Central to Mana Quartet’s mission—aside from their extraordinary ensemble talent and signature sound on vintage instruments—is their teaching institute.
Mana welcomes saxophonists of all ages for the two-week intensive workshop and performances with the quartet during their residency at the National Music Festival at Washington College, and this summer they introduced their youngest student so far, Jesse Blandino.
Jesse, 11, from Surprise, Arizona, plays soprano saxophone, and has been playing since he was eight.
“He just came to us one day and told us he wanted to play the saxophone,” said his mother, Michelle. “His grandparents are musical, so that might have been an influence, so we decided to adjust our lives and “chauffeuring expertise” to further the cause. Somehow we manage to balance it.”
Jesse has been a student of Mana founding member and teacher Michael Hernandez and is showing major talent with a preference for Bach and Mozart. Here he plays a little Bach at 9:30 in the morning during practice at the Bookplate Book Store for Friday’s Adkins Arboretum performance.
In the video, you can see the group get ready to rehearse, unpack their instruments, fix a key buffer on a saxophone, then jump into Bach piece.
“I just like to play and have it keep on going,” Jesse says.
We agree. Keep on going. We see many reeds and much applause in your future.
For National Music Festival schedules, go here.
Mary Wood says
Thank you SPY for letting us hear and see music we’d have missed otherwise.
George Boyd Jr. says
these sax players are all dedicated, talented and most of all enjoy playing music
for themselves and performing for others. they make me PROUD to be a sax player. I attended several of their practices as well as one concert. these performers provided the audience with music that stimulated the senses and soothed the soul. I was disappointed that they were treated as second class citizens of the “National Music Festival” by the management of that festival. It was specified that the Festival has the right to reschedule times of practices and concert/events but it was always the sax players that had to yield and in at least one sax concert the change was not publicized . I missed that concert after driving up from attending Church in the Ocean City Area. The Harp Concert that switched with the Mana Sax Institute Concert provided music that the audience enjoyed. It just was not what was expected and anticipated. I had the opportunity to speak with Jesse’s parents. This young man is so talented and dedicated. He has found out the secret of becoming a better musician. Play with those who are as good or better. Thank-you for your article.