Julia Nolan

Julia Nolan is someone I have admired from a distance.

The first occurrence was twenty-six years ago, six rows back and eighteen seats in. I saw her perform the Heiden Sonata on the stage of Pollack Hall at McGill University for the Hommage à Gerald Danovitch concert.

In Canada, a country of regions, Julia is one of the few professional saxophonists with a pan-national identity and presence.

She exudes gravitas.

Wise, calm, and attuned to the thought processes of her students—Julia is the Eleanor Wachtel of the saxophone world.

Her 2012 dissertation is a pedagogical gift to us all; a priceless record of how Hemke, Rousseau and Sinta brought about excellence in their students in the second half of the twentieth century.

It is with great respect that I, along with Matthew, Haley, Mia, Christopher, Tristan, Colin and Len honour Julia Nolan’s teaching achievements this Saturday, October 5th, 2024 for UNESCO World Teachers’ Day.

Special thanks to Colin MacDonald.

I was fortunate enough to study with Julia during my MM degree between 2016 and 2018. At the time I always wondered why she asked so many questions during lessons, and whether spending the entire session on the first line of Desenclos’ Prélude, Cadence et Finale was some form of cruel punishment. Her analytic approach and push for consistency have become staples in my own teaching, so much so that my own students must have the same thoughts I did. While my time with Julia was short, the impact she had on my approach to teaching and my own learning was nothing short of remarkable. Since graduating, Julia has continued to show the same investment in my development as when I was her student. To me this speaks volumes about who Julia is and the commitment she has to her students, current and former.

Matthew Robinson

I had the honour and privilege of being one of Julia’s students at the University of British Columbia from 2014 through 2018. Her contagious love for all things saxophone and deep commitment to pedagogy and education at all levels were a great inspiration to me then, and continue to inspire me now.

I knew very early on during my time at UBC that performance was not for me. I was much too anxious to willingly put on more solo performances than absolutely necessary for my music education degree. Despite this, Julia taught me with the same care and attention she gave all of her other students. I recall talking with the other members of the saxophone studio one day about how our lessons were going. We ended up discussing all of the different techniques Julia used with each one of us and were surprised at how little overlap there was. Rather than having us adapt to her teaching style, Julia modified her approach to best suit each student. For example, she knew that I really enjoyed music theory and analysis. So, during my lessons, she’d ask me to apply my theoretical understanding, inquiring about how I was interpreting particular passages. (Oh, and she’d always ask me to play louder; the day that I finally played loud enough—after years of her asking—was a momentous one for both of us!)

Even though it’s been several years since I’ve taken a lesson with Julia, she continues to influence my research. I read her dissertation this past summer while working on a dissertation chapter of my own. I wasn’t surprised to find that her scholarship has undoubtedly shaped mine, even without much scholarly dialogue between us; instead, her interest in pedagogy and musical artistry found its way into my research over the years I spent with her in our weekly lessons and quartet coaching sessions.

Thank you, Julia! Words can’t adequately express how grateful I am for your continued mentorship and support. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without you.

Haley Heinricks is a Ph.D candidate in music theory at Harvard University. Her dissertation explores the ways in which instruments influence our understanding of music, focusing on the classical saxophone and questions of organology, transcription, and chamber music practices.

I first met Julia Nolan by chance. It happened in the elevator at the University of British Columbia’s School of Music, back in 2012. Julia may not remember this encounter; it happened over ten years ago. But it was a moment that changed the entire shape of my future.

I was in grade eleven and looking into pursuing music as a career. My teacher at that time drove me from Chilliwack to Vancouver, so that I could take a tour of the UBC campus and music building. We had just stepped into the elevator when Julia came in behind us. My teacher quickly did the introductions and Julia suggested attending the UBC Summer Music Institute. I attended that summer and began to take monthly lessons with Julia as I finished my grade twelve year. This led to an audition and then being accepted into the program at the UBC School of Music in 2013.

During five years of undergraduate studies, Julia helped me, through music, to find a sense of self. Whether I was experiencing success or stress, she was always patient, kind, and understanding. Her teaching style was always tailored to the student. Her use of descriptive words, stories and abstract ideas were immensely helpful and furthered my understanding and my musicality. Through hours of private lessons, quartet coaching sessions, studio classes and coffee breaks, Julia taught me the fundamentals and how to practice. The patience and perseverance I gained through these activities have shaped my life in ways I may never truly comprehend.

Our lessons were never just about the saxophone and music; Julia became my mentor in life as well. There were times when I much preferred practising to being in class, and Julia would always kindly but firmly remind me that I should be attending to my courses as well. Always willing to lend an ear, she cared deeply about me and the well-being of all of her students. Julia was always supportive.

