By Viola Cai, Publicity Intern
"It is almost like a saxophone party!"
The Rocky Mountain Saxophone Summit at the University Center for the Arts invites saxophonists of all ages and levels to join their party. There will be masterclasses during daytime and a capstone recital in the evening. Tim Glesmann from Sax Alley will be in attendance with saxophones and accessories for participants looking to try a new instrument or mouthpiece.
"The Rocky Mountain Saxophone Summit is a great chance for the community to hear each other play and communicate with music," explained Peter Sommer, saxophonist and associate professor in the school of Music, Theatre, and Dance at Colorado State University. "We'd love to share this day of saxophone celebration, education, and performance with anyone who appreciates our beautiful instrument!" It will be the third time CSU has hosted the annual event since 2013. According to Sommer, the idea was inspired by the school's other instrument-specific days, however, the CSU saxophone studio was not large enough at the time, so he involved the whole front range saxophone community to form this exciting, celebratory summit.
This year, there is even more for saxophone lovers: a saxophone concert for any interested participants, including a short rehearsal in the afternoon followed by a performance before dinner. Anyone who brings their own instrument can join in this concert!
"It's our new experiment for this year, and we want more people to actually get involved; no worries about the performance because we will have saxophone students back you up," adds Sommer.
For the evening recital, there will be professors and students from all along the Front Range in attendance, including Art Bouton from the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver, Dan Goble from Colorado State University, Mark Harris from Metropolitan State University, and Scott Turpen from the University of Wyoming.
Also playing this year is the New Third Stream Quartet. Members include Rick VanMatre and James Bunte from the Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music, Jim Romain from Drake University, and Peter Sommer. The artists will reunite in Fort Collins and spend the whole of Friday rehearsing and refining their pieces for Saturday's performance.
The NTSQ will feature music from their CD "One for Four," as well as new pieces inspired by the French New Wave film movement. One work was derived from "Alphaville," a famous French science fiction film and another was sparked by "Breathless," which was one of the earliest, most influential examples of the French New Wave films.
The Rocky Mountain Saxophone Summit takes place on Saturday, March 3. Intriguing events will run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., followed by an evening recital at 7:30 p.m. All daytime events and masterclasses are free and open to public. Come and immerse yourself in the saxophone world!
For those who only want to appreciate the musical masterpieces, come to the evening recital. Tickets can be purchased at csuartstickets.com.