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OCA Presents the Cascade Clarinet Consort and the Siskiyou Saxophone Orchestra

Wind Ensemble Smiling Together on Music Hall Stage

The Oregon Center for the Arts (OCA) at Southern Oregon University presents Groove Machine, a concert by OCA’s in-residence ensembles the Cascade Clarinet Consort and the Siskiyou Saxophone Orchestra. The concert will be Tuesday May 30th at 7:30 PM at the SOU Music Recital Hall.

The Groove Machine concert will feature the music of American composer Marc Mellits. In addition to Black for two bass clarinets. Mellits’s Groove Canon, Mara’s Toys, December and Groove Machine from his work Revolution will be performed by the Siskiyou Saxophone Orchestra.  Composer Marc Mellits is one of the leading American composers of his generation, and is often considered a miniaturist, composing works that are comprised of short, contrasting movements or sections.  His music is eclectic, all-encompassing, colourful, and always has a sense of forward motion.

The Siskiyou Saxophone Orchestra (SSO) is renowned in the saxophone world for their commitment to expanding musical possibilities.  Tours of the SSO have included Asia, Europe and Mexico.  As the guests of the Longkou Jingsheng Musical Instrument Co., the SSO performed at the China Music Trade Show in Shanghai and at the northern seaside resort city of Yantai.  The Cascade Clarinet Consort (CCC) and SSO have performed with guest artists Edmund Welles and Globe Saxophone Quartet as well as live on the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Green Show, Britt Festival, Oregon Music Educators’ Conference and the KTVL-Medford Channel 10 Morning News. They were honored by being selected for a performance at the XVth World Saxophone Congress in Bangkok, Thailand and in 2012 a consortium of the SSO opened for Branford Marsalis at the XVIth World Saxophone Congress in St. Andrews, Scotland.

The local and internationally recognized Siskiyou Saxophone Orchestra attracts students from all over the world and is led by Yamaha Performing Artist and Professor at Southern Oregon University Rhett Bender. Go to saxophone.sou.edu for more information about saxophone and clarinet activities at Southern Oregon University. Professor Bender states that he is “particularly excited about this concert because it exploits the interlocking rhythms written by one of America’s most commissioned composers, Marc Mellits. His music for saxophone and clarinet is an engaging musical journey.”

All tickets are general admission and are being sold through the Oregon Center for the Arts Box Office. The box office is located in the SOU Music Building, off South Mountain Avenue, adjacent from the Theatre building, which is currently under construction. OCA Box office hours are noon to 6 PM Monday through Friday. Tickets can be purchased with a credit card over the phone by calling 541-552-6348 or online at oca.sou.edu/box-office.