congress, and wish them all the best.

I am eager to attend my first ever WSC! I was looking forward to the Japan WSC.

I am the President of the Argentine Saxophone Asociation. I would love to organize the WSC here in Argentina. I’m seriously proposing it for the coming years. Thanks.

I believe Korea can be hold the 19th WSC. Especially, Jeju Island in Korea, where is usally called “Wind city”, has International Wind Ensemble Festival(JIWEF) by 1994 until now(Goverment support). In 2016, during the JIWEF, one day of the festival was for Saxophone day, many Korean saxophonist came to festival. And I invited New Third Stream Saxophone Quarter as special guest for JIWEF 2016. Anyway, so, I fully suggest you that South Korea is the best country for next WSC. Not only in Jeju, maybe Seoul, Gyoung Ju, or Busan can be hold the WSC! I hope WSC is never dying, but revival forever!!!

I can only empathise with you all for taking this decision after all the work you put in over the past few years without the feeling of satisfaction.

I completely understand the pickle that the Japan hosts have been in, and feel badly for them for the difficult decision they had to make. Going forward, I recall several attractive presentations from various potential hosting locations that were made at the last Congress. My thought would be to reach out to those locations’ committees to see if they might still be interested in hosting.

I could enquire as whether Sydney or Cape Town could host perhaps. Would be fun in Africa.

I desperately hope the WSC remains committed to resuming in person activities

I did a proposal for Medellín , Colombia at the latest WSC in Croatia. Since then the situation has changed, still I can try to reconect with the current local goverment to see if the option is feasible . Best

I have always wanted to attend, and hope to do so in the future. Cost has been the largest factor for not attending.

I have attended th congress in Zagreb and it’s been the most wonderful week in my saxophone education so far. The oportunity to meet and listen live to my idols is an experience every saxophone player needs and i am sure also wants. The many brands of saxophones, ligatures, reeds and other accesories you can try is truly amazing. It would be a shame, if we lose such an important event for our instrument. Thank you for your dedication and love for the project, i hope you will be able to host it again if not next year in the future. Much love from Slovenia!

I have been planning to attend this conference for the last 2 years of cancellations; needless to say I have been incredibly disappointed that it has been cancelled three times. I sincerely hope we can find a way to have an in person conference in 2023 in a different location. My duo commissioned a work and was hoping to premier it there.

I have loved the WSC’s I’ve attended and would definitely attend again in the future.

I hope for a WSC that incorporates and promotes playing styles beyond those taught in European and American conservatories/universities.

I hope it will take place in Japan in the near future!

I hope that covid will not make from WSC next victim.

I hope that I could come to the World Saxophone Congress, and maybe play during this event.

I hope that the WSC resumes one day in an affordable format

I hope that you will consider holding this event in Japan again in the years to come.

I hope that, due to the late notice of cancellation, nothing will take place until 2024. It would take a lot of planning on both the committee’s part, as well as the attendees, to make something happen in 2023.

I hope the next congress will be very good event!

I hope the WSC can take place this summer!

I hope we can meet safely again soon!

I hope we finally have this Congress! I am optymistic about it. It is good that you did this questions!

I hope we get to do Sax Congress in the near future!

I hope we’ll be able to have a wsc soon !

I hope, that it will take part soon!

I just want to go really bad. I’m still a student but I’m finally in a financial place to be able to attend.

“I know that in this situation is really hard to organise the WSC we used to know, but please, try to keep it in the “face to face” form. Maybe another place / country for the next edition and then in the future Japan…?

Best whishes to all of you! “

I look forward to another wsc somewhere in person, although it would be great to have concerts and classes also available to watch as a live stream.

I love the WSC, its an essential gathering that should not be taken for granted. We have been lucky to have it for all these years!!

I prefer some personal connection when watching events online. The best is to be able to see other online participants who chose to turn their camera on and be able to chat with them. Just a video link is very sterile and boring

I probably cannot afford to travel outside of the country, but would love the option to watch online in a hybrid setting!

I think accessible locations is the key – find halfway points for where a majority of attendees come from. Even consider having the event in the same place every year-That seems to work well for the Mid-West International Band and Orchestra Clinic. Paris would be a great option in that regard.

I think it is a fundamental moment for our instrument. I would like it to be also more open to a “non sax” world as for especially composers and musicians involved especially on new commission

I think it would be great to have new commissioned works to composers of the contemporary music panorama not only related to saxophone, but more in general.

“I think the best idea will be to organize Congress in Europe.

The most convenient place to come there from all around the world!”

