Hailed by the Boston Globe as “having superior chops backed up by assured musicianship”, saxophonist Eliot Gattegno enjoys a multi-faceted international career as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. He began studying music at the age of two and at seventeen made his debut in Boston’s Jordan Hall performing with Christopher O’Riley on the National Public Radio show “From the Top”. Since then musical activities have taken him throughout Asia, Europe, North and South America.

In 2008 Eliot was the first saxophonist and one of the few American's to ever win the “Kranichsteiner Musikpreis” for outstanding performance in the interpretation of New Music of the Internationalen Ferienkursen für Neue Musik Darmstadt. The Prize was founded in 1952 by the city of Darmstadt and is considered the highest achievement for artistic creativity in the framework of the biennial Internationalen Ferienkursen für Neue Musik which are amongst the world's most prestigious for the promotion and presentation of new forms of music.

As a winner of the 2005 Boston Modern Orchestra Project concerto competition he performed and recorded Elliott Schwartz’s Chamber Concerto IV for an upcoming release on BMOP/Sound. These performances lead the esteemed music critic of the Boston Globe Richard Dyer to declare, “there is no question the future of his instrument is in safe hands”. His next project as a soloist with the orchestra will be performances and the debut recording of a concerto he co-commissioned by Pulitzer Prize winning composer Lewis Spratlan.

Recent recital appearances include Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall with pianist Alan Feinberg as part of a 90th birthday tribute to Milton Babbitt; Aichi Arts Center Concert Hall in Nagoya, Japan featuring premieres of young Japanese composers and the works of renowned American composer Steve Reich; John Zorn’s ‘The Stone’ where he presented a program ‘Perspectives on Complexity’ featuring a monumental premiere of the pioneering British composer Michael Finnissy with the new music ensemble he co-founded with violinist/composer David Fulmer ‘Second Instrumental Unit’ that is currently Ensemble-in-Residence at Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College and The Boston Conservatory.

In 2003 he was the first saxophonist ever invited to the Yellow Barn School and Festival since it was founded in 1969. Upcoming and previous festival appearances include those in Shanghai, Prague, Graz, Spoleto USA and Tanglewood where he worked with conductors including James Levine and Kurt Masur.

A leading force in contemporary music, since 2002 Eliot has premiered and commissioned over 250 compositions and has given American premieres of works by Luciano Berio, Pascal Dusapin and Morton Feldman. He is also the Executive Director of World-Wide Concurrent Premiers and Commissioning Fund Inc. – an organization dedicated to commissioning emerging and Pulitzer Prize winning composers alike.

In 2004 he formed ‘the kenners’ with pianist-accordionist-composer Eric Wubbels. Since then they have been winning acclaim for their “vibrant” performances that “combined technical accomplishment with insightful perceptiveness” (New Music Connoisseur). Equally at home in a wide range of musical styles, their repertoire extends from pieces by established American composers such as Babbitt and Wuorinen to new works with electronic and improvisatory elements by the up and coming generation of composers from around the globe. Thus far ‘the kenners’ have been visiting artists at Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music and the University of California, San Diego.

He is also a founder and North American Director of Grenzenlos – an ensemble made up of 22 members on 4 continents whose mission is to use new music to facilitate intercultural dialogue, through innovative programming, multimedia and interdisciplinary collaborations, and long-term projects that foster greater cross-cultural understanding. Upcoming projects include residencies throughout China and India with concerts scheduled in New York City, Berlin, and Melbourne showcasing the residency work.

A former Artist-in-Residence at Harvard University and faculty of the New England Conservatory Preparatory School Eliot has presented guest lectures at Columbia, Princeton, Stanford, and the University of California, Berkeley. Most of these lectures feature materials to appear in his forthcoming book on modern saxophone techniques.

Eliot is a graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy where he received the Fine Arts Award and holds Bachelors and Masters degrees with academic honors and distinction in performance from the New England Conservatory where he is a recipient of the Tourjee Alumni Award and the John Cage Award. He can be heard on Albany, Cantaloupe, Innova, and Mode Records amongst others.