Since 1992 Lenoir Sax has performed in diverse venues throughout the Southern United States and in Eastern Europe.
History
Lenoir Sax has performed at the International Saxophone Symposium, and have opened for the North Carolina Symphony, the Jimmy Dorsey Big Band, and the Tommy Dorsey Big Band. They have performed with the Asheville Symphony (with the late Loonis McGlohon), the Western Piedmont Symphony, and for the North Carolina Music Educator’s Convention.
Lenoir Sax has collaborated with world renowned tenor sax virtuoso James Houlik in hosting the semiannual SaxFest Clinic/Concert and has worked with the Nuclear Whales Saxophone Orchestra in organizing a concert for all student saxophonists in Caldwell County.
They have been featured on WSPA TV in South Carolina and WETS radio in Tennessee, where their Studio One performance was selected to be broadcast on public radio throughout Scotland. They have performed in chamber music concerts at Wintersun Estate (Asheville), the Chapel of the Prodigal (Montreat College), Friends of Music (Lenoir-Rhyne College) the innovative Pipes Spectacular Organ Plus Series of the Raleigh chapter of the American Guild of Organists, Music at Seaside (Sunset Beach) and Music at Calvary Church (Cincinnati, OH).
In addition to numerous school and college residencies, Lenoir Sax participated in the Musical Heritage RevueConcert and In-School Residency sponsored by the Caldwell Arts Council, featuring Mike Cross, the late Etta Baker, Puddingstone and Strictly Clean and Decent. They collaborated again with Ms. Baker and others in the Blue Ridge Jazz and Blues Tour in 2001
In 2000, Lenoir Sax performed throughout Austria and represented the United States in Bad Ischl’s KaiserFest, an annual cultural festival that draws over 25,000 people to the Upper Austrian town near Salzburg in the Salzkammergut region.
Commissions
Lenoir Sax has commissioned and performed new chamber music works by NC composers Frank Graham Stewart, J. Mark Scearce, and Joseph Dorsch. We are currently working on a project in conjunction with the Caldwell Arts Council to put together a program of original compositions inspired by the counties national recognized public sculpture art program. Lenoir Sax has performed at many of the annual Sculpture Celebrations.
Recordings
The group’s first CD, Wade in the Water, was made possible by a NC Grass Roots Grant and featured Appalachian hymns and Spirituals.
Lenoir Sax’s second CD, Fascinatin’ Rhythms, is a collection of live recordings in various styles of jazz, blues, and ragtime, and featuring many of the arrangements made popular by the Hollywood Saxophone Quartet. A guest appearance by world-renowned saxophonist James Houlik is a special treat.
The group’s third CD is Christmas…Classically Cool, which features seasonal selections in both familiar and not so familiar settings. Everything from Baroque to Bop is covered.
Lenoir Sax’s fourth CD, High Standards, features the works of Western North Carolina composer and arranger David Wilken. The selections of this recording were selected to celebrate the history of both the saxophone and popular music over the years. The tunes were arranged in the style of the Hollywood Saxophone Quartet arrangements from the 1950s.
The group’s recordings have been featured on local NPR stations such as WETS, WDAV, and WNCW. Several of our discs are available online at Amazon.com.