I think the WSC is an important event for our community

I think this event is very important. We should have a B plan to be able to do it anyway despite of the pandemia

I think WSC made the right decision to cancel, especially considering recent COVID outbreaks at similar woodwind meetings. For a rescheduled, in-person WSC, I would only attend if full COVID vaccination, face masks, and COVID testing (if possible) are required for entry.

I trust the ISC to make the right decision that will best represent and support saxophonists all over the world. While I personally would prefer to attend in person if possible, there are numerous benefits to online or blended events. For example, an online option would allow anyone who became ill to still attend the event in some capacity. Online options will help to increase participation.

I understand the situation in which we are living for the last two years and a half, but I would suggest that insted of postponing the events, I would rather consider finding compromises and alternatives, if one in the given situation cannot host it.

“I was a member of the 2000 WSC in Montreal organizing committee. From my experience, I felt that there should be a permanent office for the WSC, as there are for other instrument organizations. This would not replace the elected committee but become an office with hired staff to maintain lests of participants, sponsors, PR medias, and audiences. Having a regular administrative staff would ease the issue for the elected committee members, who often are very busy artists/educators with limited time for the work which is necessary to organize these events.

A regular staff could maintain an official web site which would gather and offer the information which is often difficult to obtain, particularly when, as is my case, people miss WSC events.

An administrative staff could help future organizers with connecting with sponsors, media and participants.

This administration staff is not meant to replace the elected members, but to support both the WSC Committee and the next organizers of future events.

I feel strongly that there is a place for the future of the World Saxophone Congress. During the last 50+ years, it has been an important rallying too for the saxophonists, particularly in the classical field. But it could and should become a more important tool to promote the instrument to a larger public.

If consideration to organize such an administrative project, I would be willing to participate in such a project.”

I was excited to attend my first WSC in Japan, but look forward to attending wherever else it may be held!

I was looking forward to attending

I was looking forward to the event being held in Japan, so I am very sorry that it has been cancelled. I would be happy if the environment where you can easily listen to the performance of professional players, such as online, is ready.

I will be happy to help for the hybrid part

I will be very happy for all informations ! Thank you !

I will miss having in Japan since I go anyways every year.

I wish to see a definitive decision, so that musicians can start commissioning for the Congress again.

I wonder which is more relevant, in-person or online. My instinct is that in person must be more relevant due to opportunities for social interaction. However, most presentations are poorly attended and could potentially reach wider audiences online. If the purpose of the WSC is sharing content with the world, online is better. But if the purpose is networking, in person is better.

I would be interested in hosting the Congress at The Ohio State University. We have a new music building with plenty of space.

I would host it in Las Vegas!

I would like a congress in Europe or States

I would like in-person congresses to resume. I’m not sure why this has been canceled when the world is opening up again – it’s a pity. I would still like to see a Congress come to South Africa at some point and have started exploring options for this to happen.

I would like sax congress to happen somewhere accessible to most peoples!

I would like that congress will be in Japan

I would like to see an option in this survey that is for saxophonists who are not “professionals” but who are also not students or sponsors or “people who like to listen to the saxophone”.

There is a whole category of saxophonists who are not “professional” in the sense that they don’t make a living from the saxophone, but who are far more than students or “people who like to listen” “

I would like to see we are in the same country same place bad brother smaller group. And have a couple schools hosting the conference. And we should have limits of the number of people. For every event. No big orchestra concerto concerts.

I would love to attend the WSC, however international plane ticket costs are prohibitive for the time being. Until I am able to move into a professional career I do not see myself affording a plane ticket overseas and will only be able to feasibly attend conferences in my own country.

I would love to se the next WSC in Vienna, Austria!

I would make the congress more accesible for saxophonist who couldn’t afford it.

I wouldn’t want to pay much at all for an online thing. We need to be in person

I’m a collaborative pianist who has always wanted to go to a WSC but never been able to go due to funding issues (none of my collaborators could afford to cover my travel, and I couldn’t afford the travel, too). I would love to attend, but don’t have any suggestions about the conference since I have never been able to attend a WSC.

“I’m rooting for you.

Thank you so much!!”

I’m a collaborative artist and I love the saxophone world. Hoping the next saxophone Congress is in a more accessible location.

I’m just a student, but I hope myself and others get the chance to experience something like this.

I’m sorry it didn’t work out!

I’m sorry we couldn’t hold the WSC in Japan, but it’s for better. So looking forward to seeing it happening in near future.

If I had the facilities and resources to host, I would.

If the last location was in China, it would not be cancelled.

In europe would be great 🙂

In my opinion the best place for the next Congress is Europe.

Is it going to be held anyway in Japan a year later?

It is a wonderful event, but it is becoming even more challenging to secure funding to attend. A hybrid event would be more inclusive.

