Nexas Quartet

“Utterly startling … adrenaline fueled. 4.5 stars.”

— Limelight Magazine

“The quartet played with great energy and smooth precision full of virtuosity and fine ensemble work” - Lynne Lancaster

— Sydney Arts Guide

“The group demonstrated its tight ensemble work and took us on a romp of colourations, each as exciting as the next” - Sam Cottell

— Cut Common

At the forefront of chamber music, Nexas Quartet are leaders in promoting existing and creating new repertoire for the saxophone quartet. The group’s success comes from a combination of personalities, virtuosic saxophone skills, and an ability to program concerts of a wide appeal that has seen the musicians perform in a multitude of settings.

In 2021 Nexas released their new recording ‘Tango de Saxos’ under the Da Vinci Classics label. According to classikOn: ‘The quartet brought the lyrical and sultry melodies of the Tango to life as well as the rhythmical, percussive and powerhouse rhythms of the bass’. The quartet has been fortunate enough to have presented this programme at the Melbourne Recital Centre (for their 10th birthday celebrations and live to air ABC broadcast), Sydney’s City Recital Hall and the Orange Chamber Music Festival.

The quartet has also developed an ongoing collaboration with opera star Peter Coleman-Wright. This has been highlighted by the 2017 recording ‘Ballads of a Pleasant Life’ for ABC Classics. This collaboration also resulted in the show ‘Composers in Exile’ described thus by Bill Stephens for Arts Review: ‘the brilliance of the five performers, their easy charm and obvious affection and enthusiasm for the material, proved a seductive combination in a presentation which informed the mind while pleasuring the soul’. This collaboration has been presented at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, The Concourse (Chatswood), Glenn Street Theatre (Canberra), Independent Theatre (North Sydney), Camelot Lounge (Marrickville), BMEC (Bathurst).

The Nexas Quartet has always held the creation of new music as one of their prerogatives. This was exemplified by the 2016 release of their debut album ‘Current’, a reflection of their collaboration with leading Australian composers. The recording described by Stephanie Eslake for Limelight as ‘a riveting release’ contains works by Kats-Chernin, Hindson, Skipworth, Rojas and Orlovich.

Collaborating with a wide range of artists has been at the forefront of Nexas’ endeavours. The quartet has performed with some of Australia’s finest musicians including Peter Coleman-Wright (opera singer), Piers Lane (pianist), Gerard Willems AM (pianist), Frank Celata (SSO clarinettist), Daniel Rojas (pianist), Stephen Cuttriss (bandoneon), Emily Granger (harp) Nicky Crayson (jazz vocalist) and David Theak (jazz saxophonist and bandleader).

2021 Performances have included performing Elena Kats-Chernin’s concerto ‘Five Chapters’ with the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Recital Centre, Orange Chamber Music Festival, Blackheath Chamber Music Festival, Sydney and regional performances for Musica Viva, Live at the Great (with harpist Emily Granger) as well as performances for Melbourne Digital Concert Hall. Past performances have included the Australian Festival of Chamber Music in Townsville, Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Sydney Opera House, City Recital Hall (Sydney) and at World Saxophone Congresses (Scotland, France and Croatia).