Isaiah Sanderman (he/him) earned his Bachelor of Arts in Jazz & Contemporary Music Performance at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts in 2019. He studied under Jim Gailloreto (Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera). An active performer, bandleader, composer, and educator, he draws upon an array of experiences to provide a uniquely engaging and holistic musical education for students of all ages and backgrounds.

As an educator, Isaiah prioritizes making music class a fun and safe environment and strives to nurture students’ creativity, build self-confidence, demonstrate the value of discipline, and promote musical literacy. In addition to maintaining his own studio, Isaiah has taught at many Chicagoland area institutions, including Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago Center for Music Education, and Flatts and Sharpe, and is proudly entering his 6th year here at Lyriq. He also works as a band director with the national nonprofit Jazzempowers, where he has spearheaded jazz programs over the past several years in schools that have no prior music education. 

Isaiah’s fluency on multiple instruments and experience in a variety of genres such as jazz, classical, hip hop, rock, and theater have enabled his unique artistic path. Isaiah has performed and recorded on saxophone, piano, flute, clarinet, and vocals with many artists and bands from around the country, including Wic Whitney, Pleasantries, the Nicotine Dolls, Calaveras LD, Zoofunkyou, and in other settings such as weddings bands and jazz ensembles. Some highlights include touring across the U.S. and Canada in 2025, playing festivals such as Milwaukee Summerfest, and some of Chicago’s finest local venues like Salt Shed and Lincoln Hall. As a composer, he scored the feature film, “Promise of the Butterfly”, which premiered at Music Box Theater in 2019, soon after appeared at the Vail Film Festival, and is currently available on Amazon, as well as the comedy play “David & David” which earned three multi-week runs at the Annoyance Theater in 2024. Isaiah has been performing with his own band, Such Jam Much Chill, since 2018. Over the next year, he is looking forward to local shows with Such Jam, a midwest tour with Pleasantries, accompanying the St. Ben’s children’s choir, and developing the Pied Piper puppet show at the Bristol Renaissance Faire.