Decho Ensemble will be in concert on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Fredonia Opera House.

The 1891 Fredonia Opera House Performing Arts Center will present Decho Ensemble in concert on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Hailed as a “winning combination in every way,” the Decho Ensemble was founded by Sarah Marchitelli and Jacob Swanson in 2011 with the intention of sharing the saxophone as a concert instrument of wide-ranging capability. Following years of continuous collaboration, in 2019 Dr. Katherine Petersen joined Decho to champion works for voice and saxophone.

This concert is the Ensemble’s only Western New York concert in the 2023-24 season and celebrates the release of the group’s first independent recording, self-titled “Decho Ensemble.” With a program that includes the music of Vivaldi, Brahms, Robert McClure, Marc Mellits, Moore, Powell, Owens and Floyd, the Ensemble will be joined by Alison d’Amato on the piano.

Critically acclaimed for its “blend and precision,” the ensemble has performed throughout North America and Europe. Presenting as part of various concert series, and on television and radio, the Decho Ensemble has collaborated with chamber orchestras, poets, dance companies, and ensembles/instrumentalists in addition to its all-saxophone programming.

Decho has presented at the North American Saxophone Alliance Regional and Biennial Conferences, the United States Navy International Saxophone Symposium, the Women Composers Festival of Hartford, the International Congress of Voice Teachers, and the Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project.

Since 2016 the ensemble has participated in residencies at Mercyhurst University, Idaho University at Moscow, and with the Ny Musikks Komponistgruppe in Oslo, Norway, as part of its inaugural PULS Festival.

Commended as a “soloist with impeccable taste,” and praised by audiences and composers for his “gorgeous, lyrical tone, spectacular technique, and heartfelt musicality …” for presenting “the soprano saxophone at the height of its beauty,” Swanson has performed throughout North America and Europe. His debut album, “Invisible Cities,” featured works for soprano saxophone and piano and was met with critical acclaim for “remind[ing] us what a beautiful instrument the soprano saxophone is … [performing with] handsome tone, flawless technique, and great musical sensibilities.” (ClevelandClassical) His second album, “wired.,” featured music for soprano saxophone and electronic medium – nearly all composer/performer collaborations.

Marchitelli co-founded the Decho Ensemble with Swanson and, in 2018, joined the Megalopolis Saxophone Orchestra. An active chamber musician, she has performed throughout North America and Europe. She serves on the faculty at the State University of New York at Fredonia and teaches woodwinds for Infinity Visual and Performing Arts in Jamestown. She holds both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from SUNY Fredonia; and her teachers have included saxophonists Dr. Wildy Zumwalt, Christopher Oldfield, Carina RaschËr, and Harry White.

Soprano Petersen specializes in the performance of 21st-century music for voice/saxophone and Russian Art Songs. Based in Chicago, Petersen performs regularly with Folks Operetta, the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company, Chicago Opera Theater, and Transgressive Theatre-Opera. She is also an Associate Professor of Voice at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago where she teaches Voice Pedagogy, Song Repertoire, Studio Voice, and Diction for Singers. She holds a DMA in Voice Performance from Ohio State University and a MM in Pedagogy and Performance from Westminster Choir College.

Guest artist Dr. Alison d’Amato has been working in vocal and instrumental genres for more than 25 years as a collaborative pianist, teacher, and music director. Known as a trailblazer in the field of art song, she directs her passion for song’s rich history toward generating new music and merging its past with its present. Currently Associate Professor of vocal Coaching at Eastman School of Music, d’Amato has been a frequent guest artist at festivals and schools such as the Brancaleoni Festival (Italy), the SOURCE Song Festival (Minneapolis), The AmBul Festival (Sofia, Bulgaria), Boston Conservatory, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and SUNY Fredonia.

Tickets are $15 (Adults), $13 (Opera House Members) and $5 (Students) and can be purchased in person at the Opera House Box Office or by phone at 716-679-1891, Tuesday-Friday, 12-4:30 p.m., or online anytime at www.fredopera.org.

Opera House programming is made possible, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and in part by the United Arts Appeal of Chautauqua County.

The 1891 Fredonia Opera House Performing Arts Center is a member-supported not-for-profit performing arts center with a mission to “present the performing arts for the benefit of our community and region … providing access to artistic diversity … and high quality programming at an affordable price.” It is located in Village Hall in downtown Fredonia. For a complete schedule of events, visit www.fredopera.org.