The Echo Saxophone Quartet from the Michigan State University College of Music was among a select group of chamber ensembles from across the nation to earn honors at the 2014 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition held recently at the University of Notre Dame.
All graduate students of the saxophone studio, the quartet captured the silver medal in Fischoff’s Senior Wind Division, earning $3,000. The group hopes to use its prize money to commission a new composition and develop a website and other marketing materials.
“The quartet performed absolutely brilliantly,” said Joe Lulloff, professor of saxophone and chair of the woodwinds area, who coaches the ensemble. “Their performance was a beautiful display of artistry and impressive musicality.”
The Fischoff Competition is the largest chamber music competition in the world, attracting more than 6,600 participating musicians since its founding in 1973. For the 2014 competition, The Echo Quartet was among 48 groups selected from 132 DVD entries to compete in the May competition in South Bend, Indiana.
“It feels great for all of our hard work to finally be paying off,” said Matthew Tracy, member of the quartet. “Hopefully we can use this recognition as a jumping off point for our professional careers.”