Music Institute Showcases 2012 Fischoff Grand Prize Winners; Barkada Quartet Performs October 21 at Nichols Concert Hall

The Music Institute of Chicago presents the Barkada Quartet, winner of the coveted 2012 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition Grand Prize and the Senior Wind Division Gold Medal. Only the fourth non-string ensemble to take top honors at Fischoff, the Barkada Quartet performs Sunday, October 21 at 3 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue, Evanston. As a Fischoff Winner’s Tour presenting partner, Nichols is a key stop on the Barkada Quartet’s Midwestern tour, which spans the month of October.

Barkada’s program includes “Arrival of the Queen of Sheba” by George Frideric Handel; Introduction et variations sur une ronde populaire by Gabriel Peirné; Six Bagatelles by Gyorgy Ligeti; Quartets per a saxos, volum 1 by David Salleras Quintana; Italian Concerto, BWV 971 by Johann Sebastian Bach; String Quartet No. 3 “Mishima” by Philip Glass; “They Might Be Gods” by John Leszczynski; and Recitation Book by David Maslanka.

Barkada Quartet

Comprising current and former students at the renowned Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, the Barkada Quartet blends the colors and subtlety of traditional chamber ensembles with the flexibility and power of the saxophone. The ensemble, which formed in the fall of 2011, took the 2012 Fischoff Competition by storm. Only the fourth time in 39 years that a non-string ensemble earned top honors, the quartet was selected from a field of 48 top competing ensembles from around the world.

Indiana University Associate Professor of Music Dr. Otis Murphy commented, “The Barkada Quartet exhibits a unique sense of respect, trust and camaraderie that defines its sense of oneness as a chamber ensemble. Its success at the Fischoff Competition is a major feat.” 

The quartet’s soprano saxophonist Christopher Elchico suggested the name “barkada,” which signifies “a group of friends” or “a form of family” in the Filipino language Tagalog, as a reminder to listeners of all ages that chamber playing began to give friends and family a chance to share the beauty of music with one another. See below for individuals musician bios. 

In addition to the Fischoff Winner’s Tour of the Midwest, the Barkada Quartet will perform several concerts in the Emilia Romagna Festival in Italy in 2013. 

Music Institute of Chicago

The Music Institute of Chicago believes that music has the power to sustain and nourish the human spirit; therefore, our mission is to provide the foundation for lifelong engagement with music. As one of the three largest and most respected community music schools in the nation, the Music Institute offers musical excellence built on the strength of its distinguished faculty, commitment to quality, and breadth of programs and services. Founded in 1931 and one of the oldest community music schools in Illinois, the Music Institute is a member of the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts and accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. Each year, the Music Institute’s world-class music teachers and arts therapists provide the highest quality arts education, reaching more than 10,000 students of all ability levels, from birth to 102 years of age, at campuses in Evanston, Highland Park, Lake Forest, Lincolnshire, Winnetka, and Downers Grove and through its longstanding partnership with the Chicago Public Schools. The Music Institute also offers lessons and programs at the Steinway of Chicago store in Northbrook and early childhood and community engagement programs throughout the Chicago area and the North Shore. The Music Institute offers lessons, classes, and programs through four distinct areas: Community School, The Academy, Creative Arts Therapy (Institute for Therapy through the Arts), and Nichols Concert Hall.

The 2012 Fischoff Grand Prize winning Barkada Quartet performs Sunday, October 21 at 3 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue, Evanston. Tickets are $30 for adults, $20 for seniors and $10 for students, available online or 847.905.1500 ext. 108. For more information visit musicinst.org. 

