The Rhode Island Saxophone Quartet (RISQ) was founded in 1988. Since that time, RISQ has performed numerous concerts in the Rhode Island and Greater Boston Area, as well as South Korea. The quartet has given world premieres of saxophone quartets by composers Gregory Pascuzzi and Richard Lane, and given the American debut of 'Toon, Variations, and Fugue' by Thomas Hojnacki. The group has been lauded for its musical expressiveness, variety of programming, and its homogeneous sonority. RISQ performs music from a wide variety of musical periods and styles, surveying both the classical and popular genres. Many of the works in the RISQ repertoire were composed, arranged or transcribed by its members. They include:

J. Michael Leonard, Soprano Saxophone



David Key, Alto Saxophone

David Key is a professional author, performer and teacher, with a Master of Music degree in music education and saxophone performance. He has served on the faculty of the University of Rhode Island, where he was also an Honors Faculty Fellow. He has taught music theory at Providence College and at the Music School, and presently teaches clarinet and saxophone at his private studio. David is a member of the acclaimed Joe Parillo Ensemble, and a founding member of the duo, Starling, which performs improvisational chamber music. David has a solo release, Ravenspeak; a CD of his own arrangements for soprano saxophone and piano, The Angels Gather; and a CD of music for flutes and Tibetan bowls, entitled Whale Watch. David's college-level textbook, The Creation and Re-Creation of Music, is published by Prentice Hall Publishers.

Stephen Correia, Tenor Saxophone

Stephen Correia has taught music professionally and was Director of Jazz Ensembles at The University of Rhode Island (URI), where he earned a Master of Music degree in music education and saxophone performance. He has performed in a variety of ensembles and has directed and arranged music commercially. Stephen is a member of Phi Betta Kappa academic honor society. He is currently completing a Ph.D in clinical neuropsychology at URI. His experiences in psychology include neuropsychology practice through Brown University at Butler Hospital and the Veteran's Administration Hospital of Providence, RI; psychological evaluation of new inmates at the Rhode Island Adult Correctional Institution; and clinical student assistant for the URI's Psychological Consultation Center. Additionally, he works as the clinical research coordinator for the Department of Neurology at Butler Hospital.


Bruce Abbott, Baritone Saxophone

Bruce Abbott is a professional teacher, composer, and musician. He is the former Director of Instrumental Ensembles at Salve Regina College in Newport, RI, and instructor of saxophone at URI, where he also earned his Master of Music degree in saxophone performance. He has performed in concert series and jazz clubs throughout the United States, including the Newport Jazz Festival, and has toured with the Artie Shaw Orchestra under the direction of Dick Johnson.Bruce's most recent recordings are Just The Way You Look Tonight, with the North Star Jazz Ensemble, and Homeward Bound with Common Ground, both on North Star Records.






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50 Rice Road, Wayland, MA 01778
Phone: 508-653-6139 Fax: 508-653-2189