COME AS YOU ARE: A debut recital of Steven Banks, saxophone

Many of my formative experiences as a musician, and as a young man, were in the church. My family and I attended United Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, NC. My grandfather was an Associate Pastor there when I was growing up and had served as a pastor in the African Methodist Episcopal church for much of his life.

Near the end of each service at UMMBC, the pastor would come down from the pulpit, extend his arms to the congregation, and invite anyone that had not committed themselves to a life of faith and service to God to come to the front of the sanctuary and publicly acknowledge that they wanted to join the church or get baptized. The choir would sing, the congregation would stand, and we would all wait to see if anyone was going to join this week.  I probably witnessed this happen hundreds of times. 

In my mind, the most beautiful part of the whole process was the message that anyone could come to be a part of our church family. No matter what walk of life you came from, or how much experience you had with religion, the pastor was standing there with open arms, and the congregation was excited to build a relationship with you. In the teachings of the church, there is a universal understanding that no one is perfect and that we all bring unique talents and gifts to a given situation. 

In this spirit, I invite anyone and everyone to enjoy this recital. No matter where you come from or what your relationship might be with me, the saxophone, or classical music, this is for you. My hope is that each of you will see some of what you know and love reflected in this performance. Conversely, I aim to challenge you to open your mind to some things that will feel unfamiliar. 

In addition to timeless classics by Mozart and Robert Schumann, I’m thrilled to be presenting 3 world premieres of uniquely powerful works, including a new piece for soprano saxophone and piano by YCA composer-in-residence Saad Haddad, a new work called hear them for baritone saxophone and piano by Carlos Simon, and my latest work, Come As You Are, for tenor saxophone and piano. Come As You Are also serves as the title or theme for the entire program. 

While a debut recital is generally a joyous celebration of the performer, I know that it has been impossible for me to ignore the incredibly troubling times that we are living through. People are hurting right now in so many ways. Despite this pain, we are asked to be resilient and to continue to live our lives. I invite you to Come As You Are to this virtual performance. I invite you to see yourself in the music and to use it for whatever you might need right now. 

Featuring Xak Bjerken, piano

Program:

CARLOS SIMON - hear them (YCA/WPA Commission)*

MOZART - Oboe Quartet in F Major, K.370/368b - featuring Zora Quartet

SCHUMANN - Fantasiestücke, Op. 73

SAAD HADDAD (YCA Composer-in-Residence) - A Sonata for When Time Stands Still*

STEVEN BANKS - Come As You Are* 

*World Premiere