New Thread Quartet was formed with the mission to develop and perform impactful new music for the saxophone, and to provide high level ensemble playing to feature today’s compositional voices. In 12 seasons, the quartet has commissioned and premiered over 50 works by composers such as Amy Beth Kirsten, Richard Carrick, Ben Hjertmann, Ebun Oguntola, Scott Wollschleger, Kathryn Salfelder, Taylor Brook and Emily Koh.

Based in New York City, New Thread has performed at Carnegie Hall, Roulette, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Morgan Library, Bang on a Can Summer Festival Benefit, and Monadnock Music. The quartet has performed, toured and recorded more than 30 important works for saxophone quartet including Kati Agócs’ Hymn in New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall; Marilyn Shrude’s Evolution Vand energy flows nervously… in search of stillness, as part of a 75th Birthday Celebration Concert at the Dimenna Center featuring Lost Dog Ensemble and the Momenta Quartet; Erin Rogers’ Urban Composites at the World Saxophone Congress in St. Andrews, Scotland; and the premiere recording of Elliott Sharp’s seminal work Approaching the Arches of Corti for 4 soprano saxophones, recorded with Grammy-winning engineer, Judith Sherman, now available on New World Records. New Thread released its debut album Plastic Facts in 2018 on New Focus Recordings and in 2020 recorded three works by Emily Koh on her 2021 Innova Recordings release, [word]plays.

New Thread works closely with composers in a workshop environment during the formation of new works. The quartet strives for multiple performances of newly commissioned works in an attempt to bring new music to different audiences as often as possible. New Thread’s annual self-presented Explorations Series showcases works by emerging composers, adding exciting new voices to the saxophone canon.

New Thread has conducted masterclasses, residencies, and performances for student saxophonists and composers at Peabody Conservatory, University of Virginia, Berklee Conservatory, Bronx Community College, Aaron Copland School (Queens College), University of Massachusetts Amherst, Montclair State University, and New York University. A strong community supporter, New Thread attends NASA Regional and Biennial conferences across the US. The quartet encourages young composers to create new works for saxophones through an open submission policy, conducting reading and feedback sessions throughout the year. New Thread is a presenting partner of Composers Now.

Ensemble members are Jonathan Hulting-Cohen (soprano saxophone), Noa Even (alto saxophone), Erin Rogers (tenor saxophone) and Zach Herchen (baritone saxophone).

INDIVIDUAL BIOS:

Based in Philadelphia, Noa Even is a versatile saxophonist dedicated to the creation of new music through improvisation, composition, and close collaboration with composers. She has premiered dozens of new works, most of which were composed for her and her ensembles. Noa has toured internationally, including performances in Romania, Germany, The Netherlands, Scotland, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, and China. She is a member of New Thread Quartet and duos Ogni Suono, Patchwork, and Audra. She has also performed with the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, No Exit Ensemble, Arcana New Music Ensemble, Mansfield Symphony Orchestra, and Albany Symphony. Her recordings have been released on New Focus Recordings and Innova. Noa is Assistant Teaching Professor and Head of Woodwinds at Rowan University in New Jersey. She has taught over 80 master classes around the world and regularly participates in student composer readings. From 2017-2020, Noa served as Executive Director of Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project (CUSP), a non-profit organization she co-founded that champions new and experimental music. She served as Treasurer of the North American Saxophone Alliance from 2021 through 2024 and has been a reviewer of NASA’s journal, The Saxophone Symposium, since 2014. Noa is a Conn-Selmer Artist-Clinician and a Vandoren Artist. For more information, visit www.noaevenmusic.com.

Saxophonist Zach Herchen performs music ranging from classical trios to jazz tone poems, multimedia works, afrobeat, and beyond. He is a 2013 Bang on a Can Summer Festival Fellow, has worked on staff at New England Conservatory’s Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance Practice, and has performed as a soloist in Italy, Sweden, Germany, and at various American institutions. Zach holds M.M. and B.M. degrees from The Peabody Conservatory.

From vaudeville to the vanguard, saxophonist Jonathan Hulting-Cohen’s performances are “distinct” (Fanfare),“adroit” (ModernJazz.gr), and “fun to watch” (Oregon Arts Watch). In addition to performing concertos with orchestras across the United States, Hulting-Cohen is soprano saxophonist with New Thread Quartet, performs often with pianist Jiayan Sun, and tours extensively with The Moanin’ Frogs in venues ranging from Carnegie Hall and Chamber Music Northwest to community concert series across North America. Committed to the music of today, Hulting-Cohen regularly commissions and premieres new works and arrangements for the saxophone. Hulting-Cohen’s work can be heard on the innova, Albany, Neuma, MSR, and Naxos labels. Associate Professor of Saxophone at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, they also gleefully collaborate with UMass faculty and students. They earned their BM and MM under Donald Sinta at the University of Michigan.

Based in New York, Erin Rogers is a Canadian-American saxophonist, composer, and improviser dedicated to new and experimental music. Her “decidedly future-oriented” music has been described as “whimsical, theatrical” (Brooklyn Vegan), “radical and refreshing” (Vital Weekly) and “a richly expressive display of stentorian brilliance” (The Wire). Her work ranges from chamber music performance to solo experimental improvisation to individual and collaborative compositions that incorporate live electronics, theatre, and text. Rogers’ music has been performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Elbphilharmonie (Hamburg), Roulette Intermedium, Centro Nacional de las Artes (Mexico City), Celebrity Series (Boston), Ecstatic Festival at Merkin Hall, Prototype Festival, Winspear Centre (Edmonton), Resonanzraum (Germany), Círculo de Bellas Artes (Madrid), Artes (Madrid), and NyMusikk Bergen (Norway). “A consummate collaborator” (The New Yorker), Rogers is co-artistic director of NYC-based performance ensembles: thingNY, New Thread Quartet, Hypercube, Popebama, and a member of LA-based Wild Up. She has received commissions and honors from The Barlow Endowment, Library of Congress, Bielecki Foundation, Copland House, ASCAP, and the Jerome Foundation. Her music has been featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, musicworks magazine, and The Wire. Rogers has performed with the International Contemporary Ensemble, Talea, Wet Ink, and Copland House and can be heard on New Focus Recordings, New World Records, Tonus Vivus, Edition Wandelweiser, Relative Pitch, Innova, Chaikin, and Gold Bolus labels. Her solo album 2000 Miles was named Best Experimental Music on Bandcamp. Rogers is a D’Addario Woodwinds and Conn-Selmer Artist, a Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Teaching Artist and Co-Chair of the Manhattan School of Music Contemporary Performance Program. https://www.erinmrogers.com/