Congratulations to the winner of the 2025 NCSC Competition, saxophonist Philip Kleutgens!
 

Philip Kleutgens is an emerging artist and educator based in Chicago, IL. A versatile and accomplished saxophonist, he has earned top prizes at prestigious competitions such as the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, MTNA National Competitions, NASA Collegiate Competitions, and the NOLA Chamber Music Competition. Philip’s performance career experience includes a wide range of ensembles, featuring engagements with the Evanston Symphony Orchestra, Festival City Orchestra, Lima Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, and the Chicago Metropolitan Symphony. Recent concerto performances include appearances with Northwestern University’s Symphonic Wind Ensemble, the Desert Winds of Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts.

A passionate advocate for new music, Philip has organized commissions and premiered works by composers such as Stacy Garrop, Karolyn Schubring, Garrett Schumann, and Andrew Mead.

Most recently Philip participated in a collaboration with Chicago based quartet ~Nois and Viet Cuong in their string of premiere performances of Cuong’s new saxophone quartet concerto entitled Second Nature.

As an educator, Philip frequently presents masterclasses at universities across the United States, including the University of Southern California, University of California - Long Beach, University of Nevada - Las Vegas. Philip maintains a private studio in the Chicagoland area, serves as saxophone instructor at Evanston High School, and is an adjunct instructor of saxophone at South Suburban College in Holland, Illinois.

Philip holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan where he studied with Dr. Timothy McAllister. Philip is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Saxophone Performance under the direction of Professor Taimur Sullivan at Northwestern University.