Arcis Saxophon Quartett

Germany's Arcis Saxophon Quartett often presents its music in unusual locations and settings. The group maintains an "arcis_collective" oriented toward collaboration with other artists. The Arcis Saxophon Quartett (or Arcis Saxophone Quartet) was formed in 2009 in Munich, where the members were students at the city's Hochschule für Musik und Theater. The group takes its name from Munich's student-oriented Arcis Street. The Arcis Saxophon Quartett studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater with Koryun Asatryan and Friedemann Berger, in Berlin with the Artemis Quartet at the Universität der Künste, and at the European Chamber Music Academy with Hatto Beyerle, the Alban Berg Quartet, and Johannes Meissl. The group issued its debut album, Arcis Saxophon Quartett spielt Enjott Schneider, in 2013 on the Ambiente Audio label. It began to rack up competition honors in the mid-2010s, beginning with a first prize at the Musikwettbewerb des Kulturkreises Gasteig e.V. in Munich in 2013. The group members are Claus Hierluksch, Ricarda Fuss, Marie Schäfer (since 2023), and Jure Knez (since 2015) on soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones, respectively. The Arcis Saxophon Quartett has appeared at leading German venues such as the Philharmonie Gasteig in Munich and the Philharmonie in Berlin. The group made its debut at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow in 2013 and at Wigmore Hall in London in 2016. It gained valuable exposure from an appearance on tenor Rolando Villazón's television program Stars of Tomorrow. The Arcis Saxophon Quartett has also appeared in less conventional venues, including the desert in Saudi Arabia, a trailer stage in Bavaria, and an Ecuadorian mountain pass. The group teams with contemporary dance companies in its "arcis_collective" guise. The Arcis Saxophon Quartett has released several more albums, including Rasch (2017) on the Genuin label, featuring music by Bach, Gershwin, and Franco Donatoni. It appeared in 2023 on the album Luke Bedford: In the Voice of the Living.
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