Eric DeFade

saxophones/flute

With over thirty years of professional experience Eric DeFade is in demand as a performing artist and studio musician. Few musicians enjoy a schedule as demanding or varied. For the past ten years Eric has been a featured performer for the ‘My Music’ series on PBS. This program is internationally broadcast and features such artists as Patti Labelle, Isaac Hayes, the Temptations, Robert Goulet, Wild Cherry, the Platters ,and the Commodores to name a few. Eric has played with music greats Rosemary Clooney, Josh Groban, the New York voices, Gary Burton, John Scofield, Dave Liebman, Ahmad Jamal, Benny Golson and has toured internationally with The Artie Shaw band and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. Eric has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show accompanying legendary jazz vocalist Nancy Wilson.

A Mcdonald’s all-American and multi instrumentalist, Eric received a scholarship to study jazz performance at the University of North Texas and was the lead tenor saxophonist with the Dallas jazz orchestra. After working extensively in the Dallas club and studio scene, Eric relocated to Tokyo to lead his own jazz combo. Upon returning to the U.S. Eric began a busy freelance schedule including performances with the Pittsburgh Ballet theater, the Civic Light opera, The Pittsburgh Symphony Pops, the Manchester Craftsman’s Guild all star big band, the Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra, Billy Price, and Benny Benack. Most recently Eric has been touring North America with international singing sensation Patrizio Buanne. With dozens of recordings to his credit, most notably with Nancy Wilson, and the New York Voices, Eric has played on two Grammy award winning projects and won an Emmy for his work on the music special, ”Live From Studio A”. In the fall of 2012 Eric was inducted into the Pittsburgh Jazz Hall of Fame. In addition to a year round performance schedule, Eric is an artist\lecturer in saxophone and director of jazz ensembles at Carnegie Mellon University, visiting artist at the Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School, adjunct professor of saxophone at Seton Hill university, director of jazz studies at CMU pre college and clinician for the Pennsylvania Arts on Tour program.