Stephen Goacher

Stephen Goacher is Professor of Music at Howard Payne University, where he has taught since 1999. He leads the Winds of Triumph and Jazz Ensemble, conducting performances across the U.S. and internationally, including Paris, London during the 2012 Olympics, Mexico, and Switzerland. He teaches woodwind instruments, jazz studies, improvisation, and music history.

His academic background includes the first Master of Music in Woodwinds from TCU and doctoral studies at Indiana University, where he made history as the first candidate permitted to perform recitals on all woodwind instruments. A clarinet major at UCLA, he earned recognition on alto saxophone through the Atwater-Kent Outstanding Musician Award.

Mr. Goacher is a renowned performer, having played with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, recorded George Gershwin's music, and toured with legends like Henry Mancini, Lena Horne, Bob Hope, and Broadway orchestras. He has presented clinics at the University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin–Shell Lake, and the North American Saxophone Alliance.

His research and performance interests include jazz, woodwind multiplicity, improvisation, and music history. Though no publications are listed, his artistic output includes the CD Leaving A Testimony, recorded in Nashville with choir and orchestra.

• Atwater-Kent Outstanding Musician Award (twice)

Mr. Goacher has mentored generations of music students through ensemble direction and private instruction. His ensembles have participated in major festivals and international tours, supported by institutional and performance-based funding. He previously taught for 25 years at Stephen F. Austin State University, Kansas State University, and Northern Kentucky University before joining HPU.

He performs on multiple woodwinds and has been featured with the Eugene Rousseau Saxophone Quartet. His work bridges academic instruction and professional performance, contributing significantly to music education and jazz studies.