The Firelands Symphony Orchestra will be joined by Sinta Sax Quartet on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Sawmill Creek Convention Center.

HURON – The Firelands Symphony Orchestra (FSO) opens its 2023-24 concert season with the concert Sax in the City on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Sawmill Creek Convention Center. The concert will feature the full orchestra, and guest artists The Sinta Sax Quartet.

“We are delighted to welcome the remarkable Sinta Saxophone Quartet to perform with the Firelands Symphony Orchestra. These musicians will amaze and delight our audience with their virtuosity and musicianship. The four saxophones — soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone -– combine to produce a unique array of sound and color unlike any other,” said Carl Topilow, music director and conductor.

General admission tickets for this concert are available for $30 at firelandssymphony.com/tickets or by calling the FSO office at 419-621-4800 (Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.).

Season subscriptions are also still available for discounted ticket prices to multiple season concerts. Student tickets for youth are complementary, as well as for college students with a valid student I.D. at the time of purchase. For these special ticket offers, call the FSO office or claim at the box office on the day of the event.

The concert program will showcase all American composers in a wide variety of styles. William Bolcom’s Concerto Grosso for Saxophone Quartet is a dynamic piece exploiting both the technical and lyrical qualities of the four soloists. The orchestra will be joined by The Sinta Quartet to perform this piece.

The concert will be the first concert of the orchestra’s 2023-24 season, led by music director and conductor Carl Topilow. (Photo by Doug Klein/Firelands Photography)

The orchestra and quartet will also perform the energetic fourth movement of Philip Glass’s Concerto for Saxophone Quartet and Orchestra. The other American composers on the program are John Williams, known for his famous film compositions, Aaron Copland, called the “Dean of American Music”, and George Gershwin, known for both his tremendous contribution to both American Musical Theater and the concert hall.

While members of the Sinta Quartet (Dan Graser, Zach Stern, Joe Girard and Danny Hawthorne-Foss) all grew up in drastically different parts of the country, they met at the University of Michigan where they studied with the legendary saxophone professor, Donald Sinta. They decided to name the group after him for the profound influence he had on each member and the inspired coaching he gave to the group during their student years.

“Virtuosic to the core” (Textura) and hailed as “a tight-knit ensemble exploding with power and virtuosity” (Boston Musical Intelligencer), the Sinta Quartet is on a mission to bring the versatility, homogeneity, and excitement of the saxophone to audiences everywhere. Strengthening an already palpable connection with its audience by performing entirely from memory, the quartet provides a fresh take on chamber music that is at once beautiful, virtuosic, and a completely interactive experience.

This concert is made possible with generous funding from Randolph J. & Estelle M. Dorn Foundation, Sam S. & Rose Stein Foundation, Sidney Frohman Foundation, Louise E. Murray, Crown Battery, and Ohio Arts Council.

Sawmill Creek Resort is located at 400 Sawmill Creek Drive W. in Huron. When entering the site, attendees should follow signage for the conference center parking and entrance. Concessions are available and are cashless.