Vis-à-Vis Saxophone Quartet
Vis-à-Vis is a saxophone quartet based in Victoria, BC, Canada. A classically trained ensemble dedicated to musical excellence it was formed in 2004 when two outstanding saxophonists moved into the city. Erik Abbink left Holland to live in Victoria, and Ross Ingstrup arrived about the same time from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Two other superb players, Wendell Clanton, already living in Victoria, and Lynne Greenwood, in nearby Vancouver, provided the complement for this talented group. The four members of Vis á Vis had known each other previously in the same quartet setting. In 1998, Erik joined the other three as directors of Saxophone Session, a saxophone summer camp held at the University of Victoria over a period of four years. This quartet of musicians provided instruction, performances, and motivation for many participants of all ages.
In the past five years Vis-à-Vis has performed for Vancouver Island communities. They have been special guests of the school system and of the University of Victoria as well as the University of British Columbia. In 2007 they were invited to play for the Region 9 Saxophone Conference of the North American Saxophone Alliance in Regina, Saskatchewan. In January 2009 they will appear as guest performers for “Classical Saxophone West Coast”, a gathering of saxophonists from universities and colleges around the region.
Vis-à-Vis plays a variety of music from Renaissance to modern, and classical to jazz styles. In a variety of venues, playing numerous diverse selections, the quartet has always been enthusiastically received by their audiences, and appreciated as an inspiration to aspiring saxophonists.
* A note about our name: “Vis-à-Vis” is a French term originally referring to the seating formation used in railway cars – where people sat across from each other, eye to eye, in compartments. The quartet uses a modified version of that seating plan. Also, the word “vis” spelled (V – I – S) ties in with our location….Vancouver Island Saxophones.
Ross Ingstrup
soprano saxophone
Ross Ingstrup is a graduate of the University of Victoria, Northwestern University and the Conservatoire National de Région de Bordeaux, France. Ross has performed with the Ensemble International de Saxophones de Bordeaux, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Winnipeg Wind Ensemble, New Music Chicago and the Metropolitan Orchestra of Chicago, and has appeared on TV5 (Belgium) and CBC Radio.
For fourteen years he was Professor of Saxophone at the University of Manitoba School of Music and the Manitoba Conservatory of Music and Arts. Ross is a founding member of the the fer-ocious productions saxophone quartet add4 and the Vancouver Island saxophone quartet VIS-à-VIS. From 1994-2007 he served as Regional Director of the North American Saxophone Alliance.
Ross is currently Director of Jazz Studies at Esquimalt High School in Victoria, BC.
Wendell Clanton
alto saxophone
Wendell A. Clanton is the Saxophone Performance Instructor at the University of Victoria School of Music. He completed the Masters degree in Performance (saxophone) under the tutelage of the distinguished performer and pedagogue Dr. Frederick L. Hemke (NU), and the Bachelor of Music (comprehensive with distinction) and Bachelor of Education degrees at the University of Victoria.
Mr. Clanton has performed with L'Ensemble International de Saxophones de Bordeaux under the direction of Jean-Marie Londeix, appeared in concert with celebrated harpist Rita Costanzi and Aventa contemporary music ensemble under the direction of Mr. William Linwood. Mr. Clanton has performed on CBC Radio, Chicago Public Television, BBC Radio and Moray Firth Radio in Scotland. As a soloist he has performed with the Victoria Chamber Orchestra, Victoria Civic Orchestra and the Lafeyette String Quartet. Significant performances include the CBC premier of Trio for Viola, Piano and Tenor Saxophone by Paul Hindemith along with violist Steven Dann and pianist Bruce Vogt.
Wendell is featured on the recordings of Juno nominee Stefan Schramm of Munich, John Celona (Blue City: City Lights) and in the work of Christopher Butterfield (Les Paradis Perdus).
Kris Covlin
tenor saxophone
Kris Covlin began his studies in Edmonton with Dr. William Street after which he pursued classical saxophone in Paris, winning a first prize for interpretation under the guidance of saxophonist Jean-Michel Goury. Kris also earned a Masters of Music degree at Bowling Green State University studying with John Sampen.
During his time in France, Kris communicated with artists from a variety of fields. These conversations sparked a keen interest in the expressive potential of sound, both as it relates to the saxophone and its broader contexts. His explorations into the social and musical dimensions of sound continue to inform his approach to music making.
Now based in Victoria, BC, Kris regularly plays a variety of musical styles. He is developing his capabilities in Jazz, Rock and Dixieland music while continuing to study and perform written and improvised contemporary music.
Kris Covlin is part of the next generation of artists; constantly learning, perpetually changing, in a state of continual flux. As such, he strives to engage the past while envisioning new musical horizons. He conceives of the saxophone as an instrument of incredible versatility. Its ability to adapt to any musical context makes it an ideal medium for collaboration, and for furthering a conception of music unencumbered by aesthetic preoccupations particular to music as an art form.
Erik Abbink
baritone saxophone
Erik Abbink is a Victoria based saxophonist who enjoys performing chamber music, concertos and orchestral repertoire with a diversity of Victoria based ensembles and orchestras, including the Vis-a-Vis Saxophone Quartet, Palm Court Orchestra, and the Victoria Symphony.
He started his professional music studies at the ArtEZ Conservatorium in the Netherlands, studying with two of Europe’s most prominent saxophonists, namely Arno Bornkamp and Johan van der Linden.
During a fall residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts he met Victoria pianist Jacqueline Perriam with whom he started a serious relationship. After living and studying in the Netherlands Jackie and Erik decided to get married and relocate to Canada’s West Coast. They have enjoyed living here for the last eight years, and now have a three year old son who loves playing their grand piano and his very own plastic saxophone.
Erik is a strong advocate of bringing innovative concert experiences that connect with audiences:
“I find it essential to introduce each work, explain how the music can be understood so my audience is engaged at multiple levels during my performance. That’s how I’m able to turn a challenging program into a successful one.“
Mr. Abbink is currently finishing up his doctoral degree (DMA) in Saxophone Performance at the University of British Columbia with one of Western Canada’s finest saxophonists Julia Nolan. He enjoys travelling abroad having given concerts in the United States, Europe (United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Spain, Germany, Poland, Latvia, Turkey) and Asia (Taiwan and Hong Kong).
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