Dr. Erik Steighner has appeared as saxophone soloist with groups including the Lyric Brass Quintet, the Camas Wind Quintet, the Indiana University Symphonic Band, the Columbia Gorge Sinfonietta, the University of Puget Sound Symphony Orchestra and the UPS Wind Ensemble. He has performed with ensembles including the Austin Symphony Orchestra, the San Antonio Symphony, the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra, and the Tipping Point Saxophone Quartet. He has taught at Texas State University and The University of Texas at Austin and is currently saxophone lecturer at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Wash.
 
Steighner has composed and arranged extensively for the saxophone and has premiered works by Deborah J. Anderson, John Corigliano, Robert Honstein, Kyle Kindred, John Mills, Nick Sibicky, Greg Simon, Jeffrey Alan Tecca, Dan Welcher, and Gregory Youtz.  He has appeared onstage with performers including Toshiko Akiyoshi, Glen Campbell, Guster, Ed Shaughnessy, and The Spinners, and is featured on recent and upcoming CD releases from labels including Naxos, Mark Custom, and Vienna Modern Masters. He holds bachelor’s degrees in music and English from the University of Puget Sound and master’s and doctoral degrees in saxophone performance from The University of Texas at Austin.