Carrie Koffman, professor of saxophone at The Hartt School, is the recipient of this year’s Roy E. Larsen Award. This honor is given to a full-time faculty member for excellence in teaching and a valuable contribution to life at the University of Hartford.
Koffman counts among her many successes seeing students of hers win 26 concerto competitions at all five of the universities where she has taught. In addition to teaching, lecturing, and working closely with each and every student, she manages to keep a hectic on-stage schedule of her own, having performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States and in 17 countries on six continents. A review in Fanfare Magazine of one performance called Koffman’s playing “suave, subtly nuanced, and technically secure in its every gesture,” and another described her “melting tone and touching sensitivity.” Music Web International described her talent as “brilliant and dauntless.”
“Carrie is a gifted studio teacher whom students admire very much,” says Warren Haston, associate professor and chair of music education. “She has contributed to the quality of university life in a number of significant ways beyond mentoring and teaching. It is the above-and-beyond commitment that has earned her such a well-deserved reputation.”
Koffman often refers to herself not just as a teacher of instruments but as a teacher of listening. Learning to listen is a fundamental part of her technique, and one she integrates into her studio and technique classes, along with mindfulness and communication development.
After earning her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in saxophone performance from the University of North Texas, Koffman held positions as saxophone lecturer at the Yale School of Music and Boston University, and assistant professor of saxophone at Penn State and the University of New Mexico.
Along with teaching and performing, she enjoys bringing live music to nontraditional music venues, often giving impromptu performances at such places as cathedrals and churches. Koffman is a founding faculty member of the American Saxophone Academy, an annual educational program designed for advanced college students. One of her many goals is to set high expectations that reflect the skills necessary to succeed in such a competitive field.