I was pleased to get a photo towards the end of the academic year 2023-24 of my fabulous saxophone students at the Royal College of Music Junior department. The saxophone ensemble meets at 9 am every Saturday in term time to rehearse for an hour. My collection of students (some first study, some second study, some classical, some jazz, some both) work really hard with me for an hour before going to their next lesson, class, or rehearsal.

This year, with twelve members of saxophones ensemble, we were able to play some great repertoire, including Roger May’s Introduction and Riffs, Nigel Wood’s Where Spirits and Demons Dance, and Sir Patrick by Philippe Geiss. It’s interesting to note that some of the best music written for saxophones is by saxophonists, who really understand the instruments and its capabilities. Composers Roger May and Nigel Wood are published by Saxtet Publications and French saxophonist Philippe Geiss using several publishing companies for his music, you can learn more about Philippe on his website. We also performed the Ballade movement from Roberto Molinelli‘s epic Four Pictures from New York, which featured Arion Thompson on tenor saxophone. Arion is a final year student and will be going to study jazz saxophone at Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Arion, like most of the RCMJD students, has many talents. He was learning classical saxophone with me, jazz with the great Mornington Lockett, but also played the snare drum part in our performance of Sir Patrick by Philippe Geiss!

I am fortunate to work with my students in a saxophone quartet. This year Kezia (soprano), Rory (alto), Jake (tenor), and Arion (baritone) made it to the final round of the Royal College of Music Junior Department Chamber Competition. They performed a movement from the first saxophone quartet written by Singelee, a friend of inventor of the saxophone, Adolphe Sax. In complete contrast, they coupled that with Rick Hirsch‘s Paquito de Habana. I invited my friend and colleague, French saxophonist Jérôme Laran to work with the students. They played Robert Davidson’s Brightest Threads for three alto saxophones and baritone saxophone; Jérôme talked to them about blending and balance, it was a really interesting session. (Arion was away that day, so RCMJD alumnus and now current RCM student Rosemary Ball played baritone for us.)

In the academic year 2024-25 my saxophone ensemble will look a little different, as five of the twelve members are leaving us, to the senior Royal College of Music, the Royal Northern College of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and Birmingham University (with a scholarship to take music lessons at Birmingham Conservatoire). I will miss them all, but I am excited to start work with the new size and sound of the RCMJD saxophone ensemble 2024-25!