Remco Jak - soprano saxophone
Olivier Sliepen - alto saxophone
Bas Apswoude - tenor saxophone
Ties Mellema - baritone saxophone

It’s been almost a decade since the Amstel Quartet blew its first notes. Since then, the four young and enthusiastic saxophonists who make up the ensemble have built an international reputation in the world of chamber music, and beyond.

They met while touring with the Dutch National Youth Orchestra and in 1997 decided to form a quartet where they could test the boundaries of the conventional saxophone repertoire of the time.

But first – what to call the quartet? The Amstel River is not only the historical birthplace of the city of Amsterdam, but also an ever-changing waterscape, reflecting the changes in life along its shores. For a quartet grounded in the traditions of chamber music, but ready to meet new and ever-changing creative challenges, the Amstel Saxophone Quartet was the obvious choice for a name. After a few years the name evolved even further, to today’s Amstel Quartet. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.