The Meta Trio will perform works by Johann Joachim Quantz, Jean-Baptiste Singelée, Johannes Brahms and Astor Piazzolla in a concert on Monday, April 10, 8 p.m., at Diers Recital Hall.
The group includes pianist James Welch of the School of Music; solo saxophonist Jacob Swanson, who teaches instrumental music in the Gowanda Central School District; and soprano saxophonist Michael Hernandez, of San Jose State University.
Mr. Singelée, a violinist and composer, was a personal friend of Adolphe Sax and composed many works for the saxophone. His charming three-movement work, “Duo-Concertante,” represents the first original work for two saxophones and piano. Meta Trio’s concert will conclude with two well-known works from Argentinian Tango composer Piazzolla.
By combining the vocal qualities of the saxophone with one of the most traditional formations in concert music, Meta Trio performs as a modern ensemble that paints the musical landscape with its captivating and diverse programming. Messrs. Hernandez and Swanson have collaborated with Mr. Welch to adapt established repertoire for their ensemble in addition to exploring works originally intended for two saxophones and piano.
Meta Trio performs on vintage Buescher saxophones built in the United States to the acoustic specifications of their inventor, Adolphe Sax.
Welch, a collaborative pianist and instructor of piano class at Fredonia, has accompanied numerous recitals, juries and master-classes, while serving as a vocal coach and accompanist for main-stage musicals. He has performed for Peter Schickele, Renee Fleming and Dawn Upshaw, and as a soloist, was a second prize winner in the 2007 Bradshaw and Bouno International Piano Competition. Additionally, Welch has performed throughout North America, with appearances at SUNY Buffalo, East Carolina University and Western Oregon University, as well as in Europe, including France and Italy.
Swanson, a Vandoren Regional Artist and band director at Gowanda High School, has performed throughout North America and Europe in concert series and on television and radio. He has inspired several composers to write for him as a soloist. As member of the Decho Ensemble, which he co-founded in 2011, Swanson participated in a residency as a guest of the NyMusikks Komponoistgruppe in Oslo, Norway. In 2014, he presented the world premiere of Erwin Dressel’s “Duo Konzert für Sopran- und Altsaxophon und Kleines Orchester,” a monumental work, with his long-time collaborator, Sarah Marchitelli, and the Trinity Chamber Orchestra. Swanson earned a B.M., M.M and Performer’s Certificate at Fredonia.
Hernandez has been heard in concert halls throughout Europe and North America as well as on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today.” As a soloist he has appeared in recitals and alongside orchestras all over the United States. He is the founding soprano saxophonist of the critically acclaimed Mana Quartet that has held residencies at dozens of music festivals and universities, including Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, Hot Springs Music Festival and Oklahoma State Contemporary Music Festival. He is a D’Addario Performing Artist and has been praised for gorgeous, lyrical tone and spectacular technique.
