Long-established Amici Ensemble performs each year with varying combinations of instruments. In 2026 this is a quintet with the saxophone adding richness to a string quartet. The performers are Donald Armstrong – violin, Anna van der Zee – violin, Alexander McFarlane – viola, Andrew Joyce – cello, and Simon Brew – saxophone. The string players are members of the NZSO, joined by Simon Brew who is much in demand as a saxophonist.
Russell Peterson: Quintet for Alto Saxophone and Strings
Max Richter: On the Nature of Daylight
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Quintet for Alto Saxophone and Strings
WA Mozart: String Quartet K.590
Astor Piazzolla : The Four Seasons: Winter and Spring
Since Adolf Sax invented the saxophone in the 1840s, composers have been enchanted with its sonorities, combining the saxophone with other instruments in many idioms. Composers such as Debussy and Ravel incorporated its beautiful sweetness in their music, influencing more recent composers such as Ellen Zwilich and Russell Peterson.
This unusual lineup of saxophone and string quartet, while embracing their classical origins, plunge headlong into the evocative sounds, catchy rhythms and soaring melodies that this combination lends itself to.
Bookings:
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