Dr. Noah Brisson, is an avid educator and performer currently based in South Florida, where he invests in the education of various students as the Adjunct Professor of Classical Saxophone at Florida International University’s Wertheim School of Music and adjunct of saxophone at Westminster Christian School.

At the Wertheim School of Music, Dr. Brisson has worked to build a culture of excellence through his students and the ensembles he directs, including the F.I.U. Saxophone Quartet and F.I.U. Saxophone Ensemble.

Dr. Brisson grew up in the very rural “Quiet Corner” of Connecticut, where he attended The Woodstock Academy. While at The Woodstock Academy, the nurturing influence of his mentors inspired his love for music, leading him on a journey to pursue it as a career. While in the early days of his musicianship, Noah discovered chamber music, specifically the saxophone quartet, and in 2013, he founded his high school quartet "Saxparilla.” During these years, Noah studied with Ian Jackson, M.M.

Dr. Brisson chose to stay close to home for his undergraduate degree, obtaining a Bachelor of Music in saxophone performance from the University of Connecticut, where he studied under the guidance of Ret. MUC Greg Case. At the very beginning of his time at UConn, he was immediately drafted into the UConn Saxophone Quartet and Wind Ensemble as one of four freshmen to do so. During his time at UConn, Noah made strides and looked to push the studio to new heights. With the assistance of Greg, Noah helped re-found a second quartet and was the Undergraduate coach for it by his senior year. While at UConn, he was also able to participate in the “Pride of Connecticut” Marching Band, Symphony Orchestra, Jazz 10-tet, as well as participate in composers’ new works and other student-led projects. Noah graduated with his Bachelor of Music in May of 2020, with a commitment to the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music for his Master of Music degree.

Throughout Dr. Brisson’s master’s program, he began freelancing in the Miami-Dade area and was able to establish a small saxophone studio. It was during this period that he and three colleagues founded the Deco Saxophone Quartet, which won the inaugural Artist Launch Competition held at the Frost School in 2021. As a part of Dr. Brisson’s push to learn repertoire and perform, he became Prof. Underwood’s only master’s student to elect and perform three Master’s recitals.

In 2022, Dr. Brisson completed his Master of Music degree and stayed at the Frost School on full scholarship for his Doctor of Musical Arts degree as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the classical saxophone studio. Dr. Brisson also held a fellowship with the Henry Mancini Institute as part of his degree program. During his doctoral studies, Dr. Brisson won the Frost 2023 Concerto Competition and performed RUSH by Kenneth Fuchs on September 10, 2023, under the baton of Dr. Robert Carnochan. In addition, Dr. Brisson had the honor of being the first saxophonist invited to attend Festival Napa Valley in the summer of 2023 to perform a recital for a saxophonist at the festival, as well as perform with the festival’s orchestra on S. Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances. A special collaboration between the Henry Mancini Institute and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra took place in the fall of 2023 for All Without Words, featuring John Daversa by Justin Morell. This piece was inspired by the composer’s non-verbal autistic son and was incredibly special for Dr. Brisson to be a part of.

In May of 2025, Dr. Brisson graduated from the University of Miami and ended his nine consecutive years as a student. His dissertation is an open-access publication titled Saxophone Pedagogy: Using Vocal Techniques to Approach Voicing and Altissimo. Other notable contributions made by Dr. Brisson to the Frost School were revamping the Single Reed Day, adjudicating and providing masterclasses for the Frost Honor Band saxophonists, commissioning new works for saxophone quartet and saxophone ensemble by student composers, and representing the Frost School at the International Saxophone Symposium from 2022 to 2025.

Since relocating to Miami, Dr. Brisson has performed with the with ensembles and festivals such as: Festival Napa Valley, New World Symphony, Nu Deco Ensemble, the Deco Saxophone Quartet, Miami Sousa Band, Henry Mancini Institute, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Lynn University Wind Ensemble, International Saxophone Symposium, and various academic ensembles through the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music such as the Frost Saxophone Quartet, Frost Saxophone Ensemble, Frost Wind Ensemble, and Frost Symphony Orchestra.

As an accomplished performer, Dr. Brisson is also seriously invested in educating the next generation of musicians. He has served as the Lecturer of Classical Saxophone at Florida International University’s Wertheim School of Music and as a saxophone adjunct at Westminster Christian School since 2022. While working at these schools, Noah is constantly inspired by the next generation from his fourth graders to his collegiate students.  

Dr. Brisson brings his passion for the saxophone to the stage by performing well-rounded programs that feature works to challenge the listener, paired with others that are enjoyable for the audience; a core belief of his is the pairing of these two elements. He is a strong advocate for growing the saxophone repertoire and is constantly pursuing new music for the instrument. Recently, he has consorted with composers Alan Theisen, Michael J. Melnik, Ryne Siesky, and others for new works for solo saxophone, saxophone quartet, and saxophone ensemble. The relationships Noah has nurtured with composers have focused on assisting them in writing for the true capabilities of the instrument, and, of course, to encourage them to continue writing for the saxophone quartet and ensemble genres. Additionally, Dr. Brisson has worked to arrange works for saxophone quartet and ensemble to continue expanding the library, such as arranging Schubert’s Death and the Maiden string quartet for saxophone quartet and Copland’s Old American Songs for voice and saxophone ensemble.

Dr. Brisson’s primary teachers include Ret. MUC Greg Case, Ret. MUCM Dale Underwood and Marcus Strickland.

Outside of his musical journey, Dr. Brisson has worked as a specialist with survivors of traumatic brain injuries for nearly a decade and has begun investing in real estate within his home state of Connecticut. In his free time, he enjoys cooking New England cuisine, spending time with his wife Lucy, playing board games, traveling, creating new arrangements for saxophone quartet and saxophone ensemble, and jet skiing with his father when visiting his family’s home at Lake Char­gogg­a­gogg­man­chaugg­a­gogg­chau­bun­a­gung­a­maugg.

D.M.A. – 2025      University of Miami, Frost School of Music, Cognate: Jazz

M.M.    – 2022      University of Miami, Frost School of Music

B.M.     – 2020      University of Connecticut, Dept. of Music

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