The Nova Saxophone Quartet he has recorded on the Musical Heritage Society, Crystal and Equilibrium labels. Founding member Richard (Rick) Lawn is retired as Dean of the College of Performing Arts at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia (www.uarts.edu).

Prior to moving to Philadelphia he was the Founding Director of Jazz Studies, Chair of the Department of Music, and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. Before joining the Texas faculty Rick was Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Northern Iowa. Rick holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the Eastman School of Music where his principal teachers were Rayburn Wright, Bill Dobbins, Chuck Mangione and William Osseck. Grants from the National Endowment of the Arts have supported his work as a composer