Hailed by The Washington Post as “the saxophone’s best friend, fiercest advocate and primary virtuoso in the classical realm,” performer and composer Steven Banks strives to bring his instrument to the heart of the classical world.

He commissions and writes music that expands the repertoire for saxophone, introducing audiences to new possibilities for artistic expression. Banks is a devoted and intentional supporter of diverse voices in the future of classical music. His work onstage and on the page prompted Seen and Heard International to write, “Banks has the potential to be one of the transformational musicians of the 21st century.”

Banks builds lasting relationships with orchestras through his exceptional artistry, reflected in return invitations for the 2026/27 season with The Cleveland Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, where he will perform his own work Come As You Are for tenor saxophone and strings. He also makes notable debuts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as well as the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Orchestre National de Belgique, and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

In recent seasons, Banks has made impressive debuts with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, and major US orchestras including the Boston, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Detroit, San Diego, Indianapolis, and Colorado symphonies as well as at the Aspen Music Festival.

Banks is committed to establishing the saxophone as a vital voice in classical music by commissioning works that showcase its expressive capabilities. Billy Childs’ Diaspora, written for Banks and commissioned by Young Concert Artists and a consortium of 10 orchestras, and Joan Tower’s Love Returns mark major milestones in this mission. His growing list of premieres also includes works by Carlos Simon, Augusta Read Thomas, and Christopher Theofanidis and a concerto by Joel Thompson to be premiered in 2028.

Steven Banks’ compositions are increasingly in demand for their compelling storytelling and expressive musical language, earning him commissions from the Chicago Symphony, Young Concert Artists and the chamber music festivals of La Jolla, Chamber Music Northwest, Bridgehampton, Tulsa, and Tucson.

As a recitalist and chamber musician, Banks has been presented by Cal Performances, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Schubert Club, Shriver Hall Concert Series, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Chamber Music Northwest, the San Francisco Symphony, Merkin Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Kravis Center. Banks is a founding member of the award-winning Kenari Quartet, an all-saxophone ensemble.

As part of his ongoing advocacy for diversity and inclusion, Banks created Come As You Are, a community-engagement initiative developed in partnership with orchestras to increase representation in the concert hall by welcoming new audiences through community performances and affordable tickets.

Banks is proud to be the first saxophonist to receive a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and earn First Prize at the Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions. Banks recently joined the School of Music at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and also serves on the faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He studied with Taimur Sullivan, Otis Murphy, and Galvin Crisp, earning degrees from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. Banks is an endorsing artist for Conn Selmer instruments and D’Addario Woodwinds.