It is sad to hear about the news but still appreciate the effort of the committee who tried hard to make it happen.

It must continue, face to face.

It needs to be live. A lot of us enjoy the social interaction and networking

It seems most convenient to hold this conference in North America or Europe, if at all possible.

It would need to be in the summer for my school to host it.

It’s a pity that it got cancelled!..

It’s so sad to hear about the cancellation of WSC. I would suggest if its possible to host this most influential event of Saxophone in Dinant or France like every three four year, to make Saxophone home. Even make it happen after Adolphe Saxophone Competition in Dinant.

It’s been over a decade since the congress was in North America. I’m not sure if it has ever been in South America, Latin America, Africa, or India. It is beyond time to bring the saxophone to areas beyond Europe and Northeast Asia.

July 2025 seems like the best time to reschedule the WSC.

Just looking forward to the next congress!

Let Columbia they sent a proposal last time. It’s never been in South America

Let’s make it happen

Lets go to the US

Lets make it happen

Looking forward to meeting everyone soon!

Looking forward to my first wsc!

looking forward to the next WSC!

Love music. Hope to attend one day

Loved congress in Strasbourg and Zagreb

“Make it happen, and not postpone it.

If it cannot take place, I would search for a compromise insted of postponing it so long. Yes I do understand the situation of the last 2 years and a half, but we need to learn live with it.”

Many participants value the opportunity for reading sessions, ensembles to play with etc as well as concerts to attend as part of the congress. A mixture of events is always appreciated.

Maybe It would be possible to mix WSC with EuroSax’23

More and more difficult to find money to participate to WCS espécialy when it is far.

More competitions and opportunities for young performers

More masterclasses / workshops

Move it to the USA or Europe!

Moving to Online is not the answer. Live music making is critical as is face to face networking etc

Music 🎶 should always come first doesn’t matter in what form!

Need a major city to host, with appropriate travel and hotel opportunities. Also, diversify the program! We are tired of hearing the same concerto performers again and again! All white males, over and over. We also need to seek out major composers to write for our instruments and stop promoting saxophonists who compose their own music – it is not appropriate!!!

No comments. Looking forward to attending the next Saxophone Congress as soon as possible. Good luck!

None, except good luck and I will do my best to support the next WSC, whenever, wherever, and whatever format it takes!

Not sure what I can do to help, but always happy to be a sounding board.

Online conferences should never be an option as an alternative. They are a waste of money and will never replace the experience and memories of a week long festival. I will never pay to watch people play via live stream on my computer.

Perhaps plan every four years rather than three. More time for host to plan and for attendees to gather needed funds.

Place it in a country and city with affordable travel and housing for community members and students.

Please choose a major city near public transit and an airport.

Please continue the wsc

Please do another congress soon!

Please host the next one in Japan, instead of hosting it in another county. We should wait! Thank you.

Please host the WSC as soon as possible. I have always been willing to have the experience going there, but it always got postponed again and again.

“Please keep the venue in Japan for the next one… Japan saxophone society still deserves hosting this event. I guess that have done lots of preparations.

And I was thrilled to visit Japan!”

Please pick a location where the next WSC can be held and not be cancelled, preferably in Alaska, USA, Iceland, Morocco or Greece.

Please, the WSC has got to take place again as soon as possible. It will already 5 years from next year on without the WSC. Also, please do not make a sort of an online-event, in my opinion, the best way is to make everything in person. The beauty of the WSC is to meet and make contact with all (saxophone) people around the world and to experience the surrounding of this whole event.

Really hope it happens in face to face type, virtual won’t be as interesting as it should be

Really hope there can be another congress in person.

Regardless of where WSC is held, Covid will be an issue due to transmissibility. It may be worth considering having conventions that are restricted to a certain amount of people total or restricted to a certain region per convention.

Sad that it had to be canceled- but understand and support for the reasons.

Saxophone is so good!

“Saxophone world need the congress! It is an amazing occasion to meet each other and share ideas and experiences.

Please, re-start with this wonderful event!”

Shanghai, China

“Shanghai, China

Taipei, China “

So very sad this won’t be happening in Japan. I have been planning on this one for some time. 🙁

Sorry to hear it had to be cancelled, but looking forward to the next one!

Sorry to hear this news of WSC cancellation — looking forward to hearing plans for another Congress in the near future.

Spain

Thank you all for your concern

Thank you all for your hard work!

Thank you for asking these questions.

Thank you for including input

Thank you for putting together this quiz.

Thank you for trying to determine a path forward.

