St. Bonaventure University

School of Arts & Sciences Faculty

Sabina, Leslie

  • Les Sabina, visual and performing arts

    • ACADEMIC DEPARTMENT
    Department of Art, Music and Theater
    ACADEMIC SCHOOL
    School of Arts and Sciences

    TITLES/RESPONSIBILITIES
    Professor, Music
    Chair, Department of Art, Music and Theater
    CONTACT
    Office phone: (716) 375-2320
    Send an email
    OFFICE
    Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, 205
    COURSES TAUGHT
    • Jazz Studies
    • MU 121. Music Theory I 
    • MU 122. Music Theory II 
    • MU 431. MIDI and Audio Production
    ACADEMIC DEGREES
    • Ph.D., Music Composition, Michigan State University, 1992
    • M.M., Studio Jazz Writing, University of Miami, 1984
    • B.Ed., Instrumental Music, University of Windsor, 1986
    • B.Mus., Performance, University of Toronto, 1981
    OTHER EDUCATION
    • Banff Centre of the Arts
    • Eastman School of Music
    PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
    • Former Assistant Professor, University of Windsor (Canada)
    • Former Honorary Visiting Fellow, University of York (UK)
    • Former editor of the International Association for Jazz Education’s Jazz Education Journal
    ACCOMPLISHMENTS
    • Jazz performances and recordings in Detroit, Toronto and Buffalo with J.C. Heard Orchestra, Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Williams, Billy Eckstine, Della Reese, Milt Hinton, Buddy Tate, Roger Kellaway, and many others.
    • Concert and nightclub performances with Temptations, Drifters, Manhattan Transfer, Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel, Megan Hilty, Johnny Mathis, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and many others.
    • Over 100 big band and saxophone quartet compositions and arrangements published and internationally distributed by Kendor Music, Inc., and Alfred Music (Van Nuys, CA), the world's largest educational music publisher.
    • Many "Editor's Choice" awards from J.W. Pepper, one of the world's largest sheet music distributers.
    • Author of Jazz Arranging and Orchestration: A Concise Introduction, published by Schirmer/Wadsworth (now Cengage).
    • More than 40 transcriptions and analyses of jazz work by L. Armstrong, M. Davis, C. Parker, L. Young, etc., published by Jazz Journal UK.
    • Numerous scholarly papers on jazz published in journals and/or presented at international music conferences.
    TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
    CURRENT RESEARCH INTERESTS/PROJECTS
    • Playing saxophone with many WNY jazz combos; playing saxophone with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and the BPO Big Band; playing electric bass with the LTM Trio, NY Standard Time, and the SBU Faculty Jazz Trio.
    • Composing and arranging music for jazz groups of all sizes.
    • Composing production music for modern media use. Distributed in the US and internationally by Warner Chappell Production Music. Listen
    • Composing and producing meditation/relaxation music under the name Bending Time, and LoFi/Chill Jazz under the name UD 35-90. Tracks are found on all digital streaming services, such as Spotify, Apple Music, etc.
    PERSONAL INTERESTS/COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
    LINKS

    All Rights Reserved © 2025