MEET THE SOLOIST: Steven Banks

Saxophonist Steven Banks performs Billy Childs's Diaspora: Concerto for Saxophone

September 19 at 6:30PM & September 20 at 7:30PM

Background: Hailed by  The Washington Post  as “the saxophone’s best friend, fiercest advocate and primary virtuoso in the classical realm,” performer and composer Steven Banks strives to bring his instrument to the heart of the classical world. He commissions and writes music that expands the repertoire for saxophone, introducing audiences to new possibilities for artistic expression. Banks is a devoted and intentional supporter of diverse voices in the future of classical music. His work on stage and on the page prompted  Seen and Heard International  to write, “Banks has the potential to be one of the transformational musicians of the 21st century.” 

This season, Banks will bring his “charismatic confidence, technical flawlessness, adventurous phrasing, [and] unbelievably sweet tones’’ (Seen and Heard) to debut performances with the St. Louis, Indianapolis, Oregon, and Montréal symphony orchestras. In Europe, he makes debut appearances with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, BBC Symphony at the Barbican, Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, and BBC National Orchestra of Wales. 

Banks is committed to establishing the saxophone as a vital voice in classical music by commissioning works that showcase its expressive capabilities. This season, he premieres Joan Tower’s poignant new concerto Love Returns at the Colorado Music Festival, with additional consortium performances by the National Symphony Orchestra Washington, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and Toronto Symphony among others. Billy Childs’ Diaspora, written for Banks and commissioned by Young Concert Artists and ten orchestras—the largest consortium ever for a saxophone work—marks a major milestone in his mission.

In recital, Banks appears with pianist Xak Bjerken at prestigious series including Cal Performances, Chamber Music Northwest, Davies Hall, Merkin Hall, The Kennedy Center, The Kravis Center, Festival Napa Valley and Chamber Music Sedona. As a chamber musician, he enjoys deep collaborations with the Miró Quartet and Verona Quartet, joining both ensembles for tours of newly co-created programs. Banks is a founding member of the award-winning all-saxophone ensemble Kenari Quartet. 

Described as “colorful and continuously fascinating” (The Boston Musical Intelligencer), Steven Banks’ compositions are increasingly in demand, reflecting his rising profile as a composer. He has been commissioned by Young Concert Artists and the chamber music festivals of Tulsa, Tucson, Bridgehampton, and Chamber Music North West. His recent works include Reflections and Exaltations, Come What May, and Cries, Sighs and Dreams all scored for saxophone and string quartet, and Begin Again for baritone saxophone, cello, piano, and meditation guide. 

Banks is proud to be the first saxophonist to receive a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and earn First Prize at the Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions. Banks serves as Saxophone and Chamber Music Faculty and Artist-in-Residence at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He has previously held teaching positions at Ithaca College, Baldwin Wallace Conservatory, and the University of Hartford. Banks studied with Taimur Sullivan, Otis Murphy Jr., and Galvin Crisp, earning degrees from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. Banks is an endorsing artist for Conn-Selmer instruments and D’Addario Woodwinds.

Tickets start at $25! Click HERE or call 401-248-7000 to purchase today!