FREE Courtroom Concert featuring Saxophone Quartet

About the Artists:

Dr. Benjamin Cold is currently the Professor of Single Reeds at Bemidji State University, where he teaches applied saxophone and clarinet as well as directs woodwind ensembles.  In addition, Dr. Cold has served as Lecturer of Classical Saxophone at the University of Wisconsin – River Falls since the Fall of 2018. As a passionate advocate of new music, he has been involved in the commissions and premieres of dozens of compositions for solo and chamber saxophone, most of which were dedicated to him. His work has been performed and recorded on Classical Minnesota Public Radio, National Public Radio, and The Skeptics Guide to the Universe.  

David Franzel earned his Bachelor of Music in Saxophone from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, studying with Dr. Eugene Rousseau. He has played throughout the cities since completing his degree and has taught students of all ages. He is currently pursuing classical music through performing in a saxophone quartet. 

Kurt Hattenberger is a Twin Cities-based saxophonist, vocalist, and conductor. He is a member of several area saxophone quartets (including Caprice Saxophone Quartet) and regularly performs with Pop Up Choir and the chamber choir MPLS (imPulse). He is also the conductor and artistic director of Aliro Voices chamber choir.

Duke Sullivan is a classical musician and marketing professional living in Minneapolis. From the Pacific Northwest to the Twin Cities, he’s performed with various ensembles including the Seattle Wind Symphony, Encore Wind Ensemble, the U.S. Air Force Band of Mid-America, LCSC Saxophone Quartet, Alloy Saxophone Quartet, UPS Saxophone Quartet, and the Washington-Idaho Symphony. In March 2015, he premiered the piece, “Winter’s Summer” by Ted King-Smith at the CMS Pacific Northwest Region Conference, and is featured on the 2013 album, Dragon, under the Albany Music Distribution label. A graduate of Washington State University, Duke obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English as well as a Bachelor of Music in saxophone performance where he studied saxophone with Gregory Yasinitsky. 

About the Host:

Composer Abbie Betinis writes music called “inventive, richly melodic” (The New York Times), “superb, whirling, soaring” (Tacoma News Tribune), and “the highlight” of the program (Boston Globe).  With over 50 commissioned works for ensembles such as Cantus, the New England Philharmonic, and The Rose Ensemble, Abbie is also a two-time McKnight Artist Fellow, and has won grants from the American Composers Forum, ASCAP, and Jerome Foundation, and at age 31, was listed in NPR Music’s Top 100 Composers Under 40.  Abbie has been a Composer-in-Residence with New York State School Music Association, The Rose Ensemble, The Singers-Minnesota Choral Artists, and Schubert Club. In 2019, she will be the American Composers Forum’s ChoralQuest composer, visiting schools around the U.S. to write new choral music with middle school singers. 

Originally from Wisconsin, Abbie is a graduate of St. Olaf College (B.A.), the University of Minnesota (M.A.), and holds a diplôme from the European American Musical Alliance Institute in Paris, France. She lives in Minnesota, where she is Adjunct Professor of Composition at Concordia University-St Paul and executive director of Justice Choir.

View the Frequently Asked Questions about the Courtroom Concerts.

Seating is limited and first come first served. Doors open at 11:30. Please call if you are attending as a group of 10 or more (651.292.3267).

Schedule & Programs Subject to Change