Student Alex Han Tours with Marcus Miller

Han, a 2006-2007 Presidential Scholar, wowed Miller while performing in a Music of Marcus Miller concert at Berklee.
June 26, 2008

Saxophonist and Berklee Presidential Scholar Alex Han will join jazz great Marcus Miller for his summer 2008 European Tour from July 3 to July 29. Han will also perform with Miller's band as part of the weeklong Playboy Jazz Cruise January-February 2009. He is studying at Berklee on a Presidential Scholarship given to the most talented graduating high school students each year covering full tuition, room, and board for four years.

This opportunity is the result of Han's selection to play in the Music of Marcus Miller Concert at Berklee his freshman year. Han auditioned to perform on the Berklee Performance Center stage with Marcus Miller and was one of the students chosen. After that concert, Miller periodically invited Han to perform with him on some of his tour dates (including one in Japan for three weeks). In May 2007 Han was able to perform with Miller at Lincoln Center in a tribute to the music of Miles Davis. Now he will accompany Miller on the following 16-city international tour:

July 3 - Istanbul, Turkey, Istanbul Jazz Festival

July 4 - Lugano, Switzerland, Lugano Estival Jazz

July 5 - Belgrade, Serbia, Sava Centar Hall

July 6 - Aschaffenburg, Germany

July 11 - Tabarka, Tunisia, Tabarka Jazz Festival

July 13 - Cordoba, Spain, Gran Teatro de Cordoba

July 14 - Valencia, Spain, Palau de la Musica/Sala Iturbi

July 16 - Antibes, France, Jazz a Juan, Pinede Gould

July 18 - Montreux, Switzerland, Montreux Jazz Festival

July 19 - Gent, Belgium, Gent Jazz Festival

July 22 - Batumi, Georgia, Black Sea Jazz Festival

July 24 - Capurso, Italy, Multiculturita Summer Jazz Festival

July 25 - Castelbasso, Italy

July 26 - Marseille, France, Jardin du Palais Longchamp

July 28 - Kiev, Ukraine, October's Palace

July 29 - Odessa, Ukraine, Music Comedy Theatre

By age 12, Han was one of two national VSA artists and was invited to play with Paquito D'Rivera for a Jazz at Lincoln Center Performance. Since then he has had the opportunity to play alongside jazz masters such as Joe Lovano, Slide Hampton, Nicholas Payton, George Benson, and James Moody. Many of these performances took place at the various festivals he's been invited to play, including Montreux Jazz Fesitval in Switzerland, the North Sea Festival in Holland, La Festival de Jazz en Lapataia in Uruguay, and several in the states.

At age 17 he won the 17th annual Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition. Han has also been selected to be a part of prestigious ensembles with his peers, such as the 2005 Monterey Jazz Festival Next Generation Orchestra and the 2006 Gibson/Baldwin Grammy Jazz Ensemble. For his individual talents as a composer Alex Han won a 2006 ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Award. 

Additionally, Han has been signed as the youngest artist endorsee for Rico Reeds, a division of J. D'Addario & Co.