Dr. Charles Stolte

Biography

Described by Classical Music magazine as a musician of “dazzling commitment and versatility,” Dr. Charles Stolte enjoys a career as a saxophonist and composer that takes him throughout the world. He has performed for—and his compositions have been performed for—such musical luminaries as Jean-Marie Londeix, Claude Delangle, Marta Ptasynska, Gunther Schuller, Ned Rorem, Frederick Rzewski, John Corigliano and Henryk Gorecki. The Chicago Tribune lauded him as a “talented performer with glossy technique and bluesy charm,” and he enjoys frequent support from the Canadian
provincial and national governments for his composition projects and performance tours. Dr. Stolte enjoyed financial support from Canada Council for the Arts and Alberta Foundation for the Arts for tours of Canadian saxophone music through Germany and Poland and he was a distinguished teacher of saxophone at the XII Woodwind Workshop in Szczecinek, Poland. Canada Council for the Arts awarded an Outreach Grant supporting the premiere in Montréal of Last Transfer, his large work for saxophone quartet, two pianos and two percussion and The Alberta Foundation for the Arts and Royal Canadian College of Organists have funded composition commissions of works for organ, string orchestra, guitar, saxophone, horn, and recorder.

CBC radio has broadcast his performances and compositions nationally and his music enjoys performances across North America, in Europe and in Asia. He can be heard on a variety of recordings as a saxophone soloist, in the Stolte/Segger Duo with pianist Joachim Segger, as tenor saxophonist with the Edmonton Saxophone Quartet and as a member of Ensemble Mujirushi, Edmonton’s “New Music Supergroup” (Edmonton Journal). Stolte has presented his own music, and music written for him, at regional, North American and international conferences.

Dr. Stolte is Professor of Saxophone, Musicology and Composition at The King's University and Instructor of Saxophone at MacEwan University Conservatory of Music. He has served on the faculties of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Roosevelt University, and the University of Alberta Edmonton and Augustana campuses. He is an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre, a former national board member of that organization and a former Chair of its Prairie Region. Charles holds a Doctor of Music degree in Saxophone Performance from Northwestern University, where he was the first Canadian to be accepted to the doctoral program for study with renowned saxophonist Frederick L. Hemke. Dr. Stolte also holds degrees from University of Alberta and The King’s University College. His teachers include Frederick L. Hemke, William H. Street, Howard Bashaw, Malcolm Forsyth, M. William Karlins and Jay Alan Yim.

Selected Works

I. Woodwinds and brass

Saxophone solo and duet

Contest Piece (2007) for solo saxophone - 5’  
Commissioned by Grant Macewan College, Alberta College Conservatory of Music
Performers: All twelve saxophonists registered at the first annual Saxophone Camp at Alberta College Conservatory of Music (Edmonton)

Slap and Split (2003) for baritone and alto saxophone duet - 8'
Commission by Sarah Wolkowski through The Alberta Foundation  the Arts
Performers: Sarah Wolkowski, Scott Campbell (Edmonton); Mark Engebretson, Susan Fancher (North Carolina); Sarah Wolkowski, Charles Stolte (South Carolina)

True Confessions (1994) for solo saxophone - 9'
Commissioned by ECCS Edmonton New Music Festival
Released on CD: Westwind (Eclectra, 2006); Broadcast by CBC Two New Hours, 1994
Performers: Gerald Preinfalk (Vienna); Barry Toews (Australia); David Babich (Washington, DC); John Engebretson (Minneapolis); Susan Cook (Chicago); William Street (Edmonton); Charles Stolte (Vienna, Berlin, Krakow, Warsaw, Lodz, Szczecin)

Saxophone quartet

Errataca (2010) for SATB saxophone quartet – 10’
Commission by Quasar and Anubis Saxophone Quartets through The Alberta Foundation for the Arts
Broadcast by CBC Radio Two: February, 2011.
Performers: Quasar (Montréal) and Anubis Saxophone Quartets

Stop Don’t Stop (2007) for SATB saxophone quartet – 10’
Performers: Edmonton Saxophone Quartet (Edmonton)

Last Transfer (2000) for SATB saxophone quartet, two pianos and two percussion - 25'
Commissioned by Hammerhead Consort and Edmonton Saxophone Quartet
Recorded by CBC Two New Hours, 2000; Première at World Saxophone Congress (Montréal)
Performers: Edmonton Saxophone Quartet and Hammerhead Consort (Montréal; Edmonton)

Process (1994) for SATB saxophone quartet  - 22'
Recorded by CBC Two New Hours, 1994
Performers: Vienna Quartet (Vienna); IMPULS Quartet (USA); Edmonton Saxophone Quartet (Edmonton); Youngstown State University Saxophone Quartet (Ohio)

