Canyon-Amarillo Saxophone Ensemble
Do you enjoy performing fun, high-quality saxophone ensemble music?
Do you like getting to know saxophonists from other schools in the area?
Do you want to learn from and play alongside WTAMU music faculty and students?
If you answered YES to any of these questions and are a local high school student, we want YOU to consider joining the Canyon-Amarillo Saxophone Ensemble (CASE)! We are a brand new organization, starting in the Fall of 2022 and there is currently no audition requirement to join!
CASE is a new musical venture and is an amazing opportunity for motivated high school saxophonists to perform in a large saxophone ensemble, develop their skills and musicality beyond their school band program, make connections with other area saxophone students, and work alongside music majors in the West Texas A&M University Saxophone Studio!
We are going to have a ton of fun and we look forward to YOU joining us!
- Dr. James Barger, CASE Director
Spring 2023 Calendar
Rehearsal Dates
February 19
February 26
March 5
March 19
March 26
April 2
April 23
Rehearsals will take place on the campus of WTAMU in the band hall (room 1010) in Mary Moody Northen Hall.
Rehearsal Schedule - 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
3:00 - 3:15: Ensemble warmup led by Dr. Barger
3:15 - 4:00: Split into sectionals led by WT Saxophone Students
4:00 - 5:00: Full ensemble rehearsal with Dr. Barger
Performance Dates
Sunday, April 23
Joint Concert with WTAMU Saxophone Ensemble
Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall
5:00 pm
By committing to be in the ensemble, students are expected to attend all rehearsals; however, there will inevitably be occasional school or family conflicts. In the expectation of an absence, advance communication with Dr. Barger is appreciated.
MEET THE DIRECTOR
James Barger is the saxophone professor at West Texas A&M University where he teaches courses in applied saxophone and jazz improvisation, directs the university's Jazz Ensemble II, oversees the Athletic Pep Band, and directs the WTAMU Saxophone Ensemble. Comfortable both on the concert stage as well as in a jazz setting, Dr. Barger is in demand as a clinician, soloist, and with his national award-winning chamber group, Mirasol Quartet, of which he is a founding member and the soprano saxophone chair.
Dr. Barger performs frequently with jazz groups in the Amarillo area and as a woodwind doubler with the Amarillo Little Theatre. When he is not performing music, he enjoys running and early mornings at the CrossFit gym, relaxing outdoors, reading a good book, drinking way too much coffee, and spending time with his wife Brianne and their dogs Cashew and Nala.
Dr. Barger is a proud performing artist for Conn-Selmer Saxophones and D’Addario Woodwinds and performs on their products exclusively.
WTAMU Saxophone ensemble
Members of the WTAMU Saxophone Ensemble will perform alongside students in the Canyon-Amarillo Saxophone Ensemble and will serve as sectional teachers during rehearsals.
The WTAMU Saxophone Ensemble consists of undergraduate and graduate students at West Texas A&M University both within the School of Music as well as those studying other disciplines.
The ensemble enjoys exploring and performing standards of the genre as well as collaborating with resident composers and arrangers. Recent highlights include performances at the Texas Music Educators Association Conference, the 2020 North American Saxophone Alliance Conference in Tempe, Arizona, and the 2021 NASA Region 4 Conference. The ensemble has also performed locally at WTAMU recitals, the Amarillo Botanical Gardens, Barnes & Noble, and outreach concerts at assisted living centers.
