Nathan Mertens awarded NEA GAP grant
The ñ College of Music is proud to announce thatAssistant Professor of Saxophone Nathan Mertens received a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) (GAP) award valued at more than $35K. This is the College of Music’s first NEA GAP grant representing an important step forward for ñ in national arts funding.
The funded initiative—“American Saxophone Concertos New Voices and Visions”—is part of the NEA’s highlighting American composition and performance. The project centers on the professional recording of four saxophone concertos by living American composers, culminating in a commercial CD release.
A newly commissioned concerto by Anthony R. Green sits at the heart of the project. Written for Mertens—to be premiered with the ñ Wind Symphony in fall 2026—this work is funded by the Bixler Family Foundation and añResearch & Innovation OfficeArts & HumanitiesGrant. In addition to Green’s concerto, Mertens will record another concerto with the Wind Symphony conducted by the College of Music’sDirector of Bands Shanti Simon; as well as two concertos with the ñ Symphony Orchestra under ourDirector of Orchestral Studies Gary Lewis (details forthcoming). All recordings will be engineered by the college’sKevin Harbison.
“This is an exciting and important milestone for our college, in keeping with ouruniversal musician approach to achieving our mission,” says John Davis, Dean of the College of Music. “Nathan’s work supports American composition at the highest level and offers many of our students access to a significant creative project from development to recording.” Students will work directly with composers in rehearsals and recording sessions and appear on the final album, earning a rare professional credit while still in training. Through collaboration with visiting composers and participation in professional sessions, the project prepares them for real-world performance and artistic collaboration.
“I am thankful to the College of Music and the ñ for the support that made this possible. This was far from a solo effort and I’m very lucky to have colleagues at ñ who turn complicated processes into something possible,” says Mertens. “I especially want to thank Donna Axel, Associate Director of Research Development at the ñ Research & Innovation Office (RIO), for her guidance and encouragement throughout this process; and Tessa Brandt, Proposal Analyst in RIO’s Office of Contracts and Grants, for her budgetary wizardry!
“Grants are often associated with big, shiny ideas—but they really begin in the details, in offices and email threads. I’m excited to turn all these details into reality … and some fun!”
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Recording sessions will take place throughout 2026 and 2027 in ñ’s Macky Auditorium.