HOLLY CULP
Arts Editor

Tommy Davis, along with the Ellipse Saxophone Quartet, kicked ass at the National Music Festival this summer, where hoards of musicians from across the country descended upon McGill University to compete against one another.

The quartet placed second in their class (losing to The Red Strings from Toronto) and Tommy Davis, a recent U of S graduate, also placed second in a solo class.

The quartet, made up of Davis, Melissa Latos, Gerard Webber and Jenelle Orcherton (who serves as a substitute teacher for the department of music) went through three rounds of competition in order to make it to the National Music Festival in Montreal.

“The first was in Saskatoon,” said Davis. “And then there is the Provincial round which was in P.A. this year. And then after that you go to Nationals.”

While the competition was fierce, the quartet managed to pull through with a high placing.

“Everyone is phenomenal. They’re all the best representatives from each province,” said Davis.

Sadly, Davis’ days with his saxophone quartet will have to be paused. He is leaving the Paris of the Prairies for the real thing.

Davis will be in France to study at the Bolougne-Billancourt Conservatory of Music in Paris for the next two years, working toward a saxophone performance diploma. The process of getting in was a year-long debacle of interviews, recordings and meetings.

“I feel lucky that I got in,” admitted Davis. “I had to send a recording over there and then wait. You have to apply for a visa with Campus France and then have an interview with them on Skype because I was in Saskatoon and they were in Toronto. Then after you do that you can actually send your stuff to the consulate and apply for the student visa.”

Aside from the cost of living, Davis is very excited about moving to France for a while.

“The school is not that expensive, but it is expensive to live,” said Davis. “I suppose it’s not expensive in comparison to university. I’ve been saving for a while, teaching private lessons, clinics, recruiting, going out to the schools and getting grade fives to try out instruments. I also worked for the department of music doing recital assistance stuff and was the jazz band manager.”

“As long as I get there with all my luggage and saxophones intact, it will be good,” added Davis.

While discussing the differences between studying music here at the U of S in comparison to France, Davis noted the intense musical atmosphere of an international centre like Paris.

“It’s a bigger city,” said Davis. “It’s a very intensive place to study, most of the composers that write and work in the new repertoire live in France. They’re very forward-thinking and all study at the conservatory from a very young age.”

Davis’ retreat to a foreign land to further persue his musical aspirations is, in this reporter’s opinion, a feather in the hat of department of music and the university as a whole.

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image: Pete Yee