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And Everything is Still...
Fri 10 Sep 2010
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Andy Scott is an endorsee of Selmer Paris Saxophones
Andy Scott is Vice-President of the International Saxophone Committee. The next congress is the World Saxophone Congress 2012 at St Andrews, Scotland
Music by Andy Scott is published by Astute Music
Apollo Saxophone Quartet
The Apollo Saxophone Quartet has been internationally acclaimed as one of the UK's most innovative and exciting contemporary ensembles for the last twenty-five years.
Established at the Royal Northern College of Music in 1985, the group set out to develop an original repertoire, drawing upon influences from a wide variety of cultures and disciplines, combining contemporary classical, jazz, folk and world music.
Dedicated to a policy of commissioning and performing new works by today's leading composers, the Apollo Saxophone Quartet has thus become defined by its unique repertoire and has firmly established its position at the forefront of contemporary performance. Richard Rodney Bennett, Graham Fitkin, Michael Torke, Django Bates, Michael Nyman and Bob Mintzer are just some of the composers who feature in the quartet's repertoire of over 100 works, which is now being further enhanced by the addition of original works by the members of the Quartet itself.
The Apollo Saxophone Quartet maintains a high profile at many leading UK Festivals (such as Brighton, Bath, Vale of Glamorgan, Harrogate, Spitalfields, Warwick & Leamington and Norfolk & Norwich) and venues throughout the UK, Europe and Japan, as well as giving regular radio and TV broadcasts. Their highly successful debut CD "First & Foremost" for Decca's Argo label reached no.3 in the UK classical music charts within one month of sales. They are also featured on; Django Bates' Decca (Argo) release "Good Evening.....here is the news" performing his quartet (an Apollo commission), Travel Cartoons for the Blind, and Michael Torke's release on the same label "Overnight Mail", performing the Apollo commissioned quartet July and also Flint (for saxophone quartet, cello, double bass, and two pianos, one played by the composer himself).
In 1998, the group released "Word & Pictures", a ground breaking CD exclusively featuring music written by the members of the Quartet, with special guest poet Lemn Sissay joining the group for a new work for four saxophones and poet that has already attracted a great deal of interest from promoters throughout the world. In 1999 the ASQ undertook an extensive UK Tour with the Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company in which they premiered Django Bates' A Fine Frenzy, a virtuosic multi-media work written especially for the ASQ to perform.
2001 saw the release of "Works for Us", a disc featuring some of the groups new commissions, and a recording of John Casken's Distant Variations for Saxophones and Winds, and 2004 saw the release of the group's latest CD "Short Cuts" (on the Quartz label) featuring new music commissioned by the ASQ and the Gulbenkian Foundation from some of Portugal's leading composers. These new works received their world premieres in London in December 2004.
2005 saw the release of the CD "Three Quartets" featuring the music of Barbara Thompson.
Recent projects have included a major commission for the Quartet to write 60 minutes of film scores for Saxophones and silent film for Phoenix Arts, a collaboration with jazz saxophonist Julian Arguelles, several appearances at Manchester's Bridgewater Hall, including a world premiere of a new work written for the group by Mike Gibbs for Saxophones, Piano and Percussion, with Joanna MacGregor & Simone Rebello, and a residency at the ISCM World Music Days Festival with poet Lemn Sissay. Current projects include a multi-media project with composer Matt Wright featuring video relays, live and pre-recorded sampling and DJ, and a collaborative project with the Goldberg ensemble, performing newly commissioned music for Saxophone Quartet and String Ensemble.
The ASQ regularly presents specialist Saxophone Days and workshops with young composers at schools, Universities and Conservatoires throughout the UK. The group has also composed an extensive series of compositions for young saxophonists, published by astute-music.com, (many of which are now included on the associated Board exam syllabus) ranging from quartets and duets to solo studies and saxophone and piano albums.
For further information visit apollosaxophonequartet.com