Larry Teal

Who was Larry Teal?

Larry Teal is considered by many to be the father of American orchestral saxophone.

Teal earned a Bachelors degree in Pre-Dentistry from the University of Michigan. While studying there he began playing in jazz bands as a saxophonist. He later earned a Doctor of Music from the Detroit Institute of Musical Arts in 1943.

During the early 1950s he was a flutist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and played occasional alto saxophone solos. He maintained a studio near Wayne University where many high school and collegiate students studied saxophone. Don Sinta was one of those students who was considered a virtuoso in saxophone by many while he was a music major at Wayne. Mr. Teal was highly sought after as a professional musician by both classical and popular musical organizations.

He became the first full-time professor of saxophone at any American university when he was appointed to the faculty of the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor in 1953. He remained the professor of saxophone there until he retired in 1974, at which time he was given the title "professor emeritus."