ABOUT THE PERFORMER
Evan Gartner, baritone saxophone
Evan Gartner is a second-year graduate student at West Chester University. Before pursuing his master’s degree, he received his Bachelor of Music Education also from West Chester University. Over the past six years, he has studied saxophone with Professor Jonathan Ragonese and Dr. Derek Granger.
Throughout his academic career, Evan has played with many of the ensembles West Chester University has to offer. In The West Chester University Criterions Jazz Ensemble, Evan had the opportunity to meet and share the stage with world renowned musicians such as David Liebman, Nicholas Payton, Tim Warfield, and Bob Curnow. Under the direction of Dr. Andrew Yozviak, Evan is currently the baritone saxophone player for the West Chester University Wind Ensemble, the university’s premiere wind band. With the Wind Ensemble, he is featured on several CDs released on Mark Custom Records such as Ribbons, and Games. Throughout his time in the Wind Ensemble, Evan was also able to work under the direction of guest artists such as Kelijah Dunton and Viet Cuong. At the end of his undergraduate career, Evan travelled with the Wind Ensemble to Germany, where he was able to perform in various cities across the country. Evan has played with various saxophone quartets and has worked to form a quartet comprised of graduate saxophone players across the state of Pennsylvania.
Currently, Evan is the Wind Band Graduate assistant, where he works closely with Dr. Andrew Yozviak, Dr. Hannah Morrison, and Dr. Adam Gumble, to ensure productivity and enjoyment in music making for students involved with the university’s wind ensemble, wind symphony, concert band, and both athletic bands.
FANTAISIE, OPUS60(1858)
A friend of Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone, Jean-Baptiste Singelée was among the first composers to write for the saxophone and treat it as a serious instrument. His piece, Fantaisie, Opus 60 was the first of his solo works for baritone saxophone. Created for the Paris Conservatory, this piece was originally composed to test the players musicality and technical ability. Through Singelée’s prowess of romantic language, the baritone saxophone is able to showcase its rich tone, deep resonance, and agility. This piece, along with many others of Singelée’s works, helped to establish the newly created saxophone as a serious member of the classical world.
SONATINA(1981)
John Worley’s Sonatina is a three-movement piece; that showcases the composer’s understanding of the saxophone and the performer’s capability. The first movement, “Allegro Moderato” is a lively conversation between the saxophone and the piano, allowing each player to demonstrate musicality through both fast technical work, and tender lyrical sections. As the second movement, “Andante”, begins, Worley is able to express his mastery of neo-romantic music. This deeply introspective movement highlights the baritone saxophone’s warm and tender sound, allowing the listener to enjoy intertwining lines between the saxophone and piano. Finally, the piece ends with the third movement, “Allegro con Brio”. The movement acts as a cross between both previous movements, featuring sweet lyrical sections, and extreme rhythmic runs.
SONATA(1989)
Structured in four contrasting movements, Ronald Caravan’s Sonata showcases the baritone saxophone’s ability to navigate rhythmic drive, soft lyricism, and demanding technical agility. The first movement of this piece opens in a free section between saxophone and piano allowing both players to have significant control of time, giving access to a free, floating feeling. As a stark contrast, the second movement begins very energetically, here the performer is able to showcase their prowess not only in rhythmic accuracy, but also in using the full range of the saxophone. Following the rush of the second movement, the listener is brought to the much more solemn and calm third movement, which is dedicated to John Worley. Finally, in the fourth and final movement of the piece, the performers bring the listener to a lively and playful section of music. Here, and in the second movement, the listeners will hear a technique known as “slap tonguing”, in which the player makes a suction of air against the mouthpiece, reed, and tongue to create a strong, percussive slap.
SEPTIÈMESOLODECONCERT, OPUS93(1863)
Compared to Fantaisie, the listener will find that Septième Solo de Concert, Opus 93 was composed at a later, and more matured age of Singelée’s writing. This piece was written to be a virtuosic solo for students at the Paris Conservatory. As a contrast to the flowing, and light-heartedness of Fantaisie, Septième Solo de Concert, Opus 93 presents itself in a much more dramatic fashion, often switching between flowing passages and fast displays of technical ability. Navigating through various dynamic changes, rapid runs, wide interval leaps, and a changing tempo and feeling of the piece pushes for the performer to display great control over their instrument.