Heidi Radtke

Lecturer

Driven to create a musical bond with her listeners, saxophonist Heidi Radtke (Lecturer) is attracted to the many musical traditions that claim the saxophone as their own. With influences ranging from contemporary classical to jazz and popular genres, Heidi gravitates towards music that dances, sings, and tells a story. As a performing artist, Heidi seeks to entertain, to provide emotional connection and release, stir creativity, pique curiosity, generate compassion, and above all, inspire the artistic voice in others.

Picking up the instrument at the age of 11, Heidi began spending her summers studying the saxophone at Interlochen Arts Camp, where she had the opportunity to work with famed saxophonists Donald Sinta and Timothy McAllister. Years later, she attended Interlochen Arts Academy for her senior year of high school. Her love for the instrument firmly in place, Heidi pursued music performance at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, studying with esteemed pedagogue Debra Richtmeyer for both her undergraduate and master’s degrees. After receiving an additional graduate degree in library science, Heidi worked as a music librarian at the University of Miami, FL where she took lessons with retired Navy Band saxophonist, Dale Underwood. In 2010, Heidi moved to Bloomington, IN to complete a doctoral degree in music at Indiana University, under the tutelage of Otis Murphy.

A passionate teacher, Heidi has held teaching positions at Butler University in Indianapolis and was a private instructor for the Carmel High School Band Program. An active clinician, she has served on the faculties of the Illinois Summer Youth Music Pre-College Saxophone Camp, the Indiana University Summer Saxophone Academy, and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. Heidi currently holds the position of Lecturer of Saxophone at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, where she co-teaches the saxophone studio alongside Rahsaan Barber. She also serves the saxophone community through her involvement with the North American Saxophone Alliance. Heidi is a member of the NASA Committee for Gender Equity and is the leader of the Women+’s Mentoring Program, which focuses on assisting women, non-binary, and gender non-conforming saxophonists of any age and stage of life/career/training in developing and executing meaningful community-based engagement, education, or performance projects.

As a solo artist, Heidi has performed with the University of North Carolina Symphony Band and Wind Ensemble. She gave a premiere performance of Stacy Garrop’s concerto Alpenglow with tubist Anthony Kniffen and the Butler University Wind Ensemble at the 2022 American Bandmasters Association Convention and performed Garrop’s concerto Quicksilver at Butler University in the spring of 2018. An avid chamber musician, Heidi has performed throughout the United States with fellow saxophonist Henning Schröder as part of the Hiding Duo. She is the tenor saxophonist with the Iovi Saxophone Quartet and performs with oboist Pam Ajango as part of the oboe-saxophone duo, Metalloboe. Heidi has performed as a section player with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra. She has also done studio recording work for Hal Leonard, Carl Fischer, and KJOS Music Publishing.

Heidi Radtke is a Conn-Selmer Artist/Clinician. She performs on a Selmer Paris Supreme alto saxophone, Selmer Paris Supreme tenor saxophone, and a solid-silver Selmer Paris Series III soprano saxophone.