Saxton Rose

Saxton Rose, one of the nation’s most recognized bassoonists and a seasoned educator and administrator, has served as dean of the School of Music since 2020. A UNCSA faculty member since 2008, he spent more than a decade teaching before stepping into leadership — a perspective that continues to inform his student-centered approach as dean. 

As Dean, Rose serves as executive of all programs, operations and personnel in the School of Music, including all graduate, undergraduate and high school academic offerings. He leads and supervises more than 60 faculty and staff. As the artistic director of the School of Music, Rose directs the production of more than 200 performances and events annually, engages guest artists and curates all concert series. He also oversees the A.J. Fletcher Opera and Chrysalis Chamber Music Institute. 

Since his appointment, the School of Music has experienced record-breaking growth, culminating in the school’s largest enrollment in its history for the 2025–26 academic year and the highest number of applicants. Rose has expanded academic offerings to meet the evolving needs of 21st-century musicians, introducing a minor in Improvised Music and Jazz, a minor in Multiple Woodwinds, and a Master of Music in Composition for Film and Visual Media. He also led the school’s first major revision of its undergraduate curriculum in over two decades, broadening the elective pool and adding new courses in music business, improvisation, professional pathways, recording technology and pedagogy. 

An advocate for access and affordability, Rose has helped raise more than $7 million during his tenure, with a clear focus on scholarship support. Working with the Advancement team and key donors, he has launched major initiatives to attract and retain talented students, including the Dean’s Scholars Award for top in-state students, the endowed Concertmaster Scholarship, and the Malcolm & Patty Brown Orchestra Fellowship, a partnership with the Winston-Salem Symphony that creates opportunities for exceptional orchestral musicians committed to both artistry and community engagement. 

Under Rose’s leadership, the School of Music has expanded its global footprint through strategic international partnerships, including formal collaborations with three arts institutions in China. He worked with faculty member Ida Bieler to create the International Chamber Music Academy of Ochsenhausen, an annual summer festival in Germany for highly gifted musicians from UNCSA and around the world. Closer to home, he supported the launch of the UNCSA Chamber Music Festival and has played a leading role in interdisciplinary campus initiatives such as UNCSA Media, a recording label that provides professional release opportunities for students and faculty. 

Central to Rose’s vision is cultivating a faculty of artist-educators who are at the top of their field. Since becoming dean, he has hired eight full-time faculty members, all nationally or internationally recognized performers. He remains focused on growing the School of Music, expanding student access, and forging meaningful partnerships at the local, national and international levels. 

Prior to UNCSA, Rose served as Principal Bassoonist of the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra from 2003 to 2008 and has performed as Principal Bassoonist with Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, the Arizona MusicFest Orchestra, and Alarm Will Sound. He is currently Principal Bassoonist of the Winston-Salem Symphony and a member of the acclaimed New York-based wind quintet Zéphyros Winds.