Frederick Hemke

Fred Hemke, DMA (Frederick Leroy Hemke, Jr.; July 11, 1935 – April 17, 2019) was an American virtuoso classical saxophonist and influential former professor of saxophone at Northwestern University. Hemke helped raise the popularity of classical saxophone, particularly among leading American composers and helped raise the recognition of classical saxophone in solo, chamber, and major orchestral repertoire. For a half century, from 1962 to 2012, Hemke was a full-time faculty music educator at Northwestern University's Bienen School of Music.