Donald Sinta Quartet

Since forming in November of 2010, The Donald Sinta Quartet (DSQ) has quickly achieved international renown for their recitals, concerto performances, completely memorized presentation, and championing of the very latest repertoire from emerging young composers. Hailing from across the country, DSQ is named for the legendary University of Michigan Saxophone Professor Donald Sinta, the group's mentor.

DSQ have distinguished themselves on the competition circuit, making history by being the first saxophone quartet ever to win the Elmaleh 1st Prize in the Concert Artists Guild International Competition in NYC, having been chosen by a unanimous vote of the jury. The group also received the Alice Coleman Grand Prize at the 2013 Coleman International Competition in Los Angeles, and 1st Prize at the North American Alliance Saxophone Quartet Competition in Arizona. Upcoming performances include recitals at Market Square Concerts, Chamber Music Society of Detroit, University of Delaware, Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, St. Bonaventure University, a concerto performance in Strasbourg, France with the Paris Garde Républicaine Band as well as multiple performances with the Reno Philharmonic in 2016.

DSQ were the featured soloists with the University of Michigan Symphony Band during the historic 2011 tour through Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Xian, Hangzhou, and Los Angeles. The group performed in some of the most prestigious concert halls in the world including the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Tour performances also featured DSQ at the Shanghai Conservatory, Hanban Headquarters, as well as a performance for the students of the Youth Orchestras of Los Angeles. Their concerto performances featured the world premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer William Bolcom’s Concerto Grosso for Saxophone Quartet and Band. In addition to their China tour performances, DSQ has also performed this work with the Dallas Wind Symphony in Texas. They can be heard performing this work on the Michigan Symphony Band’s recording Artifacts. Recent reviews of the recording praised the quartet as, “Immensely entertaining..Really superb musicians! (Audiophile Audition),” and, “The highlight of the album…(American Record Guide).”

Following their performances in China, DSQ maintained a national and international touring schedule with recitals at the 16th World Saxophone Congress in St. Andrews, Scotland; Thessaloniki, Greece for the 2012 International Society for Music Education Conference; a 2013 tour through Paris with recital/clinics at the Paris Conservatory, Versailles Conservatory, and Selmer Paris showroom; and performances in Geneva and Montreux, Switzerland at CERN and the Montreux International Jazz Festival. Other recent recital performances include Carnegie Hall, the Greene Space, and Merkin Hall in NYC, Corpus Christi Chamber Music Society, Purdue Convocations, Chamber Music North, Princeton Summer Concerts, Rockport Chamber Music, the Chautauqua Institution, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Music from Angel Fire, and the Detroit Institute of the Arts. DSQ has also made radio appearances on New York’s WQXR and Interlochen Public Radio and has been featured frequently on American Public Media’s Performance Today.

Equally committed to education and community engagement, the quartet has presented clinics and performances at numerous colleges and universities including the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, SUNY-Potsdam’s Crane School of Music, as well as a residency at Grand Valley State University. DSQ has also presented workshops and performances at Saline High School (MI), public schools and universities in Dallas as part of a residency with the Dallas Wind Symphony (TX), and two tours through the Wappingers Central School District (NY).

DSQ’s repertoire spans centuries and encompasses the great string quartet repertoire of Dvorak, Schubert, and Shostakovich, as well as numerous saxophone standards and several new commissions and premieres by today’s emerging young composers. To this end, DSQ has initiated an annual National Saxophone Quartet Composition Competition for new music from student composers. DSQ is managed by Concert Artists Guild (www.concertartists.org) and are Selmer-Paris Artists, performing on Selmer Paris Saxophones exclusively.