Performers

Ray Smith

Ray Smith worked as a professor in the School of Music at BYU for 40 years. After graduating from BYU with a bachelor’s degree in music education, he received both his master’s and doctorate degrees in woodwinds performance from Indiana University. Smith is proficient in all five woodwind instruments and numerous other instruments. He has recorded on more than 250 CDs and movie scores and has played with the Utah Symphony and the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.

When Smith joined the faculty in 1982, he became the first ever saxophone teacher at BYU. In addition, he was the director of BYU's jazz ensemble, Synthesis, for all 40 years of his BYU career. He is most proud of Synthesis for being well-known nationally and internationally, as well as being one of 10 bands invited to the Jack Rudin Jazz Championship in 2022. 

Smith has received the Voice of Jazz Award for the state of Utah as well as a lifetime achievement award from the International Association for Jazz Education. Smith’s jazz pedagogy and saxophone pedagogy books, as well as his YouTube tutorials, have received high praise from around the globe.