Sax Master's Concert at BHMA

On July 9, 2024 BHMA staff, participants, families and members of the BHMA community were treated to a concert by the Sax Masters. BHMA's very own Paul Coffill is a member of the band and spearheaded the wonderful event.

The Saxophone Masters, was originally an affiliate of the Manchester Symphony Orchestra, founded in April 2020, to provide live music to the people of Manchester during the pandemic. Since then, they have performed indoor and outdoor concerts in Manchester and surrounding communities.

Their broad repertoire is largely self-generated, their audience appeal is multi- generational, and their listeners go home learning something new each time they hear them play. Their name derives from the fact that four hold MA degrees in Music or Musicology.

The Masters:

Dr. Robert Howe: Founder of the Saxophone Masters, Robert plays oboe and English horn with the MSO and the Met Winds of Boston. A practicing endocrinologist, he also holds an MA in Musicology from UConn. His research into the invention of the saxophone led to influential papers published in the U.S., Belgium and France. Dr. Howe chose the players for this ensemble from the finest volunteer talent available, putting himself on tenor saxophone because it has the easiest parts.

Paul Coffill: Holds both a BM in music education and a MA in saxophone performance. With over 50 years of experience as a music educator, conductor, theatrical Music Director and composer/arranger, he is presently a woodwind specialist at the Berkshire Hills Music Academy. He also has ten published compositions.

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John Christie: Alumnus of UCONN, class of 1960 with a B.A. in music education and an M.A. in music. Has taught in public schools in both CT and MA where he retired in 2000 as the Music Director and chairman of the Visual and Performing Arts at Springfield Central High School. Has performed in a variety of musical ensembles including big bands, concert bands, Ice Capades, Holiday on Ice, Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. Also to his credit, he has played with the Four Tops, Temptations, Fifth Dimension, Ella Fitzgerald, Bob Hope, Bobbie Vinton, Frankie Avalon, Ethel Merman, Lou Rawls, John Pizzarelli, and Al Martino.

Walter “Zev” Mamlok: a graduate of Hartt College, hold degrees from both the University of Hartford and a MA from Central Connecticut State University. He has been teaching since 1971 and performing with his big band since 1977. He has published many papers and given workshops in the application of computers in music education. He has also been performing Klezmer since rediscovering his Jewish roots in 1988. He has given numerous master classes on the performance practices of Klezmer Clarinet, and has been the featured soloist with both the Hartford Symphony and the Connecticut Valley Orchestra. He also plays bass clarinet with the Manchester Symphony Orchestra.

Ryan Konopka: a 2020 industrial engineering graduate of Georgia Tech, Ryan founded several ensembles in Atlanta, Georgia and Ridgefield CT. He too is a multi- instrumentalist playing saxophone with the Saxophone Masters, bassoon with the MSO and clarinet in Identikit (ATL).