School of Music alums win gold, silver in Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition

Two alumni from the Hugh Hodgson School of Music were part of quartets which won gold and silver medals at the 2017 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition in South Bend, Ind., on May 12-14.

Gabriel Pique (B. Mus. - Saxophone ’15), of Fuego Quartet, and Brandon Quarles (B. Mus. - Saxophone ’15), of ~Nois, were named gold and silver medal winners, respectively, in the Senior Wind Division. 

“This is a marvelous accomplishment for these alumni and for the School of Music saxophone studio,” said Dale Monson, director of the Hodgson School.

Though they both attend different schools now for their graduate studies—Pique at the Eastman School of Music, Quarles at Northwestern University—the saxophone students were close while at the Hodgson School.

“Gabe and Brandon were in a quartet together all four years at UGA,” said Connie Frigo, associate professor of saxophone, who taught Pique and Quarles.   

“Most notably, in 2015 they were in Milk Quartet, which advanced to the Music Teachers National Association chamber music national finals and traveled to Moscow as part of HHSOM's exchange program with Gnessins Institute. It was remarkable to see them both competing for the top prize at Fischoff. I couldn't be prouder.”

The 44th annual Fischoff Competition included participants from 31 states and 28 countries. Founded in 1973, Fischoff began with six competing ensembles and is today the largest chamber music competition in the world.

This is the second consecutive year that Hodgson School students have been part of wind ensembles finishing in Fischoff’s top-three. Last year, Lineage Percussion became the first percussion ensemble in the competition’s history to be named a finalist.

The Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the University of Georgia is a rising national leader in musical education and performance. With over 300 undergraduate and 200 graduate students, the School of Music trains the music performers, educators, scholars, composers and therapists of tomorrow with world-class facilities, unparalleled instruction and hundreds of performance opportunities each year.