Sauer was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the Eastman School of Music where he studied with Emory Remington.
[1] In 1974, Sauer was named Principal Trombonist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic by Zubin Mehta.
In March 2003, Sauer premiered Augusta Read Thomas’s Trombone Concerto with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen.
Sauer has appeared as soloist with many orchestras and has given master classes and recitals throughout Europe, Scandinavia, Japan, Mexico, Costa Rica, Canada, and the United States.
He has appeared at the Stratford, Marlboro, and Aspen summer music festivals and was visiting professor at the Eastman School of Music and Arizona State University as well as an instructor with the New World Symphony (Miami) and the International Brass Festival in Melbourne (Australia).