Described as “colourful and continuously fascinating” (The Boston Musical Intelligencer), Steven Banks' compositions are increasingly in demand for their compelling storytelling and expressive musical language, earning him commissions from Chicago Symphony, Young Concert Artists and the chamber music festivals of La Jolla, Chamber Music Northwest, Bridgehampton, Tulsa, and Tucson. His saxophone and piano work "Come As You Are", is among the most frequently performed contemporary works for the instrument and the orchestrated version has been programmed by Pittsburgh, Seattle and Cincinnati Symphony orchestras.

Recent premieres of his compositions include "to be free" for mezzo-soprano and mixed ensemble, celebrating the life of Nina Simone; the saxophone and string quartets "Reflections and Exaltations", "Come What May", and "Cries, Sighs and Dreams"; and "Begin Again" for baritone saxophone, cello, piano, and meditation guide. His solo works "Through My Mother's Eyes" (written for Hilary Hahn) and "Fantasy on Recurring Daydreams" (premiered by Zhu Wang) have received critical acclaim.

Banks co-creates compelling chamber music programs that bring together original works for saxophone, transcriptions old and new, and his own compositions to explore themes such as meditation and timelessness. Alongside collaborations with his duo partner, Xak Bjerken, Banks has a deep affinity for performing with string quartets, including the Verona, Miró, Dover, Parker, St. Lawrence, Isidore, and Borromeo Quartets, as well as members of the Brentano, Jupiter, and Kronos Quartets. He also regularly collaborates with orchestral musicians in chamber music performances, building deeper musical connections within the community and with audiences. 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 also a founding member of the award-winning Kenari Quartet, an all-saxophone ensemble.

In 2026, Banks made his duo and compositional album debut with "Cries, Sighs, and Dreams". Inspired by Berlioz’s poetic description of the saxophone’s ability to capture the furthest reaches of audible sound, the recording celebrates the full expressive range of the saxophone family through works by Saint-Saëns, Creston, Carlos Simon, and Banks himself, who performs in collaboration with pianist Xak Bjerken, and the two-time Grammy-nominated Dover Quartet.

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. Following its success, the initiative will expand to additional orchestras in 2026/27. Elsewhere, Banks spoke at TEDxNorthwesternU on overcoming institutional prejudice in the industry, co-created the "Learning to Listen" roundtable exploring the Black experience in classical music, and, in partnership with the Sphinx Organization, led a conversation series on education, activism, and the LGBTQIA+ community in classical music.

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 University of North Carolina School of the Arts' School of Music as saxophone faculty and also serves on the saxophone and chamber music faculties at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He has previously held teaching positions at Ithaca College, Baldwin Wallace Conservatory, and the University of Hartford. Banks studied with Taimur Sullivan, Otis Murphy Jr., 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.

SEASON 2025/26