Oh my Deers,
As the sun lingers a little longer each day, I long to play some music for you.
Thankfully there are some moments where this comes to fruition in the next few months.
Deer You – February 9th 2026 – 9pm /21h – Lumière Maastricht
Importantly and first of all, the reprisal of our Deer You concert taking place at Lumière in Maastricht.
Chaeyeon Lee and I take over Lumière’s Jazz Nights series to play hommage to our 2022 album Deer You.
It is a (prepared) piano and saxophone duo weaving landscapes and stories out of thin air. Chaeyeon and I both have agreed that for this edition, we will play sounds that are especially Deer to our hearts. With so much in the world full of pain and strife, we want to offer you respite in the form of thoughtfully simple storytelling to soothe your soul.
Workshop – February 3rd 2026 – in collaboration with L’Okapi
In coordination with this concert, I will be giving a workshop the week prior (one week from today!) – my Guided Fearless Music Making workshop which I have been giving for over 6 years now.
If you have been curious to experience a GFMM workshop, or would like to attend another one, come join and make some noise!
This workshop is supported by both L’Okapi and Lumière Jazz Nights. It’s such a blessing that all their hard work makes this workshop free to attend!
Other concerts
If you cannot attend the Deer You concert, here’s the agenda for some jazz and Gregorian chant. I would love to see you there, and if you have any questions just contact me.
These concerts are all located in Maastricht.
25-02-2026 – as special guest for Jazz Nights at Founder’s Bar with Lea Lingen (free entry)
06-03-2026 – 20.00 – With Schola Maastricht at Onze Lieve Vrouwe Basiliek
08-04-2026 – as special guest for Jazz Nights at Founder’s Bar with Lea Lingen (free entry)
Special shoutout
The last two months I have been busy giving music-et-cetera workshops to curious teens and young adults at our local refugee centre alongside fellow creative Canadian badass, Amber Aasman.
Between all of our broken tongues, music always speaks much louder! We often did musical show-and-tell, and then tried to recreate grooves, melodies, and even write our own songs.
In other news
My Master’s thesis (originally written in 2022) was published!
You can read it here.
(For those who don’t understand Dutch: click the orange button that says “Download bestand” to read the document)
I wrote the thesis as an investigation into how “our music” was learned/taught before the dawn of “jazz studies” in universities and conservatories.
The writing explores the early lives of experimental musicians in Chicago and Detroit, noting the structural and personal influences which created a necessity to dig deep. I cover topics like housing covenants, the draft, sacred music, and building your own library like Sun Ra.
Shoutout to my deer Mackenzie Bleho for helping me edit this monstrosity from 120+ pages to around 60, and Jesse Passenier my thesis advisor during this period.
Onwards…
I usually like to leave these newsletters looking onwards.
I am very much looking forward to the coming months, to spending some time with family, cherishing love, and respecting my body.
Building up a new place to create, and drawing out my longing into song.
My heart aches for the world, but I will never succumb to nihilism.
There is simply too much to do.
Thank you to you deers who read these newsletters, it means a lot to me.
In sound and space,
Your sister in saxophonica,
Julia
p.s. here’s archival tidbit saxophonica choir treat for those who read this long- “To the Sea” written in early 2021 about a curious mother under occupation finding a glimmer of Hope amongst her tears: link.
J(ulia) Warren 