About Us

Eager to learn more about the repertoire of this French instrument, Mr. Schmitt and Mr. Oviedo travelled to the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, France. There they discovered that a great deal of musical scores were housed in the archives of the New England Conservatory in Boston. With the help of the archivist in charge, the two were able to piece together scores and parts from the original manuscripts. Two performances were planned, one in New Orleans, LA and second in Paris. Both concerts were centered on the classical saxophone and its newly rediscovered repertoire. The programs included Concertstück by Jean Huré and Louis Mayeur’s Grande Fantasie Brillante, a virtuosic “tour de force.”

Since beginning this project in early 2007, Mr. Schmitt and Mr. Oviedo have seen much success in venues around the world, where audiences have responded quite favorably. The newly discovered music was presented at various venues around the world including the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.

In early 2008, the musicians recorded The Classical Saxophone: A French Love Story released by MSR classics with Orchestre Pasdeloup in Paris. Along with music already performed, the recording includes the Suite for alto saxophone and orchestra by Gabriel Grovlez as well as the preeminent Concerto in E-flat, Op. 109 by Alexander Glazunov. The enthusiastic response of the public has persuaded the two artists to continue their research. They continue to travel the world concertizing, giving lectures and masterclasses, and recording.

When saxophonist, Javier Oviedo was introduced to conductor Jean-Pierre Schmitt, as a “classical” saxophonist, the French-born conductor confessed he did not know much of a classical repertoire for saxophone had even existed. Despite its great popularity, only a few pieces using the saxophone are known to the general public. Some of the most noted include Bolero by Maurice Ravel and the orchestral suites from Georges Bizet’s L’Arlesienne.

In their conversations Mr. Oviedo mentioned the “Rapsodie” by Claude Debussy among a host of more obscure composers as examples of this “classical” repertoire for the saxophone. An interesting commonality of these pieces was the fact they were commissions of Elise Hall, an American woman who lived at the turn of the 20th century (1853-1924) in Boston and who had a particular love affair with the saxophone. Coined as America’s “first classical saxophonist” she is credited with commissioning a number of solo pieces as well as chamber works for saxophone. Mrs. Hall had been introduced to many prominent French composers of the day through her association with George Longy, principal oboist and first French musician with the Boston Symphony. Many of the composers Longy brought Hall to had been distinguished as winners of the Prix de Rome, a prestigious prize awarded in the arts. Mr. Longy, who later founded the Longy School still in existence, was approached by Hall to lead the Orchestral Club of Boston as its conductor, of which she was president. The Club was made up of advanced amateur players who performed arrangements of great works in private salons. Many of its programs included music from France, giving premieres of many masterworks in America, including Debussy’s L’aprés-midi d’un Faune.