Brandon Quarles

Dr. Brandon Quarles is a music-maker and teacher who thrives on cross-genre collaborations. A native of Ringgold, Georgia, Dr. Quarles is the Assistant Professor of Saxophone at the University of Georgia’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music. Dr. Quarles was previously the Lecturer of Saxophone and Allied Areas at UGA where in addition to teaching saxophone, he directed and conducted the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, taught a local music history course “Music in Athens,” and taught a professional development course “Music in the Real World.” Prior to joining the faculty of UGA, Dr. Quarles was the Associate Lecturer in Classical Saxophone at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was an Instructor for Northwestern University’s general music curriculum. 

Dr. Quarles’ performance experience spans a wide array of genres and styles on a variety of instruments. As a saxophonist, he has performed with symphony orchestras such as the Grant Park Symphony; chamber ensembles such as Eighth Blackbird, Ensemble Dal Niente, and ensemble vim; and indie rock bands such as My Brightest Diamond and Night Palace, among others. An advocate for new music, he has given the premiere of over 70 works for the saxophone to date. Most recently, Dr. Quarles has presented and performed at the past three North American Saxophone Alliance national conferences, and was one of two guest artists invited to perform at the 2023 University of Tennessee Contemporary Music Festival.  Dr. Quarles made his debut as a concerto soloist in 2015 as a winner of the UGA Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. Since then, Dr. Quarles has been a featured soloist with ensembles such as the Northshore Concert Band, the Atlanta Freedom Band, The University of Wisconsin-Madison Wind Ensemble, and the University of Georgia Wind Ensemble and Wind Symphony.

Dr. Quarles was one of the founding members of ~Nois, a Chicago-based saxophone quartet dedicated to contemporary classical music and improvisation. Dr. Quarles served as the organization’s Executive Director and soprano saxophonist from 2016 to 2021. During his five years with the quartet, Dr. Quarles was awarded top prizes at prestigious chamber music competitions such as the Silver Medal at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and the Second Prize in the M-Prize International Chamber Arts Competition’s Open Division. Dr. Quarles performed over 75 concerts in 20 states with ~Nois, including appearances at festivals such as the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival and Big Ears, among others. The quartet was regularly invited to give performances, master classes, and residencies at universities across the country such as the University of Colorado at Boulder, Princeton University, and the Manhattan School of Music. For the 2020-2021 academic year, ~Nois was one of the Don Michael Randel Ensemble-in-Residence at the University of Chicago. 

Since the mid 2000’s, Dr. Quarles has been playing and composing rock and pop music, performing on keyboards, guitars, electronics, saxophones, and vocals. Under the artist name The Employment Pages, Dr. Quarles released his debut album of original songs titled All My Ghosts in 2023. All My Ghosts was produced by artist and producer Annie Leeth (who in addition to her own work is a member of Faye Webster’s touring band) and recorded over the course of 2022 and 2023. Flagpole’s Gordon Lamb praised All My Ghosts for its “incredibly creative arrangements,” and said that the album “has a simmering quality that leaves the listener satisfied but wanting more anyway.” In 2022, Dr. Quarles synthesized his classical and popular music experiences in collaborations with the Athens Hip Hop Harmonic, working with artists Convict Julie, Linqua Franqa, Celest Divine, and Ayako Pederson-Takeda.

In addition to his album All My Ghosts, Dr. Quarles has been involved in ten commercially released recordings to date working as both a performer and producer. During his time with ~Nois, the quartet released its debut album Is This ~Nois. In its review of Is This ~Nois, I Care If You Listen wrote “~Nois is here to make a bold statement, not only in their choices in repertoire, but in how they bring the concept of the saxophone quartet into the 21st century and beyond.” ~Nois also released singles of works by Susanna Hancock, Finola Merivale, and Emma O’Halloran. Inspired by remixes in the world of electronic dance music, the quartet commissioned composers Darian Donovan Thomas and Phong Tran to remix their recording of O’Halloran’s Night Music. In 2022, Dr. Quarles released Rhabdolith, a collaborative improvisation album with Irish composer Neil Quigley. Dr. Quarles’ recording of Luis Fernando Amaya’s La mano izquierda es la que escribe las mentiras chiquitas was released on Petrichor Records’ New Music by Living Composers, Series 1, Vol. 2. in 2021. These releases and others can be found on all major streaming platforms.

In addition to performing and composing, Dr. Quarles loves teaching. He is regularly invited to give guest lectures on a variety of topics including saxophone composition, improvisation, entrepreneurship, and more. Since 2021, Dr. Quarles has led the University of Georgia Saxophone Day which helps prepare high school saxophonists for collegiate and All-State auditions. While at Northwestern, Dr. Quarles created a course on the music and the history of the Beatles for non-music majors. He has been invited to give lectures on the Beatles by UW-Madison’s Badger Talks Live and the UGA Alumni Association’s London Chapter, among others.

Dr. Quarles holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in saxophone performance with a cognate in music theory from Northwestern University along with the Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees from Northwestern and the University of Georgia, respectively. He has had the honor of studying the saxophone with Clint Schmitt, Connie Frigo, and Taimur Sullivan.