Dr. Scott Sandberg serves as Associate Professor of Saxophone and Chair of the Music Department at the University of North Dakota. He has toured China three times, including performing as a featured soloist with the East China Normal University Orchestra, and has performed world premieres at World Saxophone Congresses in Croatia (2018) and Scotland (2012). Sandberg has also performed in Canada, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Norway. In the United States, he has performed at numerous North American Saxophone Alliance conferences and International Saxophone Symposiums as well as with ensembles such as the Dallas Wind Symphony, Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra, Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra, Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, Waverly Community Orchestra, Singapore Slingers, Royal Klobasneks, and Dick King Classic Swing Band. His solo CD, “Duality: Works for Tenor Saxophone & Piano,” was released by Albany Records in 2020.

Before arriving at the University of North Dakota, Sandberg taught saxophone and clarinet and directed the "Blue Crew" pep band as Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, from 2012-2015. From 2010-2012 Sandberg resided in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex where he was the Director of the Wind Ensemble at the University of Texas at Dallas, Director of Orchestra at Lamb of God Lutheran Church, and Instructor of Saxophone for the Flower Mound ISD, Allen ISD, and Richardson ISD. He has also held the positions of Instructor of Woodwinds at the Marion Music Academy in Marion, Iowa; Instructor of Saxophone at the Bloomingdale School of Music in New York, New York; Instructor of Woodwinds at Wright Music Studios in Port Washington, New York; and Instructor of Jazz at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa.

Sandberg has presented clinics at the North Dakota Music Educators Association, the Northeast Texas Saxophone Symposium, and numerous universities and high schools. His work as an adjudicator has included NASA collegiate and high school competitions, MTNA, North Dakota All-State, and solo and ensemble contests for the North Dakota High School Activities Association, the Texas Music Educators Association, and the New York State School Music Association. He has taught at International Music Camp in the summer since 2013.

A native of Grand Forks, North Dakota, Sandberg is thrilled to have returned to his hometown to teach at the University of North Dakota, where he received his Bachelor of Music degree in music education. He received his Master of Arts and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in saxophone performance from The University of Iowa as a student of Dr. Kenneth Tse.

Sandberg serves on the Advisory Board of the Schmitt Music Sax Shop and is a Voting Member of the International Music Camp Corporation. He is a Selmer Paris and Conn-Selmer Endorsing Artist.

Composer/Saxophonist Aaron Hedenstrom is a contemporary saxophonist/composer whose sensibilities span from modern groove-based music to classical music and many sounds in-between.

Aaron's collaborations as a saxophonist and composer/arranger have spanned across styles from indie artist S. Carey (of Bon Iver) to eclectic groups like The New Standards, to acclaimed jazz artists such as vibraphonist Stefon Harris, saxophonist Grace Kelly (of the Late Show with Stephen Colbert), and saxophonist Bob Reynolds (of John Mayer's band). Aaron's musical style has been developed studying with top-flight musicians including Rich DeRosa, Brad Leali, Steve Wiest, David Berger, and Ethan Wickman. Aaron’s compositions have been played worldwide by ensembles including the SFJazz High School All-Stars, Texas All-State Jazz Ensemble, UNT One Clock Lab Band, and more.

As an active educator, Aaron Hedenstrom is professor of saxophone and jazz studies at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Concordia University St. Paul in addition to a vibrant studio of private lesson students. Aaron also co-hosts the music composition resource “The Arrangers Podcast" with Drew Zaremba.

Aaron has won numerous awards for his compositions and arrangements, including the Detroit Jazz Festival Arranging Contest, the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Awards, the BMI Foundation Future Jazz Master Scholarship, the Jazz Education Network Composition Awards. Aaron is a Keilwerth Saxophone performing artist.

On her remarkable debut album Escape (Spring 2025), Peruvian-American saxophonist and composer Lucia Sarmiento emerges as a rising star of the modern jazz scene, delivering playful yet intricate melodies. “When I play the saxophone, I love that feeling of danger,” says Sarmiento. With a powerful tenor sound and an effervescent personality, she explains, “I’m drawn to music filled with intensity and risk that captures every fiber of your being in the moment; that’s why I love jazz.”

Lucia has performed on sold-out stages with international pop-stars Pitbull and Karol G, while also headlining jazz festivals under her own name. Her fearless approach to music and her commitment to crafting bold, textured compositions make her an exciting voice in contemporary jazz.

“Minneapolis raised me musically,” she reflects. “It's a smaller city compared to LA or NYC, but the music scene is vibrant, steeped in the legacy of Prince. I began performing with Prince's long-time collaborators and Weather Report's legendary drummer Eric Gravatt right out of college. I got to explore every genre from Minneapolis funk to brass band, and from Motown to free jazz. What was really important was that I came to develop my own sound. At first, it wasn’t easy to keep up with the loud drums, distorted guitars and very experienced funk players, so I spent lots of time working on my sound and time. I also admire how Michael Brecker, Bob Mintzer, and Chris Potter play with so much strength and a sense of urgency—that's how I want to play.”

In recent years, Lucia has gained a social media following of over 100k+ people, releasing educational videos in Spanish and English that provide a global perspective on jazz and saxophone.

She has represented and collaborated with brands like Yamaha, Akai, Theo Wanne, Eastman, RS Berkeley, BG, Jean-Paul USA, Syos, Key Leaves among others.

In 2013, a Saxophone Performance Scholarship brought her to Minneapolis Minnesota, where she has been an active member of the music scene ever since.

She has collaborated with esteemed jazz artists such as Chad Lefkovitz-Brown, Arturo Sandoval, Melissa Aldana, Randy Brecker, Bob Mintzer, Kurt Elling, Grace Kelly, Antwaun Stanley, Ella Briceno, among others.