Bio
Joshua Hettwer is a musician, composer, and educator based in Eugene, Oregon. As a multi-woodwind instrumentalist, Joshua has played a wide range of repertoire varying from contemporary and classic jazz for combo and big band settings to new music and a myriad of orchestral works. His versatility has earned him many prestigious performing opportunities, most notably as the newest member of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, with whom he plays alto saxophone and clarinet. He also performs regularly with the Emerald City Jazz Kings on clarinet and saxophone, and has performed as part of the Oregon Festival of American Music for its last two instances. In a small group setting, Joshua is a regular member of many local ensembles, including his own quartet, which showcases his ability as a composer by playing his original music.
Joshua holds a Graduate Teaching Fellowship at the University of Oregon as a director of a small jazz ensemble and the director of the UO Latin Jazz Ensemble. Joshua is also in the University of Oregon's premier small jazz ensemble, Jazz Arts Oregon, where he plays tenor saxophone. The scholarship group exclusively performs original compositions and arrangements and plays regularly in Eugene. In March 2015, the ensemble went on a tour of the Northwest, performing at high schools, universities and clubs in Albany, Salem, Gresham, Portland and Vancouver, B.C. Since his arrival on campus in 2011, Joshua has been a member of the University of Oregon's premier big band, the Oregon Jazz Ensemble, playing tenor saxophone and clarinet. Now in his sixth year as a member of the ensemble, Joshua has switched to alto saxophone to play lead alto. This group performs regularly throughout the state of Oregon and at various regional festivals including the Reno Jazz Festival and the Seattle Jazz Experience. In the summer of 2014, Joshua traveled with the group to Europe on a whirlwind tour to play in some of the world's biggest jazz festivals including Montreux, Umbria, La Spezia and Vienne.
Aside from all of his jazz endeavors, Joshua played clarinet in the University Orchestra for all four of his undergraduate years. He also won the clarinet audition for Orchestra NEXT, a local ballet orchestra, for its first two seasons. In June 2015, Joshua was awarded the second clarinet position in the Eugene Concert Orchestra.
Beyond his love of performing, Joshua is dedicated to pedagogy and has been teaching saxophone, clarinet and flute privately for over five years. He has also held faculty positions at Salem's Young Musicians and Artists summer camp, the East Winds Band Camp in Gresham, and a counselor and assistant faculty member with the University of Oregon's own Jazz Improvisation Camp. Known for his enthusiasm and connectivity with young jazz musicians, he is also consistently hired as a host of the Sunday Learner's Jams. The jams are held at a local jazz venue, The Jazz Station. He currently studies with Steve Owen on jazz saxophone and composition, and in previous years has studied with Idit Shner, Louis DeMartino, Jerome Simas, and David Hattner among many others. Joshua graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelors of Music degree in Jazz Saxophone Performance in the summer of 2015 and is now enrolled in his final year of the UO graduate jazz studies program, hoping to graduate in the spring of 2017.
Joshua holds a Graduate Teaching Fellowship at the University of Oregon as a director of a small jazz ensemble and the director of the UO Latin Jazz Ensemble. Joshua is also in the University of Oregon's premier small jazz ensemble, Jazz Arts Oregon, where he plays tenor saxophone. The scholarship group exclusively performs original compositions and arrangements and plays regularly in Eugene. In March 2015, the ensemble went on a tour of the Northwest, performing at high schools, universities and clubs in Albany, Salem, Gresham, Portland and Vancouver, B.C. Since his arrival on campus in 2011, Joshua has been a member of the University of Oregon's premier big band, the Oregon Jazz Ensemble, playing tenor saxophone and clarinet. Now in his sixth year as a member of the ensemble, Joshua has switched to alto saxophone to play lead alto. This group performs regularly throughout the state of Oregon and at various regional festivals including the Reno Jazz Festival and the Seattle Jazz Experience. In the summer of 2014, Joshua traveled with the group to Europe on a whirlwind tour to play in some of the world's biggest jazz festivals including Montreux, Umbria, La Spezia and Vienne.
Aside from all of his jazz endeavors, Joshua played clarinet in the University Orchestra for all four of his undergraduate years. He also won the clarinet audition for Orchestra NEXT, a local ballet orchestra, for its first two seasons. In June 2015, Joshua was awarded the second clarinet position in the Eugene Concert Orchestra.
Beyond his love of performing, Joshua is dedicated to pedagogy and has been teaching saxophone, clarinet and flute privately for over five years. He has also held faculty positions at Salem's Young Musicians and Artists summer camp, the East Winds Band Camp in Gresham, and a counselor and assistant faculty member with the University of Oregon's own Jazz Improvisation Camp. Known for his enthusiasm and connectivity with young jazz musicians, he is also consistently hired as a host of the Sunday Learner's Jams. The jams are held at a local jazz venue, The Jazz Station. He currently studies with Steve Owen on jazz saxophone and composition, and in previous years has studied with Idit Shner, Louis DeMartino, Jerome Simas, and David Hattner among many others. Joshua graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelors of Music degree in Jazz Saxophone Performance in the summer of 2015 and is now enrolled in his final year of the UO graduate jazz studies program, hoping to graduate in the spring of 2017.
