The Delta Saxophone Quartet

Formed in 1984 by students of Stephen Trier at London’s Guildhall School of Music, the ensemble’s founding lineup consisted of saxophonists Chris Caldwell, Steve Cottrell, Colin Smith and Pete Whyman. It quickly 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, while also presenting material linked to Soft Machine.

The Delta Saxophone Quartet has performed widely across the UK and undertaken international engagements in Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, China, Taiwan, Russia and Uzbekistan. During the early 00s it served as Ensemble in Residence at London’s Kingston University. Subsequent personnel shifts introduced Gareth Brady and Christian Forshaw, yet in the mid-00s the quartet retained Caldwell and Whyman, rounding out its membership with Graeme Blevins and Tim Holmes.