Vermont Counterpoint for Saxophone – solo
Website(s) : http://jeffheisler.weebly.com
Jeffrey Heisler presents the European Premiere of the transcription for saxophone of « Vermont Counterpoint » by Steve Reich, a piece originally for flute.
Biography
Award-winning saxophonist and soprano chair of the Assembly Quartet, Jeffrey Heisler, serves on the faculty of Oakland University (USA) as Professor of Saxophone and Conducting. He holds a DMA specializing in contemporary music from Bowling Green State University where he studied with John Sampen and additional studies at Central Michigan University where he studied saxophone with John Nichol. Heisler is a 1st prize gold medal winner of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and past Downbeat Magazine award winner. As a champion of new music, Heisler has commissioned and premiered works from significant composers such as Marilyn Shrude, Steve Reich, Chen Yi, and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. Heisler is a Conn-Selmer Artist Clinician and performs exclusively on Selmer Paris Saxophones.
More information
Largely considered one of America’s greatest living composers, Steve Reich’s compositional innovations such as tape looping and phasing pioneered the genre widely known as minimalism and influenced a generation of composers.
American saxophonist, Jeffrey Heisler, has worked directly with Mr. Reich on a transcription for saxophone of his seminal work originally for flute, Vermont Counterpoint. This adaptation for saxophone calls for 1 live performer (performing soprano, alto, and tenor saxophones) and 12 pre-recorded electronic parts in order to realize the live performer and fixed media intention of the work. Dr. Heisler’s composer-approved arrangement of Vermont Counterpoint (for Saxophone) is currently be published by Boosey and Hawkes and will be available in 2015.
This proposal is to perform the European Premiere of Vermont Counterpoint (for Saxophone) by Steve Reich at the SaxOpen World Saxophone Congress and Festival in Strasbourg, France. It is of great worth to have repertoire for the saxophone from the greatest composers of our generation. This composer-approved arrangement of Vermont Counterpoint works beautifully for the saxophone and is a valuable addition to our repertory.