Director of Jazz Studies/Saxophone Tim Ishii is in his seventh year of teaching at UT Arlington. Since his arrival in Fall 2004, the UT Arlington Jazz Orchestra has maintained a busy performance schedule. The Jazz Orchestra was the featured guest big band at the 2005 Coyote Jazz Festival in Weatherford, Texas also featuring Tim as artist/clinician with the Weatherford College Faculty Jazz Ensemble. The UT Arlington Jazz Orchestra was also one of eight, college/university jazz bands selected from coast to coast to participate in the 2005 Addison Jazz Festival, Addison, Texas. Other highlights include performances at the 2005 and 2006 Wichita Jazz Festival, 2008 Texas Music Educators Conference, as well as numerous performances throughout the Dallas/ Fort Worth Metroplex. In 2009, the UT Arlington Jazz Orchestra was selected as the outstanding college jazz band at the UNT/Addison Jazz Festival.
Tim is sought after as a performer and clinician at the state and national level and He has made presentations and performed at the Texas Music Educators Association Conference, conducted numerous high school all-region jazz bands. In January 2006, Tim was invited to be the guest conductor/clinician of the New Mexico All-State High School Jazz Ensemble in Las Cruces, NM.
Tim maintains a busy freelance schedule and has performed with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and Texas Wind Symphony.
He has backed and performed alongside numerous artists including: Natalie Cole, Temptations, Doc Severinson, Clark Terry, James Moody, Slide Hampton, Bob Mintzer, Pete Christlieb, Jimmy Heath, Bobby Militello, and many others.
Tim is also a founding member of Thrascher, a contemporary saxophone quartet. He is an Artist/Clinician for Conn-Selmer and D’Addario.