Who: The Mana Quartet
What: Music at Saint Patrick’s presents The Mana Quartet
Where: St. Patrick’s Church, 13591 Prosperity Farms Rd ., Palm Beach Gardens, FL
When: Sunday, February 21, at 3:00 P.M.
Cost: Admission is FREE.
Contact: For more information, call 561.626.8626 or visit www.TheManaQuartet.com or http://stpatrickchurch.org
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"A new bright light in the world of chamber music" - Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ellen Taafe Zwilich describes the award-winning Mana Quartet.
Michael Hernandez, soprano saxophone; Michael Mortarotti, alto saxophone; Diane Hunger, tenor saxophone; and Thomas Giles, baritone saxophone will be playing a concert of quartets at St. Patrick’s Church in Palm Beach Gardens at the last stop on their Florida tour.
On the program are J. S. Bach’s Prelude and Fugue XXII in B-flat Minor, from Das wohltemperierte Klavier II; Clare Shore’s Evocations: Four after Matisse**; Astor Piazzolla’s Oblivion, Milonga del Angel and Adios Nonino; and Stephen Dankner’s Saxophone Quartet**
Championed by Chamber Music Magazine as “Saxophone Ambassadors”, the Mana Quartet has, since its inception in 2007, presented fresh interpretations of 21st-century repertoire and many virtually unheard of 20th-century masterworks. Using vintage instruments built to the specifications of the saxophone’s inventor, Adolphe Sax, Mana’s passionate presentations offer audiences a chance to view the saxophone in a new light – a striking aesthetic characterized by intrinsic warmth, dynamic range of character, and absolute versatility. Mana redefines the saxophone quartet and the saxophone’s place in classical music.
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. Since then, 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 throughout the United States and Europe. Mana is repeatedly featured on NPR’s Performance Today, with orchestras across North America in featured concerto appearances, and maintains a high profile on the chamber circuit.
From 2009-2011 Mana served as the Artistic Ensemble in Residence at the Hot Springs Music Festival, where they gave the United States Premiere of Swedish composer Anders Nilsson’s Concerto Grosso for Saxophone Quartet and Orchestra, in 2010. In 2011, Mana was invited to join the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, as the Young Professionals in Residence.
Mana is currently the Resident Chamber Ensemble at the National Music Festival, where they recently performed Philip Glass’s Concerto for Saxophone Quartet with the festival orchestra and hosted their 5th annual Mana Saxophone Institute, an internationally attended two-week intensive apprenticeship program.
The Mana Quartet is a D’Addario Performing Ensemble and performs exclusively on Reserve Classic reeds.
**Dedicated to the Mana Quartet; Florida premiere
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