Coalescence

saxophone quartet

duration 13’30”

Coalescence (2025) for saxophone quartet was composed for and is dedicated to the Coalescent Quartet (Nathan Bogert, soprano; Michael Shults, alto; Nick Zoulek, tenor; and Drew Whiting, baritone). The music showcases the quartet’s incredible virtuosity and its ability to play with both delicate, soulful lyricism and raw emotional power. The music, which is based entirely on the opening theme, takes the listener on a journey through a broad spectrum of emotions. The title describes the theme’s development over the course of the piece. Following the opening section, the theme splinters into discreet lyrical fragments that are passed around the ensemble. As the piece builds to its gritty and stirring climax, the fragments gradually coalesce into several transformed instances of the theme, each more dynamic than the last. Coalescence concludes by returning to the lyrical character of the opening and with one final unraveling and reforming of the theme. 

Coalescence will be premiered at UW-Oshkosh in April 2026.

Purchase Score and Parts: coming soon.