KENARI Sax Quartet

Applauded for their “flat-out amazing” performances and “stunning virtuosity” (Cleveland Classical), the highly acclaimed Kenari Quartet delivers inspiring performances that transform the perception of the saxophone. The quartet aims to highlight the instrument’s remarkable versatility by presenting meticulously crafted repertoire from all periods of classical and contemporary music. The group has earned top prizes at the M-Prize, Fischoff, J.C. Arriaga, Plowman, Chesapeake Bay International, and Coleman Chamber Music Competitions.

Videos

"I was nearly overwhelmed by the beauty of their sound, the tight ensemble, their range, their musicality, expressiveness, and technical skills." Kathleen Gerety, Program Committee Chamber Music Tulsa

"The playing was engaging and SO musical all the time. It was as impressive as we had hoped. one of the best concerts he’d attended in recent memory." Bruce Sorrell, Executive Director Chamber Music Tulsa

“The Kenari were flat-out amazing. Kinetic, physical players, they came close to choreographing Maslanka’s music — especially when riffs were passed down through the ensemble from top to bottom and up again. Their instrumental mastery was impressive, their tone beautiful, their intonation faultless.”

Daniel Hathaway, Cleveland Classical

Photos

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Programs

The Versatile Sax

Showcasing the versatility of the saxophone through original and transcribed works from a variety of genres

The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba by Handel, arr. Fourmeau

Quatuor pour Saxophones by Alfred Desenclos
I. Allegro non troppo II. Calmo III. Poco largo, ma risoluto

Shifting Gears by Corey Dundee

Italian Concerto by Bach
I. Allegro II. Andante III. Presto

INTERMISSION

Adios Nonino by Astor Piazzolla, arr. Johann van der Linden

Capriccio from Op. 81 by Mendelssohn, arr. Bob Eason

In Memoriam by Joel Love

Leafless Trees by David Laganella

From 24 Preludes in Jazz Style by Nikolai Kapustin, arr. Dundee

New/Contemporary Music

you’ve been talking in your sleep by David Biedenbender

Lament by David Dzubay

They Might be Gods by John Lesczynski

Leafless Trees by David Laganella
I. Unyielding
II. Separated from the Others
III. Little black birds
IV. The Fallen
V. Towards the Sky

Tetrax by Aaron Travers

the… of my… are an… by Corey Dundee

Six Bagatelles by György Ligeti
I. Molto vivace - Capriccioso

Written for Sax

Music originally written for the saxophone quartet

Quatuor pour Saxophones by Pierre Max Dubois
I. Brillante
II. Doloroso
III. Spirituoso
IV. Andante - Presto

Leafless Trees by David Laganella

In Memoriam by Joel Love

INTERMISSION

Quatuor pour Saxophones by Jun Nagao

Recitation Book by David Maslanka
I. Broken Heart: Meditation On the Chorale Melody
II. Prelude - Chorale: Meditation On "Jesu Meine Freude"
III. Eeco Moriro Dunque (Look! My Death Is Near!) -- Gesualdo Di Venosa, 1596
IV. Meditation On "O Salutaris Hostia" (O Salvation's Victim) - Gregorian Chant
V. Fanfare - Variations On "Durch Adams Fall"

Rooted in Jazz or Popular Music

Tango Virtuoso by Thierry Escaic

Ex Machina by Marc Mellits

Quatuor pour Saxophones by Jun Nagao
II. Chercher
III. Aspirer

Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin, arr. Johann van der Linden

Out of the Blue by Frank Ticheli

Adios Nonino by Astor Piazzolla, arr. Johann van der Linden

From 24 Preludes in Jazz Style by Nikolai Kapustin, arr. Dundee
XXII. Animato X. Allegro XIII. Allegretto XXIV. Presto

“Memory” from Nepomuk’s Dances by Marcelo Zarvos

Bios

Bob Eason

is currently an Associate Instructor of Saxophone at Indiana University and a doctoral student studying with Dr. Otis Murphy. Bob has appeared as a featured soloist in the Texas Music Educators Association conference as well as the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic. He holds a master’s degree in saxophone performance from Indiana University and a bachelor’s degree in music education from The University of Houston where he studied with Mr. Dan Gelok, Mrs. Valerie Vidal, and Dr. Karen Wylie.

Kyle Baldwin

is currently living in the San Francisco Bay Area where he is teaching a small studio of students and continues performing with the Kenari Quartet. In the summer of 2016, Kyle graduated from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music with a bachelor’s degree in music performance. There he studied with Dr. Otis Murphy and professor Tom Walsh. Originally from Fresno, California, he has also studied with Dr. Alan Durst at Fresno State University and Professor Larry Honda at Fresno City College. As a result of winning first prize in the Kings Symphony Young Artists Concerto Competition, Kyle performed Alexander Glazunov’s Concerto with the Kings Symphony. He is a recipient of the Premier Young Artist Award Scholarship, a very honorable award given in the Jacobs School of Music, as well as the Marcel Mule Scholarship. At Indiana University, Kyle has performed as a member of the New Voices Opera, the Jacobs School of Music Saxophone Ensemble, and the Symphonic Band.

Corey Dundee

is a Los-Angeles based composer and saxophonist whose work embodies an intersection of disparate musical styles and concepts. A recipient of Chamber Music America’s 2016 Classical Commissioning Grant, Corey was recently awarded a fellowship to attend the Norfolk New Music Workshop in Norfolk, CT, and in 2013 he was named Grand Prize winner of the Calefax Reed Quintet International Composition Competition. Corey has been a frequent finalist for the Morton Gould Young Composer Award presented by ASCAP, and has received commissions from the Taos Chamber Music Group and the UNCSAx ensemble.

Steven Banks

is currently a master’s student in the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music, where he is a saxophone performance major under the instruction of Taimur Sullivan. Steven has been a featured soloist with the North Carolina Symphony, the Durham Symphony and the Indiana University Symphony Orchestra. Prior to going to Northwestern, Steven attended the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he studied with Dr. Otis Murphy.