Oregon Center for the Arts at Southern Oregon presents “Labyrinth,” performed by the Siskiyou Saxophone Orchestra
(Ashland, Ore.) – The Music program of the Oregon Center for the Arts at Southern Oregon University presents the world premiere of “Labyrinth,” performed by the Siskiyou Saxophone Orchestra, on Tuesday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the SOU Music Recital Hall.
“Labyrinth,” composed by renowned Nebraska composer Randall Snyder, is a “Steampunk” style craft, influenced by the sci-fi novel “Perdido Street Station” by China Mieville. It features the bass saxophone played by graduating SOU student Andrew Farina. The concert features bass clarinet quartet Bassilisk, as well as New Specs Quartet, recently selected to perform at the 17th World Saxophone Congress in France, and the SOU Graduate Saxophone Quartet. The program is an eclectic mix of avante-garde, pop music and opera for saxophone and clarinet.
“I’m excited by the eclectic mix of steampunk-influenced music and pop music by Freddie Mercury of Queen,” said Dr. Rhett Bender, director of woodwind studies at SOU. “From bass clarinets to bass saxophone, this concert will have immense variety, infusing it with pure fun for both the artists and the audience.”
Dr. Bender is a founding member and soprano saxophonist with the Mazama Quartet and Globe Saxophone Quartet, and the director of both the SOU Siskiyou Saxophone Orchestra and SOU Cascade Clarinet Consort. The Mazama Quartet performed at the World Saxophone Congress in St. Andrews, Scotland, in 2012. Bender is the director of the summer Ashland Chamber Music Workshop. He serves as the Region 1 Director of the North American Saxophone Alliance (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming). His book, American Saxophone Quartets, is published by Lambert Academic Publishers. Bender is a Yamaha Performing Artist.
Tickets are $10 for regular admission, $5 for senior citizens and free to full-time students. The Performing Arts Box Office is located in the Music Recital Hall lobby. Box office hours are noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and two hours prior to each performance. Tickets can be purchased with a credit card over the phone by calling 541-552-6348 or online at oca.sou.edu/events. Contact the box office for discounts offered to SOU alumni, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute participants and SNAP/Oregon Trail cardholders.
About Southern Oregon University
Southern Oregon University provides outstanding student experiences, valued degrees, and successful graduates. SOU is known for excellence in faculty, intellectual creativity and rigor, quality and innovation in connected learning programs, and the educational benefits of its unique geographic location. SOU was the first university in Oregon—and one of the first in the nation—to offset 100 percent of its energy use with clean, renewable power, and it is the first university in the nation to balance 100 percent of its water consumption. Visit sou.edu.
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Photo by Hayden Teachout