Noiś Saxophone Quartet

Think you know what a saxophone quartet sounds like? Noiś is here to change your mind.

Musical America calls Chicago’s Noiś Saxophone Quartet “the American saxophone quartet du jour.” Now the quartet celebrates its 10th season by doing what it does best: taking four saxophones places you never expected them to go.

For its Rendezvous Arts debut, Noiś brings a bold and wide-ranging program. Arturo Márquez’s Danzón No. 5 and Paquito d’Rivera’s Wapango burst with rhythmic energy. An unexpected Schumann arrangement shows off a completely different side of the quartet.

Then Noiś turns to the music of today. Works by Sarah Kirkland Snider, Emma O’Halloran, Augusta Read Thomas, Shelley Washington, and Travis Laplante each bring a distinct voice. Noiś moves effortlessly from intimate and atmospheric to playful, explosive, and exhilarating.

Over the past decade, Noiś has premiered more than 120 new works. Along the way, the quartet has built a national reputation for redefining what four saxophones can do.

Now we get to experience them up close.

Four saxophones. Ten years together. One seriously unexpected hour of music.

Featured Visual Artist: Diana Leviton Gondek

Our featured visual artist for this program is Diana Leviton Gondek, a Chicago artist whose work begins with stories.

Drawing from moments and experiences in her own life, Diana creates paintings that invite each viewer to discover their own meaning within them. Her background in watercolor remains an important influence, but her work has evolved to incorporate thin layers of oil and mixed media, creating richly layered pieces that feel personal, expressive, and entirely individual.

Diana studied Fine Arts before becoming an Art Director at Northwestern University and later returning to her own studio practice. Her work has been exhibited throughout Chicago, across the United States, and internationally, and can be found in the permanent collection of the Chicago History Museum.

She has also created public and commissioned work for organizations including Special Olympics, and her art has been featured in numerous exhibitions, publications, and television segments.

Like the music of Noiś, Diana’s work reminds us how much can happen when familiar forms are seen, heard, and experienced in a completely new way.