Quasar Saxophone Quartet

Known for their energy and bold innovation, the four members of Quasar have been exploring the innumerable facets of musical creation since the group's founding in 1994. The group's ventures include instrumental music, improvisation, and electronics. Whether solo or accompanied by a symphony orchestra, acoustic or plugged-in, Quasar offers its audience a unique and deeply original programming. The ensemble has been awarded 10 OPUS prizes by the Conseil québécois de la musique, including "Artist of the Year." Quasar presents a series of concerts each season in Montreal while performing extensively across Canada, Mexico, the United States, and Europe. It has been invited to international festivals including: Busan Maru (Korea), Ars Musica (Brussels), SALT Festival (Victoria), Now (Essen), Tonlagen (Dresden) and Ostrava New Music Days (Czech Republic). 

A driving force of musical creation, the quartet works closely with composers favoring research, experimentation, and the proliferation of unprecedented ideas. Quasar's aims are to contribute to the enrichment of our musical heritage and to provide a platform for new music experimentation, exploration, and production. The quartet has proudly commissioned over 200 works over the course of its thirty years of activity. During that time, it has performed as a solo group with, among others, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and the Hanzhou Philharmonic Orchestra. 

In addition to being involved in the creation of new works, Quasar also presents a diversified repertoire ranging from classical music to jazz, allowing the group to fully demonstrate the saxophone's multiple facets. Quasar is a member of Le Vivier, a group of ensembles and organizations working in new music, with the goal of establishing a venue for creation, exchange and training in the heart of Montreal.