Thank you for your work

Thank you for your work on this committee. I like the international perspective of travel and in person options to learn about other cultures. I also want to be able to bring a small group of students and they yearn for this opportunity. Yet financially it takes time to make this happen. Thank you for keeping us safe. The saxophone community and NASA and WSC are such strong well organized organizations, I’m proud to be a member. Hope to see more exposure and opportunities for women in the profession at conferences.

Thank you for your work!

Thank you for your work!

Thank you very much.

thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you.

Thanks

Thanks for all your work!!

That’s all.

The congress is important to me. International conferences are consistently exciting and enlivening. Watching them on the computer would be less so.

The congress is the better way to make network trough students and professors of different countries. It must survive

The Congress needs to be somewhere that isn’t insanely expensive.

The COVID restrictions seem to be least limiting in the US; maybe it would be possible to host it there instead of Europe?

“The covid story destroyed many good and quality action in our lifes.

We have to go on. “

The hosting country should be decided as soon as possible

The place has to have solid flight connections, infrastructures that could welcome the event , if possible gathered in the same place

The price range 200-499 is TOO broad. More reasonable is $200-250 USD. Please look at geography and consider wher the congress has not been held. A proposal recently presented was for Columbia. Perhaps this is still a possibility??

The travel restriction should be eased up later in several years. However, the saxophone community has waited too long, and we hope we can find an organizer who can prepare earlier without sacrificing the quality.

The world sax congress should go ahead in a venue if we can find somewhere next year, even if it’s not as big. The regular attendees have been holding out to go and the congress is much more than just the saxophone. For me it’s about seeing my saxophone family and we haven’t seen them for years! The congress will be good even if it isn’t as long or large.

The World Saxophone Congress is an essential event, especially for young professionals.

The WSC is an event I would love to attend, I have not had a chance this far. I’m looking forward to attending in the future as long as the destination/local is one that is travelable.

The WSC is by far the best and most rewarding saxophone event in existence. I hope it continues to flourish for many years!

“The WSC is such an amazing couple of days of music making and I know it has had a large impact on many university students and professionals, for networking, inspiration, experiences etc

Although in person would be amazing, even a smaller event which is online would still be nice to make sure we don’t miss out until the next one due to restrictions”

“There are several college professors and other professionals who have the facilities to host a great event, but do not offer their services or institutions. This hinders opportunities for the WSC to be hosted in many different venues.

I’d also like to see saxophonists team up with other musicians to make the congress seem more inclusive of the greater musical world as a whole. I feel that we are ostracizing ourselves and only playing for ourselves, and not the larger musical public. This will not help the cause of the saxophone, but only make it more insular. Remedies need to be prescribed here.”

There needs to be better advertisement of the next congress. I never seem to know when it’ll happen until it’s too late.

These are difficult times that we are living. It is understandable that the Congress was cancelled.

This is a huge organizational task and I applaud all of the hosts in the past as well as future hosts.

This is an important event for saxophonist to internationally collaborate. While the pandemic has been a concern, we must move on and find a country willing to host us.

Transmit regular information on the progress of the organization of the next congress.

Virtual festival is a really interesting idea!

Wait till Covid is manageable and look for serious organizer: there might be people

We desperately want this event to happen!

We obviously have to rethink this worldwide event in today’s situation. The WSC has to be more than just a saxophonists’ event and has to be deeply linked with the culture of the hosting country. It also is wery problematic to have hundreds of performers flying to the event, and the ecological aspect has to be taken into account.

We should not forget that saxophone is a tool to express the art and music

We were really excited from Honduras, but will be always in disposition to participate and help in anything we can, blessings

What makes this event always so interesting is seeing the plethora of different playing styles, repertoire, and cultural investment in the saxophone that our community strives for. What is particularly problematic with these congresses is that the soloists chosen to perform with the orchestras and wind symphonies do not represent our community at all. They are more often than not old white straight men performing music by more or less the same and this doesn’t represent our actuality nor our future. Should the WSC wish to thrive for generations to come then they need to start programming younger, non-straight, non-white, non-male more for the main big events. Otherwise the community is just as misogynist, white-washed, non-inclusive as some of the most oppressive and regressive places in the world. We can do better.

While it is totally understandable, it’s still very sad to learn that the Japan WSC was canceled. Looking forward to the world recovering from Covid and waiting for the WSC being back soon.

Wish wsc could still held in 2023

Wonderful event needed to make connections between composers and players

World Saxophone Congress is important to keep the world’s saxophone community together and aware of each other

Would a small island like Malta be considered?

Would love it to be in Australia!

Would love to see it in a major US city. Like LA or of that ilk.

Would strongly prefer an in-person congress if conditions allowed!