Arts and Entertainment

Faculty saxophonist to perform world premiere

Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State faculty saxophonist David B. Stambler will perform a recital at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 17, in Eisenhower Chapel, assisted by collaborative pianist Kathy Gattuso Cinatl and bassist Bob Hart. His recital program includes the world premiere of "Night Set" for soprano saxophone and piano by New York-based composer Gregory Wanamaker, as well as a composition by Sergei Prokofiev, and a set of jazz selections.

The recital is free. This concert is available on livestream at the Penn State School of Music.

Originally from the Washington, D.C. area, Stambler has established himself as a dynamic and active performer throughout the United States, performing both jazz and classical music. His concert activities include recitals and appearances as a symphonic soloist, as well as “on-call” engagements as saxophonist with many orchestras including the Annapolis Symphony, the Bay Atlantic Symphony, the Richmond Symphony, the National Gallery Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony, the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, and others. He has performed internationally including in Italy, Spain, Scotland, Austria, Slovenia, Russia, Japan, China, Canada, and Bermuda, and has appeared with dozens of orchestras across the United States as saxophonist, arranger, and manager of the renowned saxophone ensemble, the Capitol Quartet.

Stambler has distinguished himself as an advocate for new compositions for saxophone, premiering numerous works including "Five Portraits" by Jonathan Leshnoff, "November" by Elam Sprenkle with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, "Dos Movimientos" by Guggennheim-winner Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez with the Bay Atlantic Symphony, "Concerto for Saxophone" by Copland Award-winning composer James Grant, "Still the Fire" by Guggenheim-winner John Anthony Lennon, "Suite for Saxophone" and "Moments Musicale" by Mark Lanz Weiser, and many others. He is the founder and president of the Margot Music Fund, a 501-c-3 non-profit organization that raises money for and sponsors scholarships, performances, and commissions.

Stambler has recorded with Capitol Quartet, Baltimore Symphony, the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, numerous pop artists, and has played clarinet and saxophone on dozens of nationally broadcast radio and television commercials, soundtracks, and video games. A veteran of thousands of professional performances, he has appeared at the JVC Jazz festival, the Princeton Jazz Fest, the Smithsonian Institution, Strathmore Hall, the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, numerous embassies in Washington, for heads of state, and has accompanied many top entertainers, including Rosemary Clooney, Debbie Reynolds, Smokey Robinson, Natalie Cole, Roberta Flack, Bobby McFerrin, Aaron Neville and Melissa Manchester. 

Stambler studied clarinet at the Oberlin Conservatory, and then received his Bachelor of Music degree in saxophone from the University of Michigan, where he was a student of Donald Sinta. He holds a master’s degree from the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, and a doctorate from the University of Maryland.

Penn State Professor David Stambler Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated February 14, 2018