Join the Austin Saxophone Ensemble as we open our eighth season with an evening championing collaboration and inclusion.  After years of concerts at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, ASE will formalize this partnership by teaming up with St. Matt’s Music Director, Jean Fuller to perform the second movement of Camille Saint-Saëns’ epic Symphony no. 3 “with organ.”  Just as Saint-Saëns’ Organ Symphony celebrates the power of the orchestra to convey emotion through music, this performance will celebrate St. Matthew’s and ASE’s shared dedication to bringing music to the community.

The evening also features several current and rising stars of the composition world with works that embody the spirit of interaction and unity.  Code SEIS by ASE’s own Crystal Alexander-Duckett is built on the rhythm of morse code for “seis” as the saxophonists come together to send a distress signal through a dense fog.  The floating lyrical lines of Jennifer Bellor’s Skylark Lullaby depict a flock of birds swirling around and following after each other as they search for their evening resting place at sunset.  In Marc Mellits’ Splinter, the members of ASE trade fragmented rhythms and melodies to form seamless grooves and lush textures.  More info on these talented composers can be found at their websites: crystalalexanderduckett.com, jenniferbellor.com, and marcmellits.com.  The program is rounded out by Edward Elgar’s Nimrod which was inspired by the hope and encouragement given to him by a close friend not to give up on his music.