Josie McClure is a South African saxophonist based in Stellenbosch and Cape Town. She recently returned from the Netherlands, where she completed her second Master’s degree in Classical Saxophone Performance (Cum Laude) at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag under the guidance of Lars Niederstrasser.

Her research was an exploration of South African saxophone compositions entitled Finding Home: An Exploration of New South African Art Music Through the Classical Saxophone and Collaborative Practice. In this same research, she also developed an online system to catalogue these works by South African composers i.e. The South African Saxophone Catalogue. Her research was made possible from funds granted by the De Zaaier Stichting Foundation and the Skye Foundation. 

Josie graduated from Stellenbosch University with a BMus (cum laude) in classical saxophone performance (2017). She later completed her Master’s in Music (Classical Saxophone performance, Cum Laude) at the same institution where her research involved the investigation of composer-performer collaboration with South African composers in the creation of new saxophone music as well as the concept of the classical saxophone in South Africa.

She has performed as a soloist with the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, University of Stellenbosch Symphony Orchestra, the Namibian National Symphony Orchestra as well as the Free State Symphony Orchestra. In 2018, she was a finalist and woodwind runner-up in the National Youth Music Competition. In 2020, she was a recipient of the coveted bursary award at the Dubai Yamaha Scholarship Competition as well as the joint winner of the Mabel Quick Competition. She was the principal saxophone for the South African National Youth Orchestra 2017/2018 and has attended multiple South African National Saxophone Symposiums. In 2021, Josie was the winner of the Mabel Quick Overseas bursary competition and first runner-up in the Fine Music Radio bursary competition (South Africa). 

Josie has had masterclasses with Douglas Masek (USA), Pawel Gusnar (PO), Matthew Lombard (RSA), David Salleras (SPA), Andreas Mader (AT), Juani Palop (SPA), Eva van Grinsven (NL), Vitaly Valtulya (RUS) and Rob Buckland (UK). In 2020, she attended the International Saxophone Summer Academy (ISSA)- which was held virtually due to Covid-19- where she had online masterclasses with Arno Bornkamp (NL), Timothy McAllister (USA), Phillipe Geiss (FRA), and Amit Dubester (IL).

Josie enjoys collaborating with other musicians and composers on various projects and compositions. She is passionate about the promotion of South African art music for saxophone as well as contributing to the growth of the classical saxophone in South Africa. 

She is an active performing musician playing in the Belgian-South African collaboration, North South Duo with accordionist Kaat Vanhaverbeke, Novo Duo with pianist Seung-Ree Lee and Akimbo Saxophone Duo with saxophonist Mark Lynch. 

Currently she is lecturing saxophone at Stellenbosch University as well as having her private studio at the Johnman Music Centre in Stellenbosh.