About the Kenari Quartet
Applauded for their “flat-out amazing” performances and “stunning virtuosity” (Cleveland Classical), the highly acclaimed Kenari Quartet delivers inspiring performances that transform the perception of the saxophone. The quartet aims to highlight the instrument’s remarkable versatility by presenting meticulously crafted repertoire from all periods of classical and contemporary music.
The Kenari Quartet has found a home performing on many of the premiere chamber music series in the United States. Recent engagements include appearances at Chamber Music Northwest, the Grand Teton Music Festival, and Chamber Music Tulsa, among others. For many chamber music institutions, the Kenari Quartet has been proud to serve as the first ensemble of its kind to be presented.
In addition to cultivating the highest level of performance, the Kenari Quartet has a deep passion for collaboration and innovation. Most recently, the quartet premiered J.P. Redmond’s 9×9: Nine Pieces for Nonet alongside the inimitable Imani Winds. As a testament to the flexibility of the saxophone quartet, the Kenari Quartet was recently a featured artist in Baldwin Wallace Conservatory’s 86th Annual Bach Festival. Here, they collaborated with faculty, student musicians, and academics to present an unprecedented residency centering around the influence of J.S. Bach on the late composer David Maslanka, as well as improvisation throughout musical history.
The quartet advocates passionately for the music of living composers, and it has given world premieres of new works by Mischa Zupko, Joel Love, and David Salleras, among others. As a recipient of Chamber Music America’s 2016 Classical Commissioning Grant, the Kenari Quartet was awarded a generous grant that allowed them to commission a new work from Corey Dundee, the group’s very own tenor saxophonist. This exciting project was made possible by the Andrew. W. Mellon Foundation, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, and the Chamber Music America Endowment Fund.
In 2016, the quartet released their debut album—titled French Saxophone Quartets—on the Naxos Records label. This recording project features early masterworks for saxophone quartet by French composers Eugéne Bozza, Alfred Desenclos, Pierre Max Dubois, Jean Françaix, Gabriel Pierné, and Florent Schmitt. The Kenari Quartet also appears on David Deboor Canfield’s 2018 album, Saxophone Music, Vol. II, with their performance of Canfield’s Opus Pocus, a delightful and witty work that depicts wondrous magicians and illusionists such as Merlin and Houdini.
Committed to giving back to their communities, the Kenari Quartet is regularly involved in community engagement opportunities and educational endeavors. As a part of their touring activities, they often perform and teach at youth centers and grade schools around the country. The quartet has also given performances, masterclasses, and lectures around the country at various universities, including the University of Michigan, Indiana University, the University of Southern California, the University of Houston, and the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory.
Formed in 2012 at Indiana University, the quartet’s name is derived from the Malay word “kenari”, which may be translated as “songbird.” Expanding on the age-old idea that birds communicate through song, the Kenari Quartet seeks to exemplify this concept through concert hall performances. By not only connecting with their audiences via song, but also through physical movement, Kenari amplifies the standard concert experience with their striking visual communication and powerful stage presence. The Kenari Quartet is represented by Jean Schreiber Management.
The Members of Kenari Quartet
Bob Eason
Hailed by Fanfare magazine for his “exceptional feel for elegance, wit… and tonal beauty,” Dr. Bob Eason is an East Texas-based saxophonist, music educator, and clinician. Having recently performed as a guest artist with SaxoBang Ensemble in Taipei, Taiwan, Bob actively concertizes as a soloist and chamber musician. Bob is the founder of the Young Saxophonist’s Institute, an organization of summer programs that has educated over 700 saxophonists since its beginning in 2007. Bob holds a master’s degree in saxophone performance from Indiana University and a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Houston, and his primary teachers include Otis Murphy, Dan Gelok, Valerie Vidal, Karen Wylie, Chris Patterson, and Theron Sharp.
Kyle Baldwin
Kyle Baldwin is currently living in the San Francisco Bay Area where he is teaching a small studio of students and continues performing with the Kenari Quartet. In the summer of 2016, Kyle graduated from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music with a bachelor’s degree in music performance. There he studied with Dr. Otis Murphy and Professor Tom Walsh. Originally from Fresno, California, he has also studied with Dr. Alan Durst at Fresno State University and Professor Larry Honda at Fresno City College. He is a recipient of the Premier Young Artist Award Scholarship, a very honorable award given in the Jacobs School of Music, as well as the Marcel Mule Scholarship.
Much of Kyle’s college career has been devoted to premiering new works for saxophone. He has collaborated with several composers in the Fresno State composition department where he has worked with Joey Bohigian, Dr. Benjamine Boone, and Dr. Kenneth Froelich. Kyle enjoys experimenting with new approaches to classical music through unique instrumentation and new performance concepts.
Corey Dundee
Dr. Corey Dundee is an Ann Arbor based composer and saxophonist whose work has been described as “trippy dream music” (casual university acquaintance) and “falling down a black rabbit hole” (six-year-old concert-goer in Norfolk, CT). A recipient of Chamber Music America’s 2016 Classical Commissioning Grant, Corey was recently named Honorable Mention for MTNA’s 2018 Distinguished Composer of the Year Award, as well as a Finalist for the 2018 Cortona Prize. Corey has undertaken an Artist Residency at the Kimmel Harding Center for the Arts in Nebraska City, and he has received commissions from the Michigan Music Teachers Association, the Norfolk Contemporary Ensemble, Front Porch, the Spatial Forces Duo, Taos Chamber Music Group, the UNCSAx ensemble, and saxophonist Shawna Pennock. As a performer, Corey has appeared as a concerto soloist with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and the North Carolina Symphony, among others. He is also the tenor saxophonist of Kenari Quartet, a First-Place Laureate Ensemble of the inaugural M-Prize Chamber Arts competition and 2018 Protégé Project Artists at the Chamber Music Northwest festival in Portland, OR.
Steven Banks
Recognized for his “glowing mahogany tone” (Seen and Heard International) and “breathtaking” (Classical Voice of NC) performances, Steven Banks is active as a classical saxophonist, chamber musician, music educator, advocate for diversity and inclusion in classical music, and composer. Steven has a relationship with The Cleveland Orchestra, having performed with the legendary ensemble at Severance Hall, Carnegie Hall, and the Blossom Music Center. Steven holds degrees from Northwestern University and Indiana University, where he was mentored by Taimur Sullivan and Dr. Otis Murphy, Jr., respectively. Steven serves as the Assistant Professor of Saxophone at the Ithaca College School of Music.