Five collegiate saxophone quartets will blow into their reeds not only to showcase their musical skills but also to learn from their professional counterparts at a master class and rehearsal Tuesday night.
The quartets include two from Ohio University and one each from Capital, Otterbein and Marshall universities. They will have the chance to learn from professional group Black Swamp Saxophone Quartet, in what is called the Ohio University Saxophone Quartet Summit.
The collegiate quartets will perform for the members of Black Swamp at a master class, and the students will receive feedback from the professionals. The college quartets and Black Swamp will then play at a recital, free to the public, to present the music they have worked on.
“The (students) will receive objective feedback from professionals that will help them hone their chamber music skills,” said Matt James, professor of saxophone at OU.
“These skills include communication between the four members of the quartet, choosing repertoire, … understanding music history, producing a warm and embracing tone on the saxophone … and a myriad of additional musical skills.”
The event, organized by James, had its inaugural meeting in 2011, which also featured the Black Swamp Saxophone Quartet.
The Black Swamp quartet is made up of professors of saxophone from schools across Ohio, including Capital, Muskingum, Bowling Green State and Otterbein universities. The quartet comprises Michael Cox on tenor saxophone, Michael Torres on soprano, Wes Miller on alto and Jay Miglia on baritone.
James said the master class and recital were a good chance for the different professors leading the student quartets to enrich how their respective quartets played and rehearsed their music.
“New concepts of what repertoire to choose for student quartets, new concepts for working in rehearsal with students and simply hearing high-level performing (will assist both the professors and students),” James said.
ds834910@ohiou.edu
