Virginia Novine-Whittaker

Virginia Novine Whittaker serves as instructor of saxophone and chamber ensembles at Elon University. In addition, she is founder and director of the Elon Music Ambassaors, a premiere touring ensemble that showcases Elon’s music department  with performances across the country. Prior to her appointment at Elon University in 1992, Virginia served as instructor of saxophone at the State University of New York at Potsdam and the University of Arizona.

A respected educator and clinician, Virginia’s students perform professionally in classical, jazz, and popular music styles. Many of her students work as freelance musicians in major cities on both coasts, performing in musicals and saxophone quartets, working in the recording industry, and managing, conducting and performing in jazz ensembles. Her students are also very successful at winning positions in military bands and several of her saxophone students have won national and international performance competitions. Those students who wish to teach have been employed by public and private schools at the middle school, high school and university levels.

An active musician, Virginia has performed with the Greensboro, Salisbury, Tucson, and Lake Charles (LA) symphony orchestras. She has also performed with the Eastern Music Festival Philharmonic and with off-Broadway productions in Tucson, Charlotte and Raleigh. She has toured with the US Air Jazz Orchestra throughout Europe and the United States and has backed up entertainers such as the Temptations, Bob Hope, Dinah Shore and Tony Bennett.

Ms. Novine Whittaker holds degrees in music from SUNY-Potsdam and Northern Illinois University, and has studied saxophone and oboe at the doctoral level at the University of Arizona. Her major teachers have included James Stoltie, Steve Duke, Elizabeth Ervin, Carl Sonik, Marion Buswell and Wayne Sutherland.