| The Anubis Saxophone Quartet returns to its BGSU roots Monday (Photo courtesy of Ryan Muncy) |
Though the Anubis Saxophone Quartet can trace its roots to the saxophone studio of John Sampen at Bowling
Green State University, the ensemble first came together in Chicago, with some members meeting for the
first time.
Still when the ensemble – Allison Balcetis, Ryan Muncy, Sean Patayanikorn and David Wegehaupt – made its
debut performance in August, 2007 it was back in Bowling Green.
The ensemble will return for a Music on the Forefront concert Monday at 8 p.m. in Bryan Recital Hall in
the Moore Musical Arts Center.
All four performers who come from across the U.S. and Canada were drawn to Bowling Green by the prospect
of working with Sampen.
Balcetis, who comes from Nebraska, said she knew of Sampen’s reputation as "an excellent performer
and pedagogue."
Wegehaupt, from Phoenix, said a former teacher told him he wished he had studied with Sampen when he had
the chance. So the young saxophonist bought a couple CDs of Sampen’s playing.
What he heard was contemporary sounds, unusual effects summoned from the saxophone and electronic
enhancements, new to his ear. "While I didn’t get the music, I found it to be very
interesting," Wegehaupt said.
When he arrived on campus, he found that the College of Musical Arts was also known as a center for
composition with the MidAmerican Center for Contemporary Music, the sponsor of Monday’s concert, located
here.
"I was intrigued by contemporary music even though I didn’t fully grasp it," Wegehaupt said.
Now contemporary music is the focal point of his work and the work of the saxophone quartet.
At BGSU Balcetis, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2005, and Wegehaupt, who graduated in 2007,
joined a saxophone studio with musicians from around the world. Muncy, from Indiana, near Louisville,
Ky., and Patayanikorn, from Edmonton, Alberta, received master’s degrees from BGSU in 2006 and 2008,
respectively.
Even though the students studying with Sampen came from all over the globe, they formed a close-knit
community. "There was really great camaraderie," Wegehaupt said.
At BGSU saxophonists are shuffled from year to year into different saxophone quartets.
Muncy and Patayanikorn decided they wanted to form a more permanent quartet, "a dream team
quartet," Wegehaupt said.
So they pulled the ensemble together even though at that time, the various players were living in
different locales, with Muncy heading to Paris and Balcetis heading to Edmonton to study.
Those kinds of logistical complications are common for performing musicians though. "Often
professional musicians are far-flung," Wegehaupt said, "but they work like professionals and
put on great concerts." So the group started rehearsing in spring 2007, before making its first
appearance later in the year.
Balcetis explained the name comes from the Egyptian god of the underworld. "An association with that
sense of volatility and darkness and energy … really attracted us."
The name though also pays homage to a favorite piece "Anubis" by the French composer Gerard
Grisey.
Despite the distances – all but Balcetis have since relocated to Chicago – the ensemble has thrived,
performing around the globe.
Members stay in touch using Skype, send music out ahead of time and then get together for intense
rehearsals right before performances. "We’ve gotten really efficient, really comfortable, putting
together a concert in four days," Wegehaupt said.
On Monday’s program will be the first piece the quartet commissioned, "Etchings" by Mikel
Kuehn, of the BGSU faculty. The quartet premiered the piece at a saxophone convention in Bangkok in
2009.
"Many of our favorite works come from these personal relationships," Balcetis said.
Connections made at festivals and conventions also play a role in finding performance opportunities
giving the musicians a chance to meet saxophone professors and composition teachers. Often the quartet
will not only perform but also spend time with student composers. At BGSU on Sunday they will work with
Praecepta, the student composers organization.
Though all the members have dabbled in composition, they don’t consider themselves composers.
"When we’re working with composition students we’re helping them understand the saxophone so they
can write appropriately for the instrument," Wegehaupt said.
When working with composers, Balcetis said, it’s just a matter of "having an open mind and having
good communication with living composers you can grasp their intent."
The quartet will play the American premiers of two pieces at BGSU, Ben Hjertmann’s "The Mares of
’33" and Giorgio Netti’s "avvicinamento."
