Rising Stars: Meet Katia Beaugeais

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katia Beaugeais.

Hi Katia, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am an Australian-French saxophonist and composer based in Sydney. My music ranges from solo saxophone to full orchestra and has been performed and broadcast throughout Europe, the UK, USA, Canada, Asia, Peru, Australia, and New Zealand, including a recent performance by the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra!

When I was 6, I started to learn the piano and loved it. Then at the age of 12, I went to the school’s concert band demonstration… and when I saw this big, loud, shiny gold, cool-looking saxophone, I was hooked. And the rest is history!

I continued my piano lessons throughout high school, but there was something special about the sax. It felt so easy and natural to play. I loved the physical and athletic aspects: Endurance, stamina, and exertion involved in blowing through the saxophone for as long as possible whilst holding my breath. Now that I can circular breathe – to avoid taking a ‘proper’ breath and breaking the sound – it’s made things a lot easier!

My first degree at university was a Bachelor of Music Education degree to be a classroom music teacher. But my dream was to become a professional saxophonist – a Soloist! After practicing 6 hours a day, I received the top audition result and was accepted straight into the postgraduate saxophone degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. It was during this time that I started to compose and perform my own pieces: for my sax recital exams and for my first live broadcast on ABC Classic radio at the Sydney Opera House.

Composing gave me an outlet to express myself. I felt the need to ‘create’, rather than always performing someone else’s ideas. So, I took the plunge! Without any formal composition study, I successfully auditioned for a Master of Music Composition degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and graduated with High Distinction.

In 2021, I was awarded a Ph.D. in Composition on the dual role of a composer-performer, which resulted in Australia’s leading classical record label, ABC Classic, releasing my debut solo saxophone album featuring my music.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When I was 11 years old, my father died of a massive heart attack. Despite the challenges my mother faced, she insisted that my music was still to come first, and made sure that I was able to continue my piano and saxophone lessons throughout high school and beyond.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a composer and saxophonist specializing in new classical/contemporary music. Composition and performance have played an equal role in forming my raison d’être.

Winning the prestigious 2010 ISCM International Young Composer Award, gave me the confidence to continue composing with contemporary playing effects in atmospheric styles for all instruments: from solo saxophone, didgeridoo, to full orchestra.

As a composer-performer, I always try to ‘think outside the box’, constantly challenging myself to create new sound worlds and finding new ways of playing that push my saxophone and me to its limit. This is showcased in my recent ABC Classic saxophone album “Breath by Breath” – named after my soprano sax piece where I circular breathe for 7 minutes non-stop, to avoid breaking the sound and create endlessly flowing fast arpeggiated patterns like the continuous sound of a violin. When I circular breathe, I forget where I am, as I am completely immersed within the sounds of my saxophone.

BUT to get to this level of playing there was a lot of hard work behind the scenes! I practiced circular breathing several hours a day to increase my stamina. Like an athlete preparing for a race, I had to train, so I used a stopwatch to time myself. This was also the first time that I composed and performed one of my own pieces without any notation or writing any ideas down. This was liberating, as I composed “Breath by Breath” through my saxophone alone.

My passion is to also help other composers bring their sax notes to life. Part of my Ph.D. involved collaborating with other Australian composers. Their new pieces specifically composed for my research are included on my ABC album. As a composer-saxophonist, I feel that it is my role and responsibility to show what the saxophone can do, and through my music, transport the listener to another place.

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Although my French-born parents were not musicians, they loved classical music. My favorite childhood memory is when they took me to see French composer Olivier Messiaen at the University of Sydney. As my mother says to this day: “Little did we know that you would become a composer and write for orchestra too!”

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.newmusicblock.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katiacomposer
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KatiaBeaugeaisComposerSaxophonist
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/KatiaComposer
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKw9p-yFA4VgsJMSMeBpYNQ

Image Credits
ABC Classic (ABC Sax Album Cover) and Bridget Elliot