Eugene Ryoo - 2023 Award Winner 

Eugene Ryoo is currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in saxophone performance at the University of Iowa.  He is studying with Dr. Kenneth Tse and is serving as a graduate teaching assistant. He earned a Master of Music degree in saxophone performance from University of North Carolina School of the Arts where he served as a saxophone teaching assistant, woodwind graduate assistant, and Jazz Ensemble manager. He earned his Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

Ryoo has earned numerous awards including winner of the Artist Presentation Society Competition, the American Protégé International Concerto Competition, and was a finalist in the MTNA Young Artist Competition.

He is a member of the Dimma Saxophone Quartet, and Emergence Duo, an oboe/saxophone duo with his wife, Lisa. The Emergence Duo has performed at the North American Saxophone Alliance Conference, and will be performing at the upcoming 2023 World Saxophone Congress in the Canary Islands in December. Outside of performing, Eugene maintains a private studio in Iowa and works as an assistant to the audio engineer at the University of Iowa.