Alum Ali Sakkal Studied Saxophone with Branford Marsalis at SF State

WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL (NORTH CAROLINA) -- The Winston-Salem appearance was orchestrated by another saxophonist, Ali Sakkal, an assistant teaching professor in the Department of Education at Wake Forest University. Before he shifted his focus from music to education, Sakkal studied under Marsalis at San Francisco State University in the early 2000s.

“I know we have this concert series that has some good money behind it, so we might as well bring him,” Sakkal said. “Not that they couldn’t have done it without me, but just because I have this personal relationship, I was like, ‘Yeah, let’s make this happen.’”