Bio
Elizabeth Zinn Ervin graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor's degree in Music Education. She received her masterr's degree in Saxophone Performance from Arizona State University, where she established a flourishing saxophone studio. A Fulbright Grant took her to Paris in 1966-67, for study with Daniel Deffayet and Nadia Boulanger. After returning to Arizona to teach, she was offered a position in saxophone and theory at Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York. She returned to Arizona, and has been Professor of Saxophone at the University of Arizona since 1973.
Professor Ervin has appeared as soloist with the United States Air Force Band, as well as orchestras and wind groups throughout the United States. She has presented recitals in Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia and throughout the United States. She has founded the Sonora Quartet in 1976, and the group has become internationally renown as one of the very finest saxophone ensembles in the world, with tours of Mexico, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Sonora was a finalist in the 1991 Concert Artists Guild International Competition in New York, and was one of two invited performing groups from the U. S. to appear at the 1986 Festivo Cervantino, in Guanajuato, Mexico. Sonora's cassette, Treasures, is used as a model for outstanding quartet performance throughout the world.
In addition to building an acclaimed undergraduate and graduate saxophone studio, Professor Ervin established the Minor in Music program, the first Honors program in music, the Performance-Interview program and the Minority Retention program. She also helped develop the Western Civilization in the Arts courses in Fine Arts. In 1993-94 she designed a system for load analysis in music, now in use in the School of Music.
Since becoming an administrator, Professor Ervin has continued to study work load issues, developed extensive data gathering projects and worked closely with other campus leaders in the development of a post-tenure review system for the University.