Having developed my own teaching studio and hoping to inspire young saxophonists, I often find myself repeating Julia’s words and employing her techniques. Her obvious love of the saxophone, of music, and of education is something that I hope I am able to pass along to my own students.

I am so incredibly honoured to call Julia a mentor and a friend. I treasure all of the time we spend together, whether it be performing overly difficult compositions in quartet or catching up over coffee at her office. Thank you Julia, for your unwavering support and for believing in the person and saxophonist I could be when I couldn’t see it myself.

Primarily a freelance musician, Mia Gazley has a healthy private lesson studio, and performs regularly with various jazz and classical groups around Vancouver. She works as the Winds, Brass, and Percussion Administrator at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra School of Music.

I had the pleasure of studying with Julia Nolan from 2011-2013 at UBC as a MM student in saxophone performance. Julia does everything you would want an amazing teacher to do: push you, challenge you, continue to challenge herself by learning new music and performing all around Vancouver.

Yes, I learned a lot and grew a lot!

What makes her exceptional is all the small stuff: the extra opportunities to perform with her quartet when a player was needed or grabbing a cup of coffee with her when things were tough and a friendly chat was appreciated.

I recall a specific time when her delicate and beautiful balance of pushing the student and care for the student shone really bright. I had a lesson with Julia on a Sunday afternoon after driving back from Washington where I was doing some work. I arrived at the school of music and got to my lesson. My final recital was about three weeks away. I was to perform straight through some of my repertoire, and first up was the Bach Partita in A Minor for flute, which I was going to perform on soprano saxophone. For whatever reason, that day, the saxophone gods were not on my side. The entire time I was fighting spit forming on the reed, poor phrasing due to breathing challenges, and a litany of other mistakes. I had an uncomfortable feeling throughout the entire performance.

After the final note, I looked up and caught her gaze. I was a sweaty mess. I broke down crying, feeling terrible about the performance, not understanding why after all my practising, this run-through felt so awful and sounded even worse. Julia did not say anything and just came over to give me a hug and hold me until I was more composed. After talking for a few minutes about what happened, she suggested that perhaps the day was not mine, that I should just go home, grab a beer, then get back to it tomorrow, when things would be better.

I don’t know if I was expecting her to be disappointed with me or be ashamed at my poor performance, but her care and understanding, rare qualities these days, has always stuck with me. I try to keep her example in mind as I teach my middle and high school band students. You can have high expectations for your students while also guiding them with care and dignity. I hope the way I feel about Julia is how my students will feel about me.

Christopher Ward currently teaches middle school and high school band at Hong Kong International School. He completed his MM in Saxophone with Dr. Nolan at UBC from 2011-2013.

I had the privilege of studying with Dr. Julia Nolan during my Master of Music degree at the University of British Columbia from 2007 to 2009. I will never forget my first week in Vancouver. I had just arrived in the city when Julia invited me to watch her performance of Jimmy Dorsey’s Oodles of Noodles with the Dal Richard’s Big Band at the Pacific National Exhibition. I was of course familiar with Julia’s incredible playing through her recordings, but this was the first time I heard her play in person. She played Oodles with a virtuosic flair and impeccable precision.

Later that week, during my first lesson, we began work on the monumental Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Wind Ensemble by Ingolf Dahl. Julia demonstrated the altissimo passages, playing with great control and a beautiful, rich tone quality. This versatility, showcasing her incredible talent, reaffirmed my decision to join her studio. It inspired me to put all of my energy into my studies.

Throughout my degree, Julia was an incredible mentor and teacher. She was compassionate and kind, yet pushed me to realize my full potential. She was attentive and a good listener, customizing her teaching to suit my goals and interests.

I cherish the time I spent studying with Julia and often reflect on my lessons. Today, I incorporate her methods in my own teaching practice at Acadia University. Julia continues to demonstrate the same kindness, encouragement, and support I first received when I was her student, and I am grateful for her on-going mentorship and friendship.

As a faculty member at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Nolan has taught (and continues to teach) several generations of saxophonists, many of whom are now eminent teachers and performers themselves. She continues to be a leading saxophonist, as a performer and teacher in Canada and internationally.

Cheers to you Julia! Thank you for being such a wonderful teacher. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this tribute on this UNESCO World Teachers’ Day!

Tristan De Borba is a classical and contemporary saxophonist and conductor. He is an Assistant Professor at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia where he teaches saxophone, musicianship and conducts the Orchestra and the Symphonic Band.

