The Symphonious Saxophone: The History of the Large Saxophone Ensemble
Website(s) : http://allensax.com
A presentation on the history of the saxophone ensemble, from its dawn in the earliest days of the saxophone to its present popularity – based upon Dr. Allen’s doctoral dissertation.
Biography
In response to his recent New York solo debut, the Examiner opined that saxophonist Andrew J. Allen had “performed brilliantly.” He has appeared with orchestras throughout the United States and has been heard as a soloist and chamber musician throughout North America and Europe, including performances at the Sixteenth World Saxophone Congress in St. Andrews, Scotland; national and regional conferences of the North American Saxophone Alliance; and the College Music Society National Convention. As an advocate of new music, Dr. Allen has premiered more than a dozen works for the saxophone by composers such as Jay Batzner, Greg Simon, and Annie Neikirk. As a scholar and pedagogue, his educational and critical writings on music have appeared in The Instrumentalist, School Band and Orchestra
More information
The history of the large saxophone ensemble is little understood, even by many of those who lead and participate in the modern iterations of such groups. The aim of this presentation is to remedy this lack of information and to provide saxophonists with the tools to further explore an important part of the instrument’s repertoire. A comprehensive history of the genre will be presented, from its beginnings in the 1840’s, to the near present. It is hoped that this discussion will offer valuable information to the saxophone community on this important, but often overlooked, aspect of the instrument and its literature. This presentation is based upon Dr. Allen’s doctoral dissertation of the same name.