Walt Puyear

About Walt

Walt Puyear is the Lecturer of Saxophone at Eastern Michigan University. As a soloist, Puyear was the first prize winner in Vandoren’s 2021 Emerging Artist Competition and was a finalist and prize winner in the 2022 Walter Naumburg International Saxophone Competition. He has appeared as a concerto soloist with the UMKC Conservatory Wind Symphony and the University of Michigan Chamber Winds. His recent engagements include a guest artist recital for the Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association and performances with the New World Symphony.

As alto saxophonist with the Aero Quartet, Puyear received a Gold Medal at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and top prizes at the New Orleans Chamber Music Festival and Music Teachers National Association Competitions. Aero engages audiences and communities through neighborhood concerts, K-12 school visits, university masterclasses, and chamber music series appearances, including the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, Chesapeake Music in Easton, Maryland, and Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts broadcasted on Chicago WFMT Radio. The Aero Quartet recorded its debut album on the UK-based label Orchid Classics released in September 2023.

In the fall of 2022, Puyear served as a sabbatical replacement at the University of Michigan, teaching applied saxophone, chamber music, and studio class. At the University of Michigan, Puyear currently serves as a Graduate Student Instructor and is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree. He holds bachelor’s degrees in Saxophone Performance and Music Theory from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and a Master of Music in Saxophone Performance from the University of Michigan. Walt’s primary teachers include Timothy McAllister, Zach Shemon, and Andrew Bishop.