About the Artists

Jacob Hallman

Founding GLQ member Jacob Hallman is a performing artist, composer, and author of Ready Set Go: Life Hacks for Young Musicians. He has written multiple choral works, most notably a Christmas Cantata for choir SATB+piano as well as dozens of jazz combo charts. Hallman has commissioned new works by Cheryl Bocanegra, Michael E. Anderson, Joshua D. Peterson, and Christian Lauba. In 2008, Hallman produced a jazz quartet album titled 'In the Hall' featuring pop hits like 'Super Mario Bros.,' 'Virtual Insanity,' and original compositions, most notably 'Things that Really Matter.' In 2015, Hallman released an EP with Bordeaux-based Trio Aqmo (Vincent Vilnet, Mathieu Ben Hassen) featuring beatbox, saxophone, and piano. He has performed in Argentina, France, Mexico, Poland, Spain, Thailand, and the United States. Teachers include Michael Compton, Richard Rath, Leo Saguiguit, Arthur White, Francisco Martinez, Jean-Marie Londeix, Richard Ducros, Marc Chisson, Frederic Borey, Dan Thomas, and Matt Otto. Today, he regularly performs classical works at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Arcadia, CA.

Rachel Wolz

Rachel Wolz is a distinguished saxophonist and educator based in Los Angeles, currently completing her Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Performance at UCLA. She has performed with ensembles such as the UCLA Philharmonia and The Colburn Orchestra. She has also toured with the Zoto Saxophone Quartet, conducting various clinics and masterclasses throughout the state of Arizona. Additionally, she is a recipient of numerous awards, including third prize in the 2023 International Artists Competition and the Eugene V. Cota-Robles Fellowship at UCLA.

Joshua Park

An educator deeply rooted in the modern classical saxophone tradition, Joshua is an advocate of the arts of classical and contemporary music. He continues to share the beauty of flexibility available in classical and contemporary works for the saxophone.

A graduate from UCLA, Joshua studied under Dr. Douglas Masek and Dr. Jan Berry-Baker. He went on to complete his Master’s of Music under the tutelage of Carrie Koffman at the Hartt School of Music in West Hartford, Connecticut. There he had the opportunity to study under world-renowned musicians such as Avery Fisher Grant winner, Steven Banks, and the Grammy nominated, Aizuri Quartet. Additionally, he’s competed in multiple solo and chamber competitions receiving honorable mentions.

As an educator, he strives to redefine the standard of the saxophone. With so much recent advancement of the saxophone, he enjoys watching the growth of his students not only as a musician but as a human being. Joshua holds a private studio in Diamond Bar and also teaches in local schools. In his spare time, he enjoys lifting weights, exploring new music and finding the best cup of coffee in town.

Daniel Reyes-Velarde

Saxophonist and educator based in Long Beach Daniel Reyes-Velarde has earned a Bachelor's degree from CSU Long Beach and a Master's degree from UCLA, both in saxophone performance. Daniel enjoys large ensemble playing and has performed in groups such as the Academy Festival Orchestra (Music Academy of the West), the Symphonic Winds of the Pacific, the UCLA Wind Ensemble and Philharmonia, and the CSULB Wind Symphony. Daniel is passionate about chamber music, having been a part of saxophone quartets LAPIS and Scope, with whom he has performed nationwide at conferences like the North American Saxophone Alliance and the Navy Band Saxophone Symposium, as well as throughout communities across LA County. He has also performed nationwide and internationally, having competed at the 12th Coltman Chamber Music Competition and the Andorra Saxfest International Competition. Daniel’s mentors include Dr. Jan Berry Baker, James Barrera, Roger Przytulski, and Jeremy Koch.