Renowned Donald Sinta Quartet opens Thiel College’s Con Spirito concert series

Posted August 17, 2018Communications and Marketing Department

GREENVILLE, Pa.—Thiel College, a leading liberal arts college in northwest Pennsylvania, is hosting the Donald Sinta Quartet as part of the first concert in the 2018-2019 Con Spirito Concert Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20 in the David Johnson Memorial Chapel.

The Donald Sinta Quartet is this year’s winner of the prestigious Fischoff National Chamber Music Association competition, America’s largest educational chamber music competition. They have performed widely at American festivals and recital halls, with international appearances in France, Spain, Switzerland, Greece and Japan.

The performance is free and open to the public.

Named after legendary University of Michigan saxophone professor Donald Sinta, the quartet has won first-place prizes in significant competitions including the 2017 M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition, the 2013 Coleman Chamber Music Competition, and the 2012 North American Saxophone Alliance Quartet Competition. 

The Donald Sinta Quartet’s repertoire spans centuries, ranging from commissions by today’s emerging composers, to standards from the saxophone quartet literature, to transcriptions by master composers such as Dvořák, Schubert and Shostakovich. The Boston Musical Intelligencer hailed them as “…a tight-knit ensemble exploding with power and virtuosity and an un-concealable ambition to connect with its newly found listeners.”  The ensemble performs entirely from memory, creating a unique bond with audiences. 

Dan Graser, soprano saxophone; Joe Girard, tenor saxophone; Zach Stern, alto saxophone, and Danny Hawthorne-Foss, baritone saxophone make up the ensemble. Each member received at least one degree from the University of Michigan, where they studied with Sinta.

About the Fischoff National Chamber Music Association

In 1973, Joseph E. Fischoff and fellow members of the South Bend Chamber Music Society, South Bend, Ind., sponsored the first competition to encourage young people to pursue chamber music study and performance. Each year, an average of 125 ensembles, representing 22 nationalities, compete in either the wind or string categories.

About the Con Spirito Series

The Con Spirito Chamber Music Concert Series began in the fall of 2007 and is made possible through the generosity of LaVonne H’16 and the late Glen R. Johnson H’88 in honor of their late daughter. Glen, who was chairman emeritus of the Thiel College Board of Trustees, and LaVonne were honored in 2012 with the William A. Passavant Distinguished Service Award, which is given to those who provide “meaningful, longtime service to the Lutheran Church and Lutheran Education, including continuity of leadership, exemplary character and impact on shaping the Lutheran tradition.” Con Spirito concerts are performed in the David Johnson Memorial Chapel, dedicated in 2006 and named in honor of the Johnsons’ late son.

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About Thiel College

Thiel College is an independent college founded in the Lutheran tradition. Located in Greenville, Pa., the College offers 60 majors and minors, 24 varsity sports, and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. The College is also home to a new Master of Science in speech-language pathology and 2Master of Business Administration. Both master’s degree programs offer innovative and accelerated five-year paths which allow students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years. The speech-language pathology program also has an accelerated 15-month graduate-level program. The M.B.A. program also has a 12-month post-graduate program.A dedicated faculty paired with dynamic research and internship opportunities produce numerous graduate school and job placements. Coeducational from its beginnings, the College remains committed to combining tradition with innovation as it celebrates 150 years.



Thiel College
75 College Ave
Greenville, PA 16125
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