Lawrence University Saxophone Quartet Wins NASA Regional Competition

APPLETON, WIS. -- For the second time in less than a month, a Lawrence University saxophone quartet took top honors at a major music competition.

The Lawrence quartet earned first-place honors at the conference for the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) held Feb. 15-17 at the University of Dayton in Ohio. Lawrence was the only liberal arts college represented among 11 quartets competing in the Midwest Region, which included major universities from Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio.

Members of the winning quartet were seniors Allen Cordingly, Los Lunas, N.M., baritone sax, and Stephen Rodriquez, Hillsboro, Ore., alto sax, and juniors Tony Bell, Waukesha, soprano sax, and Casey Schmidt, Little Falls, Minn., tenor sax. Each of the quartet members are students of Lawrence Professor of Music Steven Jordheim's saxophone studio.

"This was a huge victory," said Marco Albonetti, lecturer in music, who coaches the quartet. "We were competing against the very best saxophone studios in the United States. All the top saxophone studios in the country are at universities located in this region."

The first-place showing in the NASA conference competition comes on the heels of the quartetıs winning performance three weeks ago in the East Central Division of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) collegiate chamber music competition held at Indiana University. As one of seven regional winners, the Lawrence quartet will compete for a $3,000 first-place prize at the MTNA's national competition March 24-28 in Washington, D.C.