Yang Zhou - 2025 Award Winner 

Yang Zhou, saxophonist, born in Dali, China, is currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in saxophone performance at the University of Iowa, where he is studying with Dr. Kenneth Tse. Yang holds a Master of Arts degree in saxophone performance from Truman State University, Kirksville, Mo, where he studied with Dr. Xin Gao and served as a graduate teaching and research assistant. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music in China, where he was a two-time recipient of the China National Scholarship, studying with Professor Yusheng Li and Qiang Chen. Yang currently serves as the tenor saxophonist for the Dimma Saxophone Quartet and the contrabass saxophonist for the Iowa Saxophonists’ Workshop. In 2025, he will perform at the U.S. Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium, the North American Saxophone Alliance Regional Conference in Brookings, So. Dak., and the 20th World Saxophone Congress in Harbin, China.