Mixed ensemble

Metatation (2014) for clarinet, oboe and bassoon -9’
Commissioned by WindRose Trio through Alberta Foundation for the Arts
Performers: WindRose Trio (Edmonton, AB; Tokyo, Japan; Harbin, China)

Les Trois Soeurs (2006) for alto saxophone and guitar – 12’
Commissioned by Duo Montagnard (Joseph Murphy, Matthew Slotkin, Pennsylvania)    
Released on CD: Messengers: Duo Montagnard, 2011.
Performers: Duo Montagnard (Premiere: World Saxophone Congress, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 15+performances in USA)

Prix (1998) for tenor saxophone, horn and piano [other versions: clarinet, horn, piano] - 19'
Commissioned by Dr. Jonathan Helton, U. of Florida     
Performers: Jonathan Helton (World Saxophone Congress, Montréal); New Millenium Ensemble (Chicago); Paul Bro (Indiana); Griffin Campbell (Louisiana); Mary Fearon (Edmonton)

Decadence (1997) for amplified alto saxophone, amplified ‘cello, amplified piano and drum kit [other version: tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, piano and drum kit] –  15'
Commissioned by Dr. Leo Saguiguit, Columbus, Ohio
Recorded by CBC Two New Hours, 1998
Performers: Tim Brady Ensemble (Montréal); Leo Saguiguit (Chicago); William Street (Edmonton); University of Tennessee;

Horn and piano

On the Lake (2004) for horn and piano – 20’
Commissioned by Mary Fearon through Alberta Foundation for the Arts
Premiere; Call of the Wild Horn Festival (Cold Lake); CBC Radio 2 broadcast, October 2004
Performers: Mary Fearon (Cold Lake; Edmonton)

At the Lake (2004) A Children’s Suite for horn and piano – 14’
Commissioned by Mary Fearon through Alberta Foundation for the Arts
Performers: Mary Fearon (Edmonton)

Recorder

Souffle (2006) for soprano and alto recorders – 8’
Commissioned by Jennifer Hoyer
Performers: Jennifer Hoyer (Bloemfontein, South Africa; Edmonton)

II. Vocal

Four Blake Seasons (2017) for bass voice and piano – 16’
Commissioned by David McCune
Recorded and broadcast by Bulgarian National Radio 2022
Performers: David McCune; Leanne Regehr (Edmonton); Margarita Ilieva (Bulgaria)

Teas (2018) for medium voice and piano – 4’
Commissioned by Contemporary Showcase Edmonton through Alberta Foundation of the Arts for their 25th Anniversary
Performers: various

Eight Hopkins Songs (1995-97) for high voice and piano - 40'
Performers: Elizabeth Raycroft and Joseph Lai (Edmonton); Lana Armstrong and Leanne Regehr (Edmonton)

III. Keyboard

…ex lucem sonus (2020) for solo piano with video
Commissioned by Sylvia Shaddick (Edmonton) for her From See to Sound to See art/music/video project
Performers: Sylvia Shaddick (Saskatoon, SK; Edmonton, AB)

Tenebris (2020) for solo piano with video
Commissioned by Sylvia Shaddick (Edmonton) for her From See to Sound to See art/music/video project
Performers: Sylvia Shaddick (Saskatoon, SK; Edmonton, AB)

O Sacred Head (2005) for organ, four hands - 5'
Commissioned by Royal College of Canadian Organists
Released on CD: Duo Majoya: Organ Duets on the Davis Concert Organ.  Duo Majoya: Edmonton, 2010
Performers: Duo Majoya (Edmonton)

Skin and Bones (1989) for solo piano - 5'
Performers: Joachim Segger (Edmonton); Roger Admiral (Edmonton);

IV. Choral

Glove Songs (2024) for SATB chorus with divisi – 6’
For Pro Coro Canada

Psalm 47 (2014) for SATB chorus and organ – 6’
Commissioned by The King’s University
Performers: The King’s University Choirs (Edmonton)

Psalm 146 (2004) for double SATB chorus, alto saxophone and piano  - 8'
Commissioned by The King’s University College (Edmonton)
Performers: The King’s University College Choirs (Western Canadian Tour)

Drought (2003) for SATB chorus - 5'
Da Camera Singers Choral Composition Competition Runner-up, Edmonton, 2003

V. Orchestral

Conventional Concertino (2008) for alto saxophone and chamber orchestra  – 12’
Commissioned by Julia Nolan through Albert Foundation for the Arts
Performers: Julia Nolan and Edmonton Chamber Players (Edmonton)

Blumen (2007) for organ and string orchestra – 7’
Commissioned by Royal Canadian College of Organists for Windspiration (The Royal Canadian College of Organists Organ Festival)
CBC Radio Two broadcast July 2007    Performers: Robert Zylstra and Edmonton Chamber Players (Edmonton)