Todd Goranson, D.M.A.

Dr. Todd Goranson is Professor of Music at Messiah University, where he teaches applied saxophone, applied bassoon, as well as coursework in music theory, jazz, and music entrepreneurship. He previously served on the faculties of Texas A&M University-Commerce and Frostburg State University. Lauded by Fanfare Magazine as “an agile and characterful soloist”, Goranson has enjoyed a performance career playing saxophone and bassoon in a wide variety of settings and genres. In addition to his own performing groups, he has appeared in concert with a diverse list of artists including Ray Charles, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Johnny Mathis, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Sandi Patti, Keith and Kristen Getty, and he performed extensively with the Billy Price Band.

His orchestral bassoon credits include over a dozen professional orchestras in the US, Mexico, and China, and his saxophone engagements include performances with the Utah Symphony, Dallas Wind Symphony, Harrisburg Symphony, Plano Symphony, Philadelphia Wind Symphony, and many others. He has performed under acclaimed conductors including Thierry Fischer, Stuart Malina, John Nelson, Marvin Hamlisch, Michael Butterman, Larry Rachleff, Delta David Gier, and Jerry Junkin. Goranson served as principal bassoonist for the Plano Symphony and Irving Symphony, and was member of both orchestra from 2002-2012.

Dr. Goranson is a founding member of the Junction Saxophone Quartet, Triforia Winds, and Trio Atlantis, and he has given recital performances and/or clinics at numerous conservatories, universities, and schools throughout the U.S. as well as Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Malaysia, China, and Sweden.

As a soloist and chamber musician, Dr. Goranson performs regularly for events International Saxophone Symposiums, NASA Biennial Symposiums, International Double Reed Society Conferences. Other solo and chamber performance venues for Goranson have included Zhengzhou University (China); SMM Sommarmusikskola in Jonkoping, Sweden; The Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico; Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand for the World Saxophone Congress XV; Birmingham Conservatoire in Birmingham, UK and the Dallas Wind Symphony Summer Music Institute. Past solo and chamber performances have been broadcast live on KPBX and WRR radio.  Goranson has additionally presented world premiere performances of works by composers including Rodolfo Ledesma, Daniel Adams, Mattias Arveheim, Ted Hansen, Biljana Bozinovska-Bozivic, as well as North American or Asian premieres of pieces by Eduardo Morales-Caso, David Gillingham, and Catherine McMichael. Other commissioned/co-commissioned projects include works by James Stephenson, Katherine Hoover, Sy Brandon, and Bill Douglas.

Dr. Goranson gives dozens of single reed and bassoon clinics to grade schools and secondary schools throughout the mid-Atlantic region each year. He is the Past-President of the Christian Performing Artists' Fellowship & The MasterWorks Festival, and was an invited speaker for The Gospel Coalition Biennial Conference (2019).

Dr. Goranson has presented lectures on conditioned response and coping with performance anxiety at universities and educational conferences throughout the US, including the 2015 TMEA Conference (San Antonio, TX), 2013 IDRS Conference (University of the Redlands) and 2012 NASA Biennial Symposium (Arizona State University). An active clinician and adjudicator, he currently adjudicates regularly for Music in the Parks Festivals and as a clinician for PMEA events. He served as a saxophone quartet and solo adjudicator for the Texas State Solo & Ensemble Competition from 2005-2012. He was the director/clinician for many TMEA and ATSSB region and area jazz ensembles and jazz festivals. He served two terms as the jazz representative for the College Music Society South Central Region Board, and founded and hosted the Northeast Texas Saxophone Symposium.

Goranson authored the book "New Latin American Music for Bassoon", published by TrevCo Music, as well as articles for "The Double Reed", "Scrapes" and “ACAS (Australian Clarinet and Saxophone) Magazine”. Goranson was also featured in recent articles in Vandoren’s “Wave” publication and Umgås Magazine.

Dr. Goranson’s major teachers for saxophone include Robert W. Miller, Curtis Johnson and Barry Bergstrom, with additional studies with Andy Wen. His bassoon teachers have included Ronald Klimko, Terry Ewell, Susan Hess, and Winston Collier. Goranson can be heard on the recent Klavier CD release "Stained Glass Windows" with the Messiah College Wind Ensemble (solo saxophone, Claude T. Smith "Fantasia" for Alto Saxophone & Wind Band; solo bassoon, "Concertino for 11 Instruments & Wind Band" by Joseph Turrin), available on iTunes and Naxos.

Dr. Goranson is an artist/endorser for Yanagisawa Saxophones, Conn-Selmer, Inc., Hercules Stands, and is a Vandoren Paris Artist-Clinician. He performs with a Heckel Crest bassoon.