The National Music Festival and Adkins Arboretum will join forces to present a unique, free performance by the Mana Saxophone Quartet and students of the Mana Saxophone Institute on June 5, 2014 at 5pm. In keeping with the ensemble’s dedication to innovative performances that push the boundaries of conventional music, the beginning of the concert will take place in the Arboretum forest, allowing the musicians and audience members to experience the works in a new way. The nature-themed program may include Barbara Thompson’s “Green” from From Darkness into Light, Dimitri Terzakis’ Panta Rei (Everything Flows), and Roosters in Love, which is based on a painting by Marc Chagall.
The Mana Quartet, whose name references a supernatural force important in Polynesian culture that expresses energy and power, focuses on presenting vibrant performances of 21st-century music and bringing renewed interest to both well-known and hidden gems of the 20th century. The musicians’ devotion to the original designs of Adolphe Sax’s instruments brings a warm quality to their sound and a dynamic nature to their performances, which has helped redefine the medium with a new, yet traditional sound. As the first saxophone quartet to win the Grand Prize at the Coleman International Chamber Ensemble Competition in 2009, the Mana Quartet has quickly become an established member of the professional chamber music scene. The quartet returns to the National Music Festival for its third summer as Resident Chamber Ensemble and sixth annual Mana Saxophone Institute.
While the Mana Quartet brings a distinctive musical element to this event, the venue of the Adkins Arboretum also contributes to the unique nature of the concert. The Arboretum, located on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, is a 400-acre native garden and preserve dedicated to promoting the appreciation and conservation of the region’s native plants. With over five miles of trails along rivers, across meadows and gardens, and through a bottomland forest, the Arboretum attracts nature-lovers of all ages.
This performance is just one of over 30 concerts occurring between June 1 and June 14 as part of the National Music Festival’s fourth season. The Festival, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, depends on generous donations and concert patronage. Tickets are available at the Chestertown Visitor’s Center (122 N. Cross Street, Chestertown) from 10am to 5pm, by phone (410-778-2064), or online at nationalmusic.us/events-and-tickets/tickets.
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