We are absolutely delighted to welcome to the shop Timothy McAllister as part of our 2013 Clinic series. This event will be on Friday evening, October 4, from 5-6pm, and as always, it is FREE! McAllister is in town performing the John Adams’ Saxophone Concerto with the Saint Louis Symphony, after giving the world premiere of this piece just this past August with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

Timothy McAllister is the soprano chair of the renowned PRISM Quartet and an internationally-acclaimed soloist. His career has taken him all around the world, with solo performances in top performance venues across the globe, such as the Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall’s Isaac Stern Auditorium, Zankel Hall and Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Boston’s Jordan Hall, City Hall Concert Hall in Hong Kong, Los Angeles’ Walt Disney Concert Hall, Sumida Triphony Hall in Tokyo, Dallas’ Meyerson Center, and Rotterdam’s Zaal de Unie. He has premiered over 150 new works by today’s most eminent and emerging composers. While a universally acclaimed classical saxophonist, McAllister has also appeared with many notable big bands, and performed behind such jazz greats as Jimmy Heath, Rick Margitza, and Dave Liebman.

McAllister holds the Doctor of Musical Arts and other degrees in music education, conducting, and performance from the University of Michigan, where he studied saxophone with Donald Sinta and conducting with H. Robert Reynolds. McAllister serves as Associate Professor of Saxophone and Co-Director of the Institute for New Music at the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University. He is a Conn-Selmer and Rico Gold artist, endorsing Selmer Paris saxophones and Rico Reserve reeds.

We highly encourage you not to miss this event. It is a tremendous opportunity to meet one of today’s preeminent classical saxophonists in a close and intimate setting. This will bring some wonderful discussion and insight. We hope to see you there!

Saxquest is excited to welcome the Paul Zaborac Trio for a performance on Tuesday evening, October 1, from 7-9 pm. This event is free and open to the public, and will be at the Saxquest shop.

We are excited to announce another great event at Saxquest. On Saturday, September 28, we are thrilled to welcome Bob Mintzer. This event will be a free clinic, from 2pm-4pm, and is open to the public.

Bob Mintzer is perhaps most well known for his own big band and for being a long time member of the Yellowjackets, but his biography reads like a who’s who list of the past 40 years of the music industry. Bob cut his teeth inNew York City, amongst the rising stars of that scene in the early 70’s. Since then he has played with, toured, and/or arranged for some of the biggest names and big bands around. Whether it was playing and arranging in the Buddy Rich Big Band, touring with Jaco Pastorius’ Word of Mouth Band alongside Michael Brecker and Peter Erskine, or in the studio on recordings for James Taylor or Queen, he has done it all.

In addition to his busy playing and arranging career, Bob teaches saxophone and jazz composition at the University of Southern California (USC) where he lives. He maintains a busy touring schedule performing with the Yellowjackets, teaching workshops, and as a guest conductor/soloist with the top college and pro bands.

We are very excited to welcome Mr. Mintzer to the shop. This is a fantastic opportunity to see a true master of the instrument in an intimate setting. Please come out for a great time!

Its with terrific fanfare that I invite you out to another wonderful event at Saxquest. On Saturday, September 21, from 11am-1pm, we’ll be hosting a clinic with 3x Grammy Award winner JEFF COFFIN and his Mu’tet. The event is free and open to the public and will be hosted at Saxquest.

We would like to invite you out for another great event at Saxquest. On Saturday, July 20, we will be hosting a performance/clinic with Paul DeMarinis and Kim Portnoy. This event will be from 2pm – 4pm, and as always it is free and open to the public.

Paul DeMarinis is a St. Louis native and longtime staple of the local jazz scene. The Director of the Jazz Studies program at Webster University since 1988, Paul teaches saxophone, jazz improvisation, and jazz history, as well as overseeing the ensemble and academic jazz program, coordinating the faculty jazz ensemble, and directing the Webster Jazz Series and the Webster Summer Jazz Camp. As a performer, educator, and clinician, he has been involved with the Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshops as well as the International Summer Jazz Academy in Poland. Paul also has a long association as a saxophonist with the St. Louis Symphony, with performances at Powell Howell, as well as New York’s Carnegie Hall and overseas.

Kim Portnoy is the Director of Composition at Webster University, where he teaches classes in jazz theory, composition, and orchestration. He is recognized as a versatile composer for both classical and jazz, having received commissions from numerous institutions. His compositions have been featured nationally and internationally at the Eastman Summer Trombone Institute in Rochester, New York; the Choral Music Experience Institute in Arvika, Sweden; the Guitar Foundation of America Conference at Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio and two International Association of Jazz Educator’s conferences: New Orleans and Atlanta. Kim is a gifted pianist, performing with the Webster Faculty Jazz Ensemble as well as his own trio and big band, and has appeared on several recordings.

Please come out for some fantastic music and a good time! We’ll see you there!

Saxquest is thrilled to offer an exciting opportunity for woodwind instrumentalists. This coming Monday and Tuesday (June 24 & 25) we’ll be hosting internationally acclaimed mouthpiece specialist, Ramon Wodkowski. Ramon’s clients include many of the world’s leading soloists, orchestral musicians and educators around the world.

“I had the pleasure of working with Ramon in London last fall when the SLSO was on tour. Ramon is a fantastic, meticulous craftsman of the highest caliber. That he is coming to St. Louis is a rare opportunity for anyone seeking a quality hand-made clarinet mouthpiece.” – Diana Haskell, Associate Principal and Eb Clarinet – St. Louis Symphony Orchestra

Saxquest is currently booking time slots for players to work individually with Ramon. His fee for mouthpiece work & consultation is $75/hour. Please contact Saxquest ASAP if you’re interested in booking a session. We’ve already booked seven time slots and they’re filling fast just by word of mouth. So, if you’re interested, don’t hesitate on this one. One person is driving all the way in from Houston, TX. This is a very rare opportunity having Ramon right here in St. Louis.

Ramon also has his own line of mouthpieces which will be here and available for trial as well as a variety of refaced vintage and professional mouthpieces.

Saxquest is thrilled to welcome Tim Zavadil to the shop on Saturday, June 22, from 1pm-3pm. This is a clinic/masterclass geared towards our clarinet faithful. This event is free and open to the public.

Tim Zavadil is a long-time friend of the shop, so we are very excited to finally host him. He is a member of the Minnesota Orchestra (since 2007), as clarinetist and bass clarinetist, and was previously with the Louisville Orchestra, Toledo Symphony, and Civic Orchestra of Chicago. He holds degrees from Northwestern University and DePaul University, and has taught at the University of Louisville. Mr. Zavadil is a Buffet Crampon artist, and we’d like to thank them for helping sponsor this event.

This will be a clarinet and bass clarinet clinic/masterclass, in an informal setting. As always it is free to attend. Please continue to show your support, as long as attendance remains strong we will continue to line up fantastic events.