Meet Autumn Dominguez | Saxophonist, Vocalist, and Composer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Autumn Dominguez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Autumn, why did you pursue a creative career?
I pursued an artistic and creative career because it’s exciting, and I believe it takes a special kind of individual to dedicate his/her life to being in that creative space. I don’t know if there’s another career that would bring me the amount of joy, sadness, and challenge that playing music does; and that’s the exciting part!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Professionally, something that sets me apart from others is my drive to create new projects and bring music to new businesses.

Once I graduated college, I had a goal: I wanted to make a living entirely off of playing and teaching music full-time. I would dress up really nice with my business cards in hand, and I would go out to different restaurants/hotels/bars/you name it and ask the owner of that establishment if I could start up a weekly jazz event. Some would oblige, some wouldn’t. Eventually, my vision came into fruition, and I was making my living entirely off of playing jazz music as a 22 year old in Arizona. It wasn’t easy, and it took a long time to get to that point (especially when the pandemic hit – that caused a few detours), but my hard work paid off.

One of my proudest accomplishments so far is a jazz jam session I started my sophomore year of college and hosted for over 4 years called “Strawberry Jam.” It took place at a local coffee shop called Espresso Art Cafe that I worked at as a barista. The jam session started as a small thing, and then by the 2nd year, people were driving from Phoenix just to hang out and play! Because I hosted that session, I started making a lot of connections and getting more work as a freelance musician.

I’m a firm believer that if a person just does what THEY do best and owns it that good things will come.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my friend was visiting Tucson, Arizona and wanted a fun weekend with good food and drinks, I would check out:

1. Breakfast Burros at Tanya’s 33
2. Go for a hike in Sabino Canyon
3. Wine and charcuterie boards at Revel Wine Bar (say hi to the owner Todd!)
4. Walk around 4th Avenue and Congress
5. More Mexican food
6. Hang out at Espresso Art Cafe
7. Take a stroll around UA Campus

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First and foremost, those who have supported me most throughout my life are the people in my family! My grandparents, my dad, and even my great grandparents have/had such a big impact on my goals and aspirations. I was always told that I can do anything I set my mind to; I can be anyone that I aspire to be. I feel like having a supportive family has been one of the most important things in my development as both an artist and a person.

I would, of course, like to give a shout out to my college professors and mentors: Dr. Edward Goodman, Dr. Angelo Versace, Saxophonist Brice Winston, and Trumpet player Jason Carder. Dr. Goodman was the first teacher I had who I felt truly believed in me, and it was a great feeling! All of these men had a huge influence on me when it came to deciding the type of musician I wanted to be.

Lastly, to all of my friends in Tucson, Arizona who play music and are always happy to jam or learn new things together: THANK YOU. Having friendships grow in music was one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced.

Website: www.autumndominguez.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/autumnceliamusic/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/autumn-dominguez-2a30b9115/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acdominguezmusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClDutLrRGyRNmZdvlYOyPZA

Other: Check out my new album on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Youtube, etc!! It’s called “Sunflower Seeds” by Autumn Dominguez.

Image Credits
Miranda Rico Photography