American university composers for solo saxophone

Biography

Performer: Athanasios Zervas, DMus-composition and MM-saxophone (with Dr. F. Hemke), Northwestern University. BA-music (sax performance & jazz, with Bunky Green), Chicago State University. Presently: Associate Professor of Music Theory-Music Creation at the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki Greece. Professor of Saxophone at the Conservatory of Athens Greece. Founder of the Athens Saxophone Quartet (and soprano saxophonist). Chief editor: mus-e-journal (at www.muse.gr).

More information

Performance (French premier) of three compositions for solo saxophone by American university composers: Dr. Eric Honour, Dr. Nickitas Demos, Dr. Stephen L. Syverud. All three compositions extremely demanding, require very high level of technique, explore the regular and the altissimo range of the saxophone and demonstrate extended techniques. Aesthetically and ‘tonally’ belong to different styles –cover a wide periphery of styles from atonal, microtonal, and modal to neo-tonal, giving the challenge to the performer to prove flexibility for accurate stylistic interpretation. All three compositions were written for Athanasios Zervas in 2013. The titles are: Devil’s Branch for baritone saxophone, by Eric Honour, Tonoi X for soprano saxophone by Nickitas Demos, and Volar for alto saxophone.