Joseph Lulloff

Saxophonist Joseph Lulloff is an important educator who maintains a vigorous performing career. He has made several recordings on the Blue Griffin label. Joseph Lulloff, generally known as Joe, was born in May of 1960. He suffered from asthma as a child, and his doctor suggested he take up the clarinet to help him with breath control. Lulloff agreed, but at age seven, he switched to the saxophone. He completed clinics organized by saxophonist Eugene Rousseau and decided to study the saxophone at the college level. He attended Michigan State University, studying with Jim Forger, and went on for further work at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. Lulloff played with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra after graduating and went on to perform with the Minnesota Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra. With the latter group, he toured as a soloist in the Saxophone Concerto of Ingolf Dahl. Lulloff has served as principal saxophonist with the Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota, and St. Louis Symphony Orchestras. In 1997, he released the saxophone recital Interplay on the Channel Crossings label with pianist Philip Hosford. Lulloff taught saxophone for a time at the University of Illinois but has spent the bulk of his teaching career at Michigan State. He has maintained his performing career. In 1991, he and three other members of Midwestern saxophone faculties formed the Capitol Quartet, which performs both classical and jazz concerts; Lulloff is skilled in both idioms. He has appeared at such major venues as Carnegie Hall in New York, Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles, and the Smithsonian Institution. Lulloff is in demand at festivals such as the Ojai Festival in California and the Ravinia Festival in Illinois, and among his appearances outside the U.S. have been those at the Moscow Autumn Festival and the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland. Lulloff has released several albums on the Blue Griffin label, including 2023's New Stories, a recital of contemporary music for saxophone and piano featuring pianist Yu-Lien The.
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