JULY 27, 7:00 PM. 
THE RITES OF SPRING MUSIC FESTIVAL presents SPIRIT IN THE MACHINE.

The Rites of Spring Music Festival returns to Custer Institute in their 9th season bringing contemporary music to our historic observatory!

Inspired by the writings of composer Marc Mellits of the saxophone quartet functioning as one machine powered by four individuals, this program highlights contemporary works for the ensemble influenced by funk, soul, post-minimalism; all with a lyrical tone that fuses with earlier works from the chamber music/classical canon that highlight a full palette of compositional and instrumental colors.

“Virtuosic to the core” (Textura) and hailed as “a tight-knit ensemble exploding with power and virtuosity” (Boston Musical Intelligencer), the Sinta Quartet is on a mission to bring the versatility, homogeneity, and excitement of the saxophone to audiences everywhere. Strengthening an already palpable connection with its audience by performing entirely from memory, the quartet provides a fresh take on chamber music that is at once beautiful, virtuosic, and a completely interactive experience.

Following the concert when the skies are dark, Observatory staff will provide guided tours of the night sky (weather permitting) through our many telescopes on site, including the apochromatic Zerochromat telescope in our historic observation dome.

$40 Adult, $30 Custer Observatory Members and Friends of R o S, Children Under 16 FREE. Attendance to this in-person performance will be limited - reserve your seats early! Due to the outdoor nature of this program, a rain date will be scheduled as needed.

Please bring a blanket or chair to enjoy this outdoor presentation.

Program

Chris Hass (b. 1993) Volcanic Ash (2017) (8 minutes)
*Winner of 2017 DSQ Composition Competition

Perry Goldstein Motherless Child Variations(12 minutes)

Marc Mellits (b. 1966) Ex Machina (2017) (17 minutes)
Machine I (let the funk out)
Machine II (flowing)
Machine III (not quite, but almost pensive; sunflowers in love)
Machine IV (dancing a mean ghastly dance)
Machine V (the morning after)
Machine VI (flowing, lyrical, & songlike
Machine VII (aggressive & funky)

-Intermission-

David Biedenbender (b. 1984) Cerulean (2017) (14 minutes)
I. Sirens
II. Lullaby
III. Goof Groove

J. S. Bach (1685 – 1750)/Graser
Selections from Die Kunst der Fuge BWV 1080 (post. 1751) (8 minutes)

John Mackey (b. 1973) Unquiet Spirits (2012) (12 minutes)
I.
II.
III.

Dan Graser, Soprano Saxophonist

Zach Stern, Alto Saxophonist

Joe Girard, Tenor Saxophonist

Danny Hawthorne, Baritone Saxophonist

The Sinta Quartet injects music and fun into the air for unsuspecting passersby by appearing in nontraditional venues such as grocery stores, bars, and other public places, but they have also performed in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Hall, and the Beijing Center for the Performing Arts. Since forming in 2010 as soloists for a tour of China with the University of Michigan Symphony Band, the quartet has concertized in 9 countries, 32 states, and 2 Canadian provinces, giving diverse audiences a chance to experience a classical saxophone quartet for the first time. The Sinta Quartet made history in 2013 as the first saxophone ensemble to win the Victor Elmaleh First Prize from the Concert Artists Guild Competition, and continued to achieve success on the competition circuit, winning the Gold Medal at the 2018 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, First Prize at the 2017 M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition, the Alice Coleman Grand Prize at the 2013 Coleman Chamber Music Competition, and 1st Prize at the 2012 North American Saxophone Alliance Competition.

The quartet’s programming takes the audience on an adventure through time, geography, and genre, often mixing classics from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries with commissions by today’s composers and rollicking in-house arrangements from various folk traditions. In addition to their live performances, the quartet recently released two albums featuring predominantly recent commissions and winning pieces from Sinta Quartet’s annual National Composition Competition. The first, Collider, hailed as, "An exciting ride! The ensemble, intonation, and technique in this recording are beyond question" (The Saxophonist Magazine), was released in 2019, and the second, Ex Machina, which was praised as “tightly performed and flawlessly recorded in generous, in-your-face sound” (Musical America), was released in 2020.