Amethyst Quartet - "Arrival of the Queen of Sheba" - Handel

Northwestern University's Amethyst Quartet earned top honors in spring 2008 by winning the MTNA National Collegiate Chamber Music Competition (Denver, CO), the Coleman-Saunderson Prize for Woodwinds and Brass at the Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition (Pasadena, CA), and the Gold Medal of the Winds Division of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition (South Bend, IN).

Their performance and competition repertoire included David Maslanka's 2006 composition Recitation Book, written for the Masato Kumoi Quartet of Japan, and Salinas's own arrangement of Six Bagatelles by György Ligeti.

Amethyst Quartet members:

Johnny Salinas - Soprano Saxophone
Sean Hurlburt - Alto Saxophone
Luke Gay - Tenor Saxophone
Zachary Pfau - Baritone Saxophone

This video footage comes from their preliminary entry DVD used for the Fischoff Competition.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Amethyst
• Quartet
• Saxophone
• Johnny
• Salinas
• Sean
• Hurlburt
• Luke
• Gay
• Zachary
• Pfau
• Handel
• Arrival
• Queen
• Sheba
• Northwestern

[ArtsLaureate]

Thumbs up for the audio engineer.

[theSAXman76]

maybe, if the queen was running...

[TenaciousFuckYou]

They are all good but the baritone player is the weakened link..

[phronesismeister]

Maybe if the queen was flying in a Concorde! 

[Sunyvei1]

Sound is extremely bright -- I don't understand why so many saxophone quartets have this sound

[parkviewmo]

Wow! This is wonderful!

[starwarsjazz]

Watch the soprano player, he's circular breathing

[indispettito]

bravissimi!



[Guitarman1943]

this playing is of the highest order. second to none. guitarman

[supersaxguy1114]

When i first heard this song on strings i was like :( then i hear this and i was like :D fantastic job keep it up!!!

[SkellosFalks]

There is just something special about the sax when it plays classical music, and especially when it plays a piece that is usually played by strings.

Phenomenal arrangement of this piece. All 4 are incredibly saxophonists. I just love the sound of the alto and soprano in this piece.

[msussams]

@davidrbenham it took a lot of work to get any instrument considered classical... if i am right (which i may not be)... it took quite a long time to get the clarinet considered a classical instrument.... give it time!