THE ORION SAXOPHONE QUARTET came into being in 1989, established by Jeff Benedict and Charles Richard, both of whom were recent products of Harvey Pittel’s saxophone studio at the University of Texas. Staunch devotees of Pittel’s rich, expansive tone, they wanted to form a group based in Los Angeles that would play in the same bold and unapologetic manner they had studied so assiduously under his tutelage. Ken Foerch, a former member of the U.S. Marine Band, and Adrian Williams, a product of Richard’s own studio, proved to be the perfect match in tone quality and musical concept. It is the aspiration of the Orion Quartet to perform a diverse array of music in a manner true to the composer’s intent and the style of the era while also exploiting the full tonal and expressive range of Adolphe Sax’s grand invention. With a repertoire spanning five centuries, the Orion Saxophone Quartet demonstrates a perpetually robust sonority and superb command of the melodic line. The quartet has four CDs in circulation, The Orion Saxophone Quartet with Harvey Pittel (Centaur Records) Musica Latina (Maroon Creek Music) , Among Friends (Tapestry Records), and Mass Transit (Centaur Records). Their music can be found on iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, and at music retailers across the United States.
