Unfamiliar Spaces” (2018) for soprano saxophone and fixed media                   Spencer Arias (b. 1990)

Her Body’s Shores” (2022) for two saxophones and video           Lisa Coons 

Big Talk (2017) for two baritone saxophones      Shelley Washington (b. 1991)

Henning Schröder, soprano and baritone saxophones

Grant Asklar, alto saxophone

Marie Humburger, baritone saxophone

Saxophonist Henning Schröder has performed throughout Europe, Asia, and North America, both as a soloist and in groups as diverse as the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Max Raabe & Palast Orchester, and the Kalamazoo-based Opus21. As baritone saxophonist of the acclaimed Capitol Quartet, with his duo partner, pianist Yu-Lien The, and with the Hiding Duo, Henning explores both the standard and contemporary repertoire of his instrument. A Yamaha Performing Artist, he has been featured in performances, lectures, clinics, and as a composer at international conferences and festivals in Europe and the U.S.

Henning holds degrees in saxophone performance and saxophone pedagogy from the University of Arts Berlin and Western Michigan University, as well as a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Illinois. He studied with Debra Richtmeyer, Johannes Ernst, Trent Kynaston, and Chip McNeill. A dedicated pedagogue, Henning is an Associate Professor of Music at Ohio Northern University, where he teaches saxophone, chamber music, music theory, and music history. He spends his summers in North Carolina as a member of the Brevard Summer Music Festival Artist Faculty.

What Does a Community  - Spencer Arias

*What It Could Be - Spencer Arias

*Premiere

Marie Humburger, soprano and tenor saxophones and Julian Avendaño, piano

Marie Humburger (born on July 13 1999 in Schwäbisch Hall, Germany) is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Saxophone Performance at Western Michigan University with Dr. Henning Schröder. Marie completed her Bachelor’s degree in Saxophone Performance at the University of Music Würzburg with Prof. Lutz Koppetsch. Master classes, including the ""Université Européenne de Saxophone"" in France (featuring Claude Delangle and Vincent David, among others) and the Arosa Music Academy in Switzerland (with Lars Mlekusch and Timothy McAllister), have been valuable additions to her musical education. In 2023-24, she participated in the NASA CGE mentoring program.

Marie is a multiple prize winner of the German music competition Jugend musiziert and received special awards from the Neue Stiftung Musikleben and the Neue Musikzeitung. Moreover, she has performed with various orchestras: as a soloist with the Bergische Sinfoniker (performing Alexander Glasunov's Saxophone Concerto op. 109), with several symphony orchestras (performing pieces such as Ravel's Bolero and Shostakovich's Jazz Suite no. 2.), and as a regular substitute on tenor saxophone with the Bavarian Police Band. In the field of contemporary music, Marie has acquired significant experience collaborating on pieces such as Yair Klartag's “Bloody Flux” for baritone saxophone, cello, and electric guitar amplifier, as well as Annesley Black’s “Not thinking about the Elephant” for Saxophone Quartet and Electronics.

Marie is particularly passionate about crafting musical formats that diverge from traditional concert settings, offering audiences a holistic experience. Key events in this regard were her participation in the contemporary opera project AKASHA in the Artist Village of Schöppingen and her performance on the Detect Classic Festival in Neubrandenburg. Both projects involved devising a performance concept and collaborating with students from various artistic disciplines on aspects like stage lighting, costume design, and audience interaction. As the founder of the NUNA Trio, consisting of saxophone, flute and piano, she continues this passion with great enthusiasm.

Program:

Critical Immobility - The Solstice Wind Quintet
Photoresipiration - Yoon-Wah Roh
Plant Cell Highway Traffic Jam - The Anonim Trio