Delta Saxophone Quartet

Formed in 1984 by Stephen Trier’s students at London’s Guildhall School of Music, the ensemble began with saxophonists Chris Caldwell, Steve Cottrell, Colin Smith and Pete Whyman. Its early activities built a profile through interpretations of demanding works by composers such as Louis Andriessen, Issie Barratt, Richard Rodney Bennett, Gavin Bryars, Joe Duddell, Paul Englishby, Sergio Lopez Figueroa, Morgan Fisher, Philip Glass, Stephen Goss, Michael Nyman, Steve Reich, Terry Riley and Mike Westbrook, alongside material linked to Soft Machine.

Extensive UK touring was later supplemented by international engagements that reached Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, China, Taiwan, Russia and Uzbekistan. During the early 2000s the Delta Saxophone Quartet served as Ensemble in Residence at London’s Kingston University. Subsequent membership shifts introduced Gareth Brady and Christian Forshaw, so that by the mid-2000s the lineup retained Caldwell and Whyman while adding Graeme Blevins and Tim Holmes.