Quad City Symphony Orchestra Masterworks II: “Diaspora" -- November 8 and 9.
Saturday, November 8, 7:30 p.m.
Adler Theatre, 136 East Third Street, Davenport IA
Sunday, November 9, 2 p.m.
Augustana College's Centennial Hall, 3703 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island IL
With its showcase for vivid storytelling and orchestral brilliance, the Quad City Symphony Orchestra continues its 2025-26 Masterworks season with Diaspora, the concert's November 8 and 9 performances at Davenport's Adler Theatre and Augustana College's Centennial Hall boasting special guest Steven Banks, the gifted saxophonist whom Seen and Heard International said “has the potential to be one of the transformational musicians of the 21st century.”
Having established himself as a compelling and charismatic soloist, saxophonist Banks was awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2022 and was a chosen artist for WQXR’s Artist Propulsion Lab. In addition to being the first saxophonist to be awarded First Prize at the Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions, music critics have consistently recognized Banks for his warm yet glowing tone, well-crafted and communicative musical expression, and deft technical abilities.
Banks has appeared with the Cleveland Orchestra, Montreal Symphony, Utah Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra and Aspen Festival Orchestra, and has enjoyed working with such conductors as Franz Welser-Most, Xian Zhang, Nicholas McGegan, Rafael Payare, John Adams, Peter Oundjian, Jahja Ling, Matthias Pintscher, Alain Altinoglu and Roderick Cox. Meanwhile, as a composer, Banks has been commissioned by such organizations as Young Concert Artists, WQXR’s Artist Propulsion Lab, Latitude 49, Yale University’s Project 14 Initiative, and Northwestern University’s Saxophone Ensemble. Jarrett Hoffman of Cleveland Classical has said that Banks' music showcases “a unique and ambitious blend of feelings and sounds” and portrays “a deep intimacy” and “a sense of vulnerability.”
In recital, Banks has appeared across the United States at the San Francisco Symphony’s Spotlight Series at Davies Hall, Merkin Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Kravis Center, and Festival Napa Valley with his collaborative partner, pianist Xak Bjerken. A keen chamber musician, Banks has appeared at Spoleto Festival USA, Chamber Music Chicago, and the Aspen Music Festival, and has collaborated with the Borromeo and St. Lawrence string quartets. He is a founding member of the Kenari Quartet, an all-saxophone ensemble that performs inspiring and uplifting compositions and arrangements. As baritone saxophonist of Kenari, Steven won First Prize at the inaugural M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition and has garnered two silver medals from the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. Their album, French Saxophone Quartets, was released in 2016 on the Naxos label.
During his pair of Quad Cities engagements, Banks' talents will be showcased on Billy Childs’ saxophone concerto Diaspora, an exploration of powerful jazz-inspired narratives. The Masterworks II repertoire will also feature Richard Strauss’s dramatic, energetic Don Juan Op. 20., while Maurice Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2 dazzles with captivating rhythms and lush, colorful harmonies.
Masterworks II: Diaspora performances will be held at Davenport's Adler Theatre on November 8 at 7:30 p.m. and, in Rock Island, Augustana College's Centennial Hall on November 9 at 2 p.m. One hour prior to each performance, concert-goers are invited to attend informational "Concert Conversations" to learn about the works on the program, and on Saturday, "Afterglow" attendees can mingle with Maestro Mark Russell Smith, guest artists, and members of the QCSO in the lobby of the Hotel Blackhawk immediately following the performance. Admission to the concerts is $8-70, and more information and tickets are available by contacting the Quad City Symphony Orchestra at (563)322-0931 and visiting QCSO.org.
