About Me!
Sean Dixon is a saxophonist and composer based in Southern California. He started playing at the age of ten and grew up playing in wind ensembles and jazz bands. Some jazz influences on Dixon include John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Hank Mobely, Bob Reynolds, Phil Woods, Immanuel Wilkins, and Sonny Rollins. Some of Dixon’s favorite big band composers include Charles Mingus, Dave Slonaker, Sammy Nestico, Thad Jones, and Mel Lewis.
While Dixon has had a long love for jazz, he values concert music just as equally. Some composers include Oliver Messiaen, Maurice Ravel, Alexander Borodin, and Claude Debussy.
Dixon is currently a senior at Azusa Pacific University and is studying saxophone with well-known studio musician Rusty Higgins. He has the honor of studying under John Burdett as a tenor saxophonist in the APU Wind Ensemble and David Beatty in the APU Jazz Band. He is also a part of Tom Hyne’s combo group at the university.
Dixon started composing in 2022 under the guidance of Mike Watts. He enjoys composing for string quartet, woodwind quintet, chamber ensemble, and big band.
At Glendora High School, Dixon learned how to play Scottish snare drum and joined the school’s pipe band. When he graduated, he decided to join the Pasadena Pipe and Drums in Pasadena, CA. He plays snare drum in their grade 3 band and serves as assistant drum major. In September of 2022, Dixon placed 1st in grade 3 march / strathspey snare drumming and 1st in the drum major competition, ultimately winning the chiefs trophy for the Pleasanton Scottish Games.
In his free time, Dixon enjoys reading memoirs and struggling on bike rides in the Glendora foothills.