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Signum Saxophone Quartet & Kristian Winther

Book online and join us for the Season

Witness the effortless cool and versatility of the saxophone quartet

Four saxes become a veritable orchestra in the hands of the Signums, wildly talented musicians making their highly anticipated Australian debut. Add local violinist Kristian Winther into the mix, and you have lightning in a bottle.

Four saxophonists lock eyes, no sheet music to distract them. They bend their knees with the flow of the music, and lift their fingers to snap with the beat.

These players capture the effortless cool of the Jets from West Side Story. And their arrangement of the Bernstein score is just one work from the Signum Saxophone Quartet’s ripper program.

Signum has achieved cult status on instruments scarcely found in the concert hall. The group champions composers living and lost while filling the world’s best venues.

This tour is Signum’s Australian debut, so we’re making a big deal of it. We’ve commissioned Sydney composer Jessica Wells to arrange Kurt Weill’s Violin Concerto – originally for violin and wind orchestra, and one of the more technically difficult works in the repertory – for the quartet and soloist, and we’ve secured Kristian Winther for the hero’s role.

With a meeting of top creative minds in a program spanning Bach to Gershwin, this tour will show you that the saxophone is one of the most surprising instruments in the concert hall.

The performance on Tuesday 22 November is dedicated to the memory of Milan Kantor OAM and Anne Kantor AO, whose advocacy, generosity and love for music contributed to the formation of Musica Viva Australia in Melbourne.

"Four saxophones, one violin and a standing ovation"
— Canberra City News
"an exemplary sense of balance, clarity and tone"
— Limelight
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"Displaying all the hallmarks of true chamber musicians, these saxophonists brought classy enthusiasm to transcriptions of a diverse repertory"
— The Age

Livestreamed Concert

Signum Saxophone Quartet & Kristian Winther will be livestreamed on Monday 21 November at 7pm AEDT.

Bring the joy of live music into your home, on your smart TV, computer, tablet or even mobile phone with a livestreamed concert. Tickets are just $25 and include a 48-hour rewatch period.

Individual tickets for the live streamed concert are no longer on sale.

You will receive an email confirmation when you purchase your tickets. Ticket holders will receive a link to watch the performance up to 24 hours prior to the concert.

If you’re watching on your phone or computer we recommend using headphones or connecting to external speakers. Please read our Frequently Asked Questions to learn more.

Signum Saxophone Quartet

BLAŽ KEMPERLE Soprano saxophone 
JACOPO TADDEI Alto saxophone 
ALAN LUŽAR Tenor saxophone
GUERINO BELLAROSA Baritone saxophone

KRISTIAN WINTHER Violin

BACH Italian Concerto, BWV 971 (1735, transcr. Tochio) 
WEILL Violin Concerto, Op. 12 (1924, arr. Wells)*
GERSHWIN Three Preludes (1926, arr. Signum Saxophone Quartet)
BERNSTEIN Symphonic Dances from West Side Story (1960, arr. Dedenon)
COREA Spain (1971, transcr. Leitinger)

*Arrangement commissioned for Musica Viva Australia under the auspices of the Hildegard Project.

Dubbo: Presented by Macquarie Conservatorium in association with Musica Viva Australia as part of its Regional Touring program.

Jessica Wells

Jessica Wells is a versatile composer, orchestrator and arranger for concerts, films, theatre and album recordings.

Since obtaining her Master of Music in Composition (Sydney Conservatorium) and Master of Arts in Screen Composition (AFTRS), her career has gone from strength to strength. Her business of fifteen years, Jigsaw Music, provides music preparation services for clients all over the country and overseas.

Jessica has orchestrated over seventy films, and wrote the theme music for ABC TV’s Q&A program – which makes her kids think she’s famous.

She was a 2017 Finalist in the APRA Art Music Awards, in the category of Instrumental Work of the Year for her piece Moon Fire for the National Carillon and electronic track.

From 2017–2020 she was the Musical Director of the APRA Screen Music Awards, and she is the current Vice President of the Music Arrangers’ Guild of Australia.

Jessica’s new arrangement of the Weill Violin Concerto will be premiered by Signum Saxophone Quartet and Kristian Winther on their national tour. This arrangement was commissioned for Musica Viva Australia under the auspices of the Hildegard Project.

Concert Champions:
In Memory of Stephanie Quinlan (Perth)
Anonymous (Brisbane)
Dr Michael Troy (Melbourne)
Monica Lim & Konfir Kabo (Melbourne)

 

 

Digital program guide

View or download the program guide below.

 

 

Event and Ticketing Details

Dates & Times

Dubbo   6 November 5:30pm
Newcastle   8 November 7:30pm
Adelaide   10 November 7:30pm
Melbourne   12 November 7pm
Perth   14 November 7:30pm
Canberra   17 November 7pm
Sydney   19 November 2pm
Sydney   21 November 7pm
Melbourne   22 November 7pm
Brisbane   24 November 7pm

Location

Multiple Venues

Please check the venue in your city when booking tickets.

Event notes

Venue Information

Read more about the venues here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Doors open 1 hour before the performance starts.

Performance runs for 1 hour and 11 minutes without an interval.
Runtime: 71mins

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