Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University will host the Arkansas Saxophone Quartet in a free concert at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 14 in Mabee Fine Arts Center’s McBeth Recital Hall on Ouachita’s campus.

The quartet is composed of four saxophonists who also teach at Arkansas universities, including Brent Bristow, director of bands and professor of saxophone at Arkansas State University, on tenor saxophone; Jackie Lamar, professor of music at the University of Central Arkansas, on baritone saxophone; Caroline Taylor, professor of music at OBU, on alto saxophone; and Andy Wen, associate professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, on soprano saxophone.

The program will include pieces composed by Jean-Baptiste Singelee, Ed Chenette, Alexander Glazounov, Eugene Bozza, Florent Schmitt, Percy Grainger, Walter Hartley, Russell Garcia, Oliver Lake, Jindrich Feld, Russell Peck and William Bolcom. Dubbed by Taylor as an “infor-mance,” she explained that the performers will also present background information on the creation and history of the saxophone throughout the concert.

“Each member has extensive background in performance and on the history of the saxophone,” she added.

The Arkansas Saxophone Quartet has performed across the U.S., including at the North American Saxophone Alliance Conferences in South Carolina, Missouri and Texas; the Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium in Fairfax, Va.; the International Conference on Arts and Humanities in Honolulu, Hawaii; and at several locations throughout Arkansas.

For more information, contact Caroline Taylor at (870) 245-5319 or [email protected].

By Waylon Slabach