While watching a composer perform and record his own work, I witnessed interpretation giving way to origin. Steven Banks isnāt just playing the musicāheās releasing it! Cries, Sighs and Dreams - coming soon : May 8,2026. #doverquartet
I keep thinking about this session.
This video is from a day in the studio with Steven Banks and Xak Bjerken, recording the opening of the Creston Sonata. There was a level of mastery and musical honesty in the room that you donāt take for granted. All captured by Ryan Streber @oktavenaudio
Now that the album is getting close to seeing daylight, I find myself coming back to this moment. Iām really looking forward to sharing the album with you.
It will be released globally on my record label: il pirata records.
May 8
Stay close. š§
@IlPirataRecords@stevenbankssaxophone #averyfisherartists
@stevenbankssaxophone is putting the classical saxophone front and center on his beautiful debut album āCries, Sighs, and Dreams.āš·
Banks was the first saxophonist to earn an Avery Fisher Career Grant and is joined by fellow AFCG honorees @doverquartet on the album's title track, which was written by Banks and inspired by composer Hector Berliozās reaction to hearing the saxophone for the first time. An impressed Berlioz wrote: āIt cries, sighs, and dreams. It possesses a crescendo and can gradually diminish its sound until it is only an echo of an echo of an echoā¦ā
Listen to the album now: lnk.to/EyqTGv (link in bio)
#AveryFisherArtists
MY PEOPLE! Yesterdayās album release party was SO much fun! ā¤ļø
Thank you so much to my family and friends for making me feel so loved and supported. Yāall showed up and showed out!
Thank you, @ari_anna_bo , for joining me and playing so beautifully!
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#PursuingMastery #CriesSighsAndDreams
An inspiring evening at the Barbican with @stevenbankssaxophone ās superb UK premiere performance of @billychildspiano ās powerful saxophone concerto Diaspora, @duyun ās Ray Charles-inspired Hundred Heads and John Adamsās Harmonielehre š·
Plus an absolute treat of an encore - Saint-SaĆ«nsās Sonata for Oboe and Piano on saxophone, accompanied by Elizabeth Burley.
Thank you to conductor @elenaschwarzmusic for guiding us through it and to all who joined us @barbicancentre this evening š
š§ Listen @BBCradio3 & @bbcsounds from Thursday 21 May
š· Mark Allan
Yesterday morning, saxophonist @stevenbankssaxophone brought his Come As You Are project to East London Arts & Music, a free performance for students, celebrating music, stories and experience and centred around themes of race, identity, history and contemporary life.
Tonight Steven joins us at the @barbicancentre for the UK premiere of Billy Childs's saxophone concerto Diaspora.
Tickets still available via the link in bio šļø
Six-time Grammy Award-winning composer Billy Childs introduces Diaspora, his saxophone concerto tracing the timeline of Black existence in America, ahead of its UK premiere tonight at the @barbicancentre , where weāll be joined by star soloist @stevenbankssaxophone , conducted by @elenaschwarzmusic .
A huge thank you to @billychildspiano telling us more about the piece š·
Tickets via the link in bio š
šæ CRIES, SIGHS, AND DREAMS: STREAMING NOW!!
Iām so grateful to @richiehawleyclarinet and @ilpiratarecords for taking this project on and guiding me through every step of the way. Major thanks to Xak Bjerken and @doverquartet for making this music sing. And thank you to @carlos_simon_music for writing such beautiful music for the baritone saxophone!!
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#PursuingMastery #FYP #ClassicalSaxophone