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Individual Biographies

Christopher Elchico, soprano saxophonist of the Barkada Quartet, is currently pursuing a master of music degree in saxophone performance at Indiana University studying with Dr. Otis Murphy. Originally from Santa Clarita, California, he received his B.A. in saxophone performance from UCLA as a pupil of Dr. Doug Masek. While at UCLA, Elchico played soprano saxophone in the Angeles Saxophone Quartet. The group received the Coleman-Saunderson Prize for Woodwinds & Brass at the 2011 Coleman Chamber Music Competition and won the Gold Medal in the Senior Wind Division of the 2010 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. The ASQ was also a finalist in the 2010 North American Saxophone Alliance Quartet Competition and the 2009 Coleman Chamber Music Competition and semi-finalist in the 2009 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. The quartet performed at the 33rd United States Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium. Elchico has performed with the Boston University Tanglewood Institute Wind Ensemble, the Music Academy of the West, and the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra. He will serve as associate instructor of saxophone for the studio of Dr. Otis Murphy.

Martí Comas, alto saxophonist of the Barkada Quartet, is entering his junior year of undergraduate studies with Dr. Otis Murphy at Indiana University. He was the winner of the 2011 Saxophone Division of the IU Woodwind Concerto Competition and performs as a member of the IU Wind Ensemble. Originally from Terrassa, Spain, Comas was a pupil of Albert Julià at the Conservatori de Música de Terrassa from 2000 to 2009. Comas has been participating in chamber ensemble and solo master classes in France and Spain since 2006, interacting with Professors Arno Bornkamp, Vincent David, Jean-Yves Formeau, Nicolas Prost, Nobuya Sugawa, and others. In 2010, he won 1st Prize in chamber music at the 25th Premi Ciutat de Berga (Spain) as a member of the Quartet de saxos del Conservatori de Terrassa. He has performed as a member of several instrumental ensembles in Terrassa and Matadepera (Spain), and in 2008, he participated in the orchestras of both the 27th Cervera Music International Festival (Spain) and European Youth Music Week (Stournbridge, UK).

Steven Lawhon, tenor saxophonist of the Barkada Quartet, is a senior at Indiana University, pursuing a bachelor of music degree in saxophone performance with Dr. Otis Murphy. He was the runner-up in the 2011 Saxophone Division of the IU Woodwind Concerto Competition and performs as a member of the IU Wind Ensemble. Lawhon remains active in his hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee, where he regularly teaches saxophone and performs with his church orchestra. He won the 2009 Knoxville Choral Society’s Young Classical Musicians Competition, performing Paul Maurice’s Tableaux de Provence for alto saxophone and orchestra. In 2008, he performed Claude T. Smith’s Fantasia for alto saxophone and band with the East Tennessee Concert Band. He also performed as a member of the ensemble at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 2007. Lawhon has been a guest artist and instructor at the University of Tennessee, both with the Barkada Quartet and as an individual. His teachers have included Dr. Otis Murphy, Jay Romines, and Jason Law.

Originally from Scottdale, Pennsylvania, Justin Polyblank, baritone saxophonist of the Barkada Quartet, recently graduated from Indiana University with a master of music degree in jazz studies and saxophone performance. While attending IU, he performed in a variety of instrumental ensembles, including the David Baker Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Combo, Latin Jazz Band, Wind Ensemble, and Philharmonic Orchestra. During the 2011–12 academic year, Polyblank was an associate instructor of saxophone for the studio of Dr. Otis Murphy. He remains active in Bloomington as a musician and educator. Polyblank was a member of The Disneyland Resort 2010 All-American College Band, playing baritone saxophone for a summer in Anaheim, California, and has performed in concert alongside artists such as Wayne Bergeron, Chris Botti, Randy Brecker, John Clayton, Peter Erskine, and Gregg Field. Polyblank graduated in 2009 from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, completing his bachelor of science degree in music education. While attending IUP, he performed Claude T. Smith’s Fantasia with the IUP Wind Ensemble and Butler County Symphony Orchestra as well as Pierre Max Dubois’ Concerto for alto saxophone and string orchestra with the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra. His teachers have included Otis Murphy, Tom Walsh, and Keith Young.