New Century Saxophone Quartet Blows Through Nightengale Concert Hall November 10

Combining “great technique and elegant musicianship with a wonderful sense of chamber music" (Fanfare), New Century Saxhophone Quartet is “doing for saxophones what Casals did for the cello and Segovia, the guitar" (Spectator). This pioneering group has earned rave reviews from critics and audiences worldwide for its diverse repertory of innovative contemporary works and imaginative adaptations in an extraordinary range of musical styles.

The University of Nevada, Reno's Performing Arts Series presents New Century Saxophone Quartet for one night only, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2005, at 7:30 p.m. in Nightingale Concert Hall on the University campus.

Moving beyond the traditional repertory for four saxophones, New Century Saxophone Quartet performs works from a wide spectrum of composers, from Bach and Mozart to Carol Florio, a turn-of-the-century American who was one of the first to compose for saxophone quartet -- and genres from classical to contemporary funk and jazz. For more than 15 years, New Century Saxophone Quartet has significantly broadened the repertoire for saxophone quartet through its commissioning projects, premiering new works by Bob Mintzer, Lenny Pickett, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Peter Schickele, Sherwood Shaffer and other renowned composers.

The only ensemble of its kind ever to win First Prize at the Concert Artists Guild Competition, the quartet's virtuosity has also been rewarded with grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Chamber Music America and the North Carolina Arts Council.

Members include Michael Stephenson, soprano saxophone; Christopher Hemingway, alto saxophone; Stephen Pollock, tenor saxophone; and Connie Frigo, baritone saxophone.

The quartet has played major venues around the world, including New York's Carnegie Hall, the Villa Schonberg in Switzerland, the Conservatoire de Musique in Luxembourg, Hong Kong's Academy for the Performing Arts and many other prestigious stages - even playing two command performances for President Clinton in the White House.

Recordings include The Art of Fugue (2004), Standards (2002), A New Century Christmas (2000), Home Grown (1999), Main Street USA (1996) and Drastic Measures (1994).

“Tackling brave new territory in the conservative-leaning realm of classical music tradition takes a unique blend of conviction, refined talent and a bit of damn-the-torpedoes ambition. Those qualities are amply in evidence with the New Century Saxophone Quartet, not to mention a finely honed musicality."
- Los Angeles Times

“The New Century Saxophone Quartet is a breath of fresh air."
- BBC Music Magazine

Individual tickets are: Adult $20/Senior, university faculty and staff $17/Student $10/University student $5.

For more about New Century Saxophone Quartet, visit: http://www.newcenturysax.com.

For more about the Performing Arts Series, visit http://www.unr.edu/pas or call (775) 784-4046. Email: [email protected].

To purchase tickets online from the University's arts365 virtual box office, visit: http://www.unr.edu/arts. To purchase tickets by phone, call 1-800-225-2277, or in California (530) 766-2277. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the Lawlor Events Center box office, open weekdays from 10am - 5pm and Saturdays 10am - 1pm. For more information, call Extended Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno, (775) 784-4046.

For additional performance, gallery and arts events at the University of Nevada, Reno, visit the arts365 Calendar website: http://www.unr.edu/arts. Email: [email protected].

Funding for the Performing Arts Series is provided in part by the University of Nevada, Reno School of the Arts and Extended Studies; the Associated Students of the University of Nevada and the Graduate Student Association; the Nevada Arts Council, a state agency; National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency; the City of Reno Arts and Culture Commission; Western States Arts Federation; For the Love of Jazz; Somersett; Benna Foundation for Excellence in the Fine Arts; and Sierra Arts Foundation. The series is media-sponsored by KUNR-FM 88.7. Accommodations for guest artists have been provided by the Sands Regency Casino Hotel and Circus Circus Hotel and Casino.