The hot Italian summer of 1982; four young Dutch saxophonists rehearsing in Via Aurelia in Rome; the beginning of a sensational, pioneering chamber-music ensemble: the Aurelia Saxophone Quartet.
Then came: Concerts throughout the world from Suntory Hall in Tokyo to the Gewandhaus in Leipzig – not to mention the little church in Marken-Binnen in the Dutch province of Noord-Holland and a municipal centre in Oristano, Sardinia which smelt of beer.

Radio and television performanceswithin the Netherlands and abroad.

Multiple CDs to the group’s name, one of which won an Edison and international praise, setting a new standard for saxophone quartets the world over.

Collaboration with artists from all disciplines, including dance and theatre, as well as a great many musicians: pianists Ivo Janssen and Juan Pablo Dobal, bandoneon players Gustavo Toker and Carel Kraaijenhof, the Netherlands Wind Ensemble, the Georgian women’s choir Mzetamze, the gamelan ensemble Multifoon, Slagwerkgroep Den Haag, the Japanese saxophone quartet Trouvère, the Hague Residentie Orchestra and others.

Over seventy world premieres of works by ter Veldhuis, Goldstein, Keuris, Andriessen and many others. The group gives compositions the chance to grow and plays pieces frequently so that they are heard often.

Astounding and ambitious arrangements. String quartets by Ravel, Debussy and Shostakovich, The Art of Fugue and the sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti. Pushing boundaries for our one great love: the saxophone quartet.
In 2017 the Aurelia Saxophone Quartet is ending after 35 beautiful years. The current members have decided to stop playing together because the successful development of their personal projects leaves no room for concerts. The quartet is proud to pass the baton to the promising next generation.

ARNO BORNKAMP Dutch saxophonist Arno Bornkamp (1959) is the archetype of the modern virtuoso, feeling equally at home in traditional and contemporary repertoire. Hailed as a lyrical musician with a great sense of performance, Bornkamp studied at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam with Ed Bogaard and graduated in 1986 with the highest distinction. He has won many awards, the 'Silver Laurel of the Concertgebouw' and the 'Netherlands Music Prize' among the most noteworthy. The latter enabled him to go abroad, studying in France with Daniel Deffayet and Jean-Marie Londeix, in Japan with Ryo Noda as well as working with composers as Luciano Berio and Karlheinz Stockhausen. Since his 1982 solo debut in Rome, performing the 'Concertino da Camera' by Jacques Ibert, he has played more than 250 concerts with orchestras around the world, including the most important works from the saxophone repertoire in addition to new concerti written especially for him, such as the 'Tallahatchie Concerto' by Jacob TV. In the year 2009 Bornkamp added 3 new works to his repertoire: 'Trois Danses' (orig. for oboe) by Frank Martin and 2 new saxophone concerto's by Joey Roukens and Carlos Michans. Chamber music is also a great love of Arno Bornkamp. He has a long-standing duo with pianist Ivo Janssen and is part of the Aurelia Saxophone Quartet (one of the world's most acclaimed saxophone quartet), which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2008. Arno Bornkamp's many activities (including concerts, festivals, masterclasses, lectures) have taken him to many countries in Europe, the USA, the Far East and South America, but the highlight of his career took place closer to home: in the summer of 1996 he played with Ivo Janssen due to the Prinsengracht Concert in Amsterdam for an audience of more than 15.000 people. The many CD's he has made since 1990 since on various labels have garnered national and international praise. A remarkable project is a tryptich of CD's on the Ottavo label: 'The Classical Saxophone from a Historical Perspective', covering three important periods in the history of the saxophone: the beginning period with works from around 1850 written for Adolphe Sax ('Adolphe Sax Revisited'), the beginning of the 20th Century with impressionistic music ('Boston-Paris, the Elisa Hall Collection') and the years '20 and '30 in Berlin ('Metropolis Berlin'). His most recent CD-project was released by the Basta label in 2009: 'Buku of Horn: Arno B. plays JacobTV', a portrait of Dutch composer JacobTV. Arno Bornkamp is a renowned teacher, leading an international saxophone class at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. In the summer he teaches the International Saxophone Masterclass in Laubach (Germany) and at the Université d'Eté Européenne pour saxophone in Gap (France).

For Niels, it’s all about musicality and integrity. Whether he’s playing Bach on baritone, JacobTV on alto, Baldwine on soprano or original pieces written for him on his beloved tenor saxophone, it’s all about bringing music to life. Niels Bijl is an exceptionally versatile saxophonist.
His major projects include CDs with repertoire for tenor saxophone, the Aurelia Saxophone Quartet, The Four Baritones and his collaboration with Ronald Moelker and many other varied musicians from accordion to harp to string quartet.
Highlights of his career are his Solo tenor saxophone tour Australia-New Zealand 2010. He has played on tour with Valeri Gergiev’s World Orchestra for Peace. The theatre production Ik ben niet bang with René Groothof received the prestigious Silver Krekel Prize in 2012. In 2014 he shared the stage with esteemed colleague and friend Branford Marsalis, in Paradiso Amsterdam and in Niels’ hometown Enschede.
As part of his integrity he gives back to young musicians. He has given numerous masterclasses almost everywhere in Europe as well as Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Canada and America.