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PHOTOS
LONG FORM ARTIST BIO
Mieke Bruggeman is a Portland based multi-instrumentalist and educator.
Mieke can be heard regularly with the Quadraphonnes, Melao de Cuba/Son Cubano and the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble (PJCE) and on occasion with groups like the Domo Branch Big Band, The Cabin Project, Jessika Smith Big Band, Bang! Bang!, Ne Plus Ultra Jass Orchestra and national touring groups she’s worked with include WST Ska Orchestra, Ron Artis II & The Truth, The Temptations and the Four Tops.
Behind the scenes, Mieke plays multiple reeds for several musical theater companies and is regularly hired for recording sessions - Notable credits include “The Clapping Song” from the Netflix original All Together Now, and the soundtrack of Focus Feature film’s The Holdovers.
Recently, she’s been curating her own performances to showcase her love of classical saxophone. In March 2025, Mieke took on her first production of Quadraphonnes Presents: Sax Pax for a Sax - presenting the music of Louis T. Hardin (aka Moondog) for large saxophone ensemble.
As education coordinator for the PJCE, she heads the Young Jazz Composers program. Mieke also has a full studio of private students and can be seen popping into various schools throughout Portland to teach workshops and coach young musicians.
SHORT FORM ARTIST BIO
Mieke Bruggeman is a Portland based multi-instrumentalist, collaborator, composer/arranger, producer, and educator.
A mainstay in several local ensembles, she also embraces the life of a freelance artist, performing in a variety of genres with local and national ensembles - Latin, Jazz, classical, pit orchestra, funk, sax quartet repertoire, recording sessions and tours. In addition to performing, Mieke has also begun curating and producing shows to showcase the underrated world of classical/chamber saxophone music and its history/composers.
Deeply committed to education, she has a full studio of private students, is an Artist In Residence at Portland Public Schools and the education coordinator for PJCE’s Young Jazz Composers program.
PRESS
"I listened to the video of you and Virginia playing African Cuban Jazz. Your tone is exquisitely great! Your playing is so expressive. Your command of the horn is amazing ... your efforts to educate me have led me to believe that all people should try to make music ... My lessons with you were a catalyst for trying again after a 20-year hiatus ... you gave me the impetus to dig out some of that muscle memory. Damn. I'm a happier person for it. Thanks!" - Ed Wardzala
“With music composed by Ezra Weiss, lyrics by S. Renee Mitchell and vocals by Marilyn Keller, the Portland Jazz Composer’s Ensemble provides artsy and fresh sounds with its 12 member team ... Keller’s voice is impressive and declaratory as she teams with Rob Davis’ tenor sax on “Oregon Sounds" while Mieke Bruggeman’s bari sax is relaxed on “Marjorie.” - Jazz Weekly
“The music of Melao de Cuba is a lively Salsa fusion of different musical rhythms such as Cuban Rumbas, Latin Jazz, traditional Yoruba healing chants, Son, Chachachá, Spanish Flamenco, Boogaloo, Boleros, & other Latin music styles.” – Virginia Lopez (band leader)
"The Quadraphonnes get their horns all over Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk, but they also tackle Philip Glass and Ástor Piazzolla, and they transcend their gimmick to make clever, inventive arrangements that showcase the range of the instrument....they straddle the line between jazz, classical, and pop with a unique, inventive approach." - Ned Lannamann, Portland Mercury
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