Barega Saxophone Quartet

Chris Moore – Soprano sax
Emma Di Marco – Alto sax
Andrew Ball – Tenor sax
Diana Tolmie – Baritone sax

The Barega Saxophone Quartet was formed in 2007 and is fast becoming Queensland’s premier single reed ensemble. Throughout the past four years the group has evolved into the current lineup of Chris Moore, Emma Di Marco, Andrew Ball and Diana Tolmie performing a wide range of venues in Queensland and interstate. The group covers a versatile and wide-ranging programme of music from French classical repertoire to minimalism, jazz and contemporary works. A primary goal of the BSQ is to perform and promote original repertoire and Australian works.

Chris Moore originally hails from Brisbane, Australia, though he has also lived and studied in France and the U.S.  He holds a Bachelor of Music Performance from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, and a solo and chamber music degree earned under the world-renowned saxophonist, Jean-Yves Formeau.  Chris has primarily focused on classical saxophone, though he also pursued jazz studies while living in the U.S.  In 2008, he was accepted to compete in the Second International Jean Marie Londiex Competetion, held in Bangkok, Thailand.  Chris has been teaching and performing since high school and is the founding member of the Atlas Saxophone Quartet, which started in 2006, and is the soprano saxophone player in the Barega Saxophone Quartet.  Chris recently moved back to Australia with his wife Emily and two daughters, Ella and Iris.

Emma Di Marco began learning the saxophone at the age 8 and immediately took to the instrument. She began learning saxophone from Mrs Robyn Rosewarne, who stayed as her teacher until Emma graduated from school in 2007. Emma gained her A.Mus.A on Saxophone in 2006 and her L.Mus.A with Distinction in 2008. She has performed with the Queensland Youth Orchestras Wind Ensemble (2004/2005); Queensland Youth Orchestras Wind Symphony (2006 – 2008) and Queensland Wind Orchestra (2009). Her music has taken her to a variety of destinations including Sydney with the Queensland Youth Orchestras Wind Ensemble (2004); Taiwan (2005) and Japan (2006) with the Logan Youth Music Exchange and New Zealand with the MacGregor SHS Music Program (2006). Emma has received recognition at the Queensland Youth Music Awards, winning Youth of the Year in 2005 and has consistently performed well at the annual Queensland Clarinet and Saxophone Society Competition; most recently winning 2nd place in the Open division in September 2009. Currently, Emma is undertaking her Honours year at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music studying under Mr Barry Bobart and Ms Diana Tolmie.

Andrew Ball studied the piano from an early age and switched his focus to the saxophone during his high school years, variously under the tuition of Graham Tobin, Mark Spencer, Matthew Christensen and Diana Tolmie. He was awarded his AMusA in 2008 and achieved an award with distinction in 2010 for his LMusA. Andrew is currently studying a Bachelor of Music at the Queensland Conservatorium. While majoring in and focusing on classical performance, Andrew continues to perform with a number of jazz ensembles including the Con Artists Big Band. He performs regularly with corporate bands and original groups in the pop music scene, including His Merry Men. From 2007-2010, Andrew held the first tenor chair in the QYO Big Band, spanning two regional Queensland tours, a recording project, a performance at the Darling Harbour Jazz Festival in 2009, and with multi-instrumentalist James Morrison in 2010. He continues to expand his catalogue of original compositions and arrangements for various ensembles, including saxophone quartet, saxophone orchestra, small ensembles and big band.

Diana Tolmie has performed for the past 20 years professionally in a variety of styles on clarinets, saxophones and flutes. Diana is a graduate and post-graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium. To date she has led a varied musical career instigated by a Churchill Fellowship; Queen Elizabeth Trust Scholarship; and the Dulcie Robertson prize for highest woodwind results at the Conservatorium. She has been a member of AYO, ANAM and QYS involving many tours and solo appearances as well as finalist in the International Clarinet Association Young Artist Competition held in Paris 1996 and the Australasian Clarinet and Saxophone Conference Competition in 1997. Sessional work includes 20 years of performing with The Queensland Symphony, Philharmonic and Pops Orchestras, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, Opera Queensland; and Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, plus a string of professionally produced musicals for the last 15 years in Australia and Asia  – the most current being WICKED as well as many more genres such as Topology, Elision, DOCH Gypsy Orchestra, Kronic Saxophone Quartet, The Cool Change Tours of 2005/7/8/10 featuring Glenn Shorrock, Wendy Matthews and Doug Parkinson; Tom Burlinson’s Frank Sinatra Show; Clint Allen’s Frank Zappa Big Band, and small cabaret works such as Katz-Chernin’s Mr BBQ featuring Lyndon Teraccini . Diana’s recordings have also been featured on ABC FM and 4MBS radio. As founder of the Brisbane Bass Clarinet Collective and Queensland Conservatorium Saxophone Orchestra Diana looks forward to exploring this medium of music further as well as continuing her freelance lifestyle of performing, and lecturing at the Queensland Conservatorium.  Diana currently operates as a consultant, editor and examiner for the AMEB. She is looking forward to her membership with the chamber group Collusion and Barega.