Fredonia’s student-run Ethos New Music Society will be hosting a performance by the Mana Saxophone Quartet on Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. The concert, which will feature new music from the quartet, will be held in Fredonia’s Rosch Recital Hall with free admission for students and the local community.
Mana Saxophone Quartet describes itself as a “supernatural force expressing energy and power.” Staying true to their name, group members Michael Hernandez, soprano saxophone; Thomas Giles, alto saxophone; Eric Barreto-Maymi, tenor saxophone and Dannel Espinoza, baritone saxophone, express themselves through their instruments using new techniques to create a different, yet powerful sound.
“Mana takes their music very seriously,” said Ethos Vice President Dan Knorr. “They play at a very high level, matching string quartets and other more traditional groups.”
In 2009, the group became the first saxophone quartet in history to receive the coveted Grand Prize at the Coleman International Chamber Ensemble Competition, quickly elevating them to the professional chamber music arena. Championed by Chamber Music Magazine as “Saxophone Ambassadors,” the group has taken on a growing list of residencies at major music festivals and universities, as well as countless community outreach concerts and events at secondary schools across the United States and Europe.
Acclaimed for their commitment to innovation, the Mana Quartet presents fresh 21st century repertoire and 20th century masterworks on vintage instruments built to the 19th century specifications of the saxophone’s inventor, Adolphe Sax. The quartet exclusively plays Buescher saxophones – historic, American-made instruments, crafted in the early 1900s.
Fredonia’s Ethos New Music Society is a student organization committed to presenting music of the 20th and 21st century.
For more information regarding Mana’s performance, contact Ethos New Music Society’s faculty advisor, Dr. Rob Deemer, at deemer@fredonia.edu.
