Internationally renowned saxophonist DOUGLAS MASEK whose performances have emphasized versatility in a wide range of musical styles, from classical and contemporary to jazz, have consistently garnered critical acclaim. The Los Angeles Times “…playing is smooth, sinuous, stunning, stylish, dazzling, and glowing with the requisite rich color.” The Daily Review in Oakland, California, wrote that “Masek plays with dazzling virtuosity”, while The Outlook in Santa Monica, California, declared that “Masek’s performance was marvelous…his control was almost uncanny…extraordinary musicianship”. Pamina Concerts in Barcelona, Spain, adds that “Masek’s playing is always exquisite and full of feeling and musicality”. In South Africa, The Argus wrote “Masek”s tone: beautiful and pure” and the Cape Times added “dynamic and magical”.

A featured performer on the Los Angeles Opera’s Grammy winning recording of Kurt Weill: Rise And Fall Of The City Of Mahagonny, Douglas has also shared the stage with contemporary artists such as: John Legend, Elvis Costello, Diana Krall, Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Kristen Chenoweth, Christina Aguilera, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Barbara Morrison, Audra McDonald, Cher, Barry Manilow, Johnny Mathis, and Seth MacFarlane. Also performances with notable conductors such as: Gustavo Dudamel, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Kent Nagano, John Mauceri, Andre Previn, Michael-Tilson Thomas, Leonard Slatkin, Jorge Mester, James Conlan, David Robertson, Carl St.Clair, Valery Gergiev, Valery Ryvkin, Jeffrey Kahane, Nir Kabaretti, Giselle Ben-Dor, Rachael Worby, JoAnn Falletta, Marin Alsop, Enrique Arturo Diemecke, Arthur Rubinstein, Grant Gershon, Richard Cock, Carlo Franci, Hubert Soudant, Paul Freeman, Allan Stephenson, Chris Dowdeswell, Bernhard Gueller, and Reinbert De Leeuw. In addition, he has also worked on motion picture sounds tracks for John Williams, Randy Newman, David Newman, Howard Shore, Bruce Broughton, Alex North, John Barry, Basil Poledouris, Alan Silvestri, Carter Burwell, Randy Edelman, Mark Watters, and others.

With extensive concert touring in the United States, Europe, Asia, South Africa, and South America, Douglas has also performed as soloist at the Singapore Sun Festival, American Music Festival in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, the China International Music Festival(Beijing), the Aspen Music Festival, Ojai Music Festival, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, the Idyllwild Arts Academy, and extensive performing throughout the Far East. Additional performances include featured solo appearances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Pasadena Pops Orchestra, Long Beach Symphony, Symphony in the Glen, New West Symphony, Pasadena Symphony, Pacific Symphony, Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, Santa Barbara Symphony, Los Angeles Opera Company, Long Beach Opera, Ostgota Symphony (Sweden), and the Transylvania Philharmonic Orchestra (Romania). Orchestras in South Africa include: The Cape Town Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, Free State Symphony, KwaZulu-Natal Symphony, and Transvaal Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also played to rave reviews as soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s New Music Group, performing Franco Donatoni’s “Hot”, with Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting.

Having received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Cincinnati College- Conservatory of Music, and his MM degree in Woodwinds from The Ohio State University, Dr. Masek completed his academic education with a Doctorate in Musical Arts from the University of Southern California. In much demand as a master teacher, Douglas is also a Vandoren Elite Artist, and Conn-Selmer Artist, performing and lecturing internationally at schools, colleges, and universities.

Douglas has also recorded for Centaur, Albany, Cambria, Atlantic, Koch International, Stereophile, Summit, Novana, and Philips Classics recording companies. Additionally, he has performed on motion picture soundtracks for Sony, Warner, Paramount, Universal, Disney and 20th Century, along with television and radio broadcasts.

Having premiered dozens of compositions written exclusively for him, Masek’s discography includes eight CD collections: Distant Memories, Windwood, Recrudescence, Saxvoir Faire, The Encore Saxophone Quartet, Saxtronic Soundscape, Saxophone Alternative, and EclectSax.

As founder of the Encore Saxophone Quartet, they were winners of the Beverly Hills Auditions Competition, and the only American chamber music ensemble selected to perform at the prestigious 2019 Lansum International Music Festival.

Dr. James Lent is a native of Houston where he attended the Houston High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and the University of Houston. Since completing his Doctor of Musical Arts from Yale, Dr. Lent has been based in Los Angeles. Once there, he held a teaching fellowship in collaborative piano. James is currently on the faculty of UCLA as the head of collaborative piano and vocal coaching for the music department, and as coordinator of staff pianists, a resident vocal coach, and musical director at AMDA, the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Hollywood. He has also served on the summer faculty at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, CA as a pianist and opera coach for the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, and the Napa Music Festival.

As a performer he frequently performs throughout Southern California, and has been featured as a pianist in Cabaret, Chicago, Chess, A Chorus Line, The Fantasticks, Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Oklahoma.  James is available as a soloist or he can provide additional performers including strings, drums, winds, and/or brass.

As a music director he has directed and played for productions of Spamilton, Grease, Little Shop of Horrors, Sweet Charity, Willy Wonka, West Side Story, Seussical, AMDA’s Toonsical, Rent, and for the LA Stage Star Competition.

He made his Alabama Symphony debut to critical acclaim performing Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 2 on 24 hours’ notice to replace Andre Watts. Lent has performed with the renowned Paris-based Ensemble Intercontemporain under the direction of Pierre Boulez in a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall, and his performances have been heard on National Public Radio. He has performed with the Vancouver Symphony, the Houston Symphony, the Shanghai Philharmonic, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, the Utah Symphony and the Florida West Coast Symphony, among others, and as solo recitalist at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, the Schleswig-Holstein Festival in Germany, for the National Chopin Foundation in Miami, at Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and at the Cleveland Museum of Art, where he premiered a new work written for him by American composer Frederic Rzewski.

He has received numerous awards from the New York Concert Artists Guild International Competition, the National Chopin Competition, the Washington International Piano Competition at the Kennedy Center, the Olga Koussevitsky Piano Competition in New York, and the Houston Symphony Ima Hogg National Young Artist Competition. He was a fellowship recipient at the Aspen Music Festival, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the Sarasota Music Festival, and the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, where he studied with Jerome Lowenthal.