It has been a pleasure to count Julia Nolan as a teacher, and later as a colleague and good friend for more than thirty years. I came to Julia straight out of high school with nothing more to offer than a willing attitude and a vague dream of making a career playing the saxophone. She saw a spark in me, igniting an artistic flame which I carry within to this day.

Coming from small-town Alberta and never having had a saxophone teacher before, I can truly say that Julia gave me all of the fundamental skills for classical saxophone technique. She challenged all of her students to play with precision, expression, and a deep regard for tradition. Along with the other students in her studio at UBC, I worked hard to meet her expectations and gain the ultimate mark of approval: the coveted “Bravo!” written in my lesson notebook.

It was never stated aloud, but Julia instilled in us the importance of community. She hosted parties to foster connection, allowing us to bond with one another. She encouraged us to attend NASA conferences to meet teachers and students from across Canada. She worked hard to bring guest artists to UBC, allowing us to engage with an international community of saxophonists. It was particularly special for a number of years to have her and her husband, David Branter, host an annual summer workshop with her own teacher and mentor, Dr. Eugene Rousseau.

After completing my studies at UBC I stayed in Vancouver, making my way as a performer and teacher. Julia was very supportive of projects I was involved in, regularly attending my concerts and recitals. In 1996 we formed the Saxophilia Saxophone Quartet along with David Branter and another one of her grad students, Tony Sheppard. As a young player, fresh out of school, it was really so encouraging and inspiring to work with someone who I respected so deeply. This group became a touchstone of artistic endeavour for all involved.

I’ve played alongside Julia in the VSO, Vancouver Opera, Saxophilia, my own Pocket Orchestra, and I still keep a close ear to her beautiful tone and expressive phrasing. I will never stop learning from her!

Colin MacDonald is a saxophonist and composer living in Vancouver, BC. He is a member of the Saxophilia Saxophone Quartet and teaches at Douglas College in New Westminster, BC.

I had the good fortune to start studying the saxophone with Julia Nolan at the age of fifteen, while in junior high school. Although band was always fun, working with Julia was so much more challenging and interesting. I was learning the instrument and occasionally performing solo repertoire in local competitions. I continued my studies, obtaining an undergraduate degree in saxophone performance, which allowed me to study the repertoire in more depth. I also played in saxophone quartets, where I gained chamber ensemble skills.

Throughout my early studies, Julia was crucial to my musical growth and development. Listening to her perform was such an inspiration; it gave me something to aim for, and also helped me understand how to prepare for performance. In our lessons she was always supportive and encouraging, while at the same time demanding the best of me. She modelled and exacted the excellence and consistency evident in her own work.

Julia gained a sense of what it’s like to be part of a musical family and community from her teacher, Eugene Rousseau. She fosters this sense of family amongst her own studio of students to this day. We were always encouraged to listen to each other perform, and to help and support each other on our musical journeys. Some of my closest friends today come from this community she built for and with us. Despite being extremely busy, Julia gives back to this community; she makes time to see me and her other former students perform. She comes to my gigs when I am performing in town, and I still feel a boost from seeing her in the audience.

Julia has a famously calm and soft-spoken demeanour, and does not give out false or insincere feedback. She is never overcritical, unkind, or unfair. She saves compliments for when they are truly deserved. If I had worked hard and performed particularly well, she might quietly say “Bravo!”, or write it in my lesson notebook. It was broadly understood that getting a ‘bravo’ from Julia was the highest praise imaginable, and receiving one often left us on a high for days. Being rewarded with this word encouraged me to persevere, prompting me to work even harder to earn the next one.

One of most important conversations with Julia came when I was trying to decide what to do after high school; a difficult decision for most teenagers. Although I was keen to study music, I was nervous about the risk of such a precarious career. Julia didn’t tell me what to do, and no prescriptive advice was offered. She acknowledged that I had a tough choice to make, but that my personal decision would be the right one. This guidance, coming from such a respected and admired musician, was exactly what I needed to hear. Julia’s confidence in me, encouraged me to trust and believe in myself. This was the single best piece of advice I have ever received.

Julia and I have remained friends over several decades. Whether playing or composing, I continue to apply the focus and discipline she instilled in me. I have been blessed with many great musical mentors and peers. I am a better person because of music and all the opportunities it has brought me. It all began with Julia. As well as her remarkable record as a performer, the community of musicians, students, and educators around her stand as testimony to her integrity.

Bravo, Julia!

Len Aruliah is a freelance saxophonist, composer, and educator living in London, active in both the UK and Canada.