Making ~Nois: Brandon Quarles, assistant professor of saxophone

The UGA Saxophone Studio hosted Professor Joseph Lulloff of Michigan State University for a masterclass and recital this January. Lulloff is one of the most celebrated saxophonists of the modern era.  

Quarles was in residence at Lawrence University’s Conservatory of Music this January where he gave a masterclass to the saxophone studio; led an interactive workshop on improvisation;and performed with Lawrence’s clarinet professor Andy Hudson. 

In March, Quarles began the process of recording an album of works for clarinet and saxophone in collaboration with Andy Hudson. The duo recorded the album in the Dancz Center for New Music with engineer Eric Dluzniewski, HHSOM academic professional in sound recording, and producer Joseph Connor, Lawrence University’s saxophone professor. The album is now in the post-production phase. 

The UGA Saxophone Studio was one of the studios-in-residence with the Dancz Center for New Music this semester. Six student composers collaborated with our student saxophonists throughout the semester to create new works for saxophone duo, quartet, octet, and our UGA Saxophone Ensemble. Many of these works included electronics and multimedia elements. The compositions were premiered on March 14th. 

In June, Quarles performed at the Flatiron Festival in New York City. Organized by pianist and Artistic Director Asiya Korepanova, the Flatiron Festival is a multi-day celebration of chamber music with performances at the Gotham Arts loft. 

Also in June, Quarles performed with ~Nois (pictured above with Quarles), an award-winning saxophone quartet for which Dr. Quarles was a co-founder and was its soprano saxophonist from 2016-2021, at Grammy Award-winning Third Coast Percussion’s Rhythm Fest in Chicago. Rhythm Fest celebrated the 20th anniversary of Third Coast Percussion and featured performances from longtime friends of TCP, new collaborators, and percussion legends.