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.