About

Born in Washington, D.C., Brian Forehand began playing the saxophone at age 9. Inspired early on by the greats of the bebop idiom, he became an early fan of jazz. At the age of 13 Brian joined the Blues Alley Youth Orchestra under the direction of Jacques Johnson and had a formal introduction to the performing world. Throughout high school he participated in the Washington Jazz Arts Institute summer mentoring program headed by Davey Yarborough at the Ellington School of the Performing Arts, where he received invaluable one-on-one instruction from Mr. Yarborough, saxophonist Brian Settles and other D.C. musician-educators. Brian also credits his playing in church growing up with learning how to play with others and developing an ‘ear’. Dolores Floyd, jazz pianist/educator, wife of saxophonist Maurice Robertson ran a youth program where Brian gained experience leading a group and received valuable instruction from 2 people who had walked the path of true musicianship; the group was dubbed 'The Jazz Ambassadors' and performed at various venues as well as headlining the popular 'Jazz Night at Westminster' Church in SW Washington, D.C. Brian also learned from Saxophonist Jeff Antoniuk of the MARS 4-tet who taught Brian about the professional aspects of playing in small and large ensembles. After entering college under a Music Technology major he met like-minded musicians and further developed his musical tastes, arranging for the Bowie State University Jazz Ensemble Marching Band and Woodwind Ensemble. 
In 2010, Brian took the opportunity to travel to Boston, MA to play with and learn from, some of the top musicians in the country at Berklee College of Music. After gaining valuable experiences, the journey continues here in the DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia) to create great music and experiences for all those who are willing to open themselves to the possibilities of something greater. Brian has been fortunate enough to play at several prominent venues in the Maryland-D.C. area including the Strathmore, Blues Alley, UMD Clarice Performing Arts Center, Westminster Presbyterian Church, H.R.-57, Harmony Hall and many others.

My goal as DC Saxman is to provide memorable, world-class live saxophone performance for private and corporate clients across a wide variety of genres while educating people on the beauty and relevance of music in their lives.