Nexas Quartet

Nexas was formed in 2002 when Ben Carey, Andrew Smith, Nathan Henshaw and Jay Byrnes (then studying for their Bachelor of Music Performance at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music) joined forces to create one of Sydney’s most promising young chamber music groups. Since it’s formation, the quartet has been active in supporting new Australian music, providing young and established composers with an outlet for their compositions to be work-shopped and performed. In recognition of their work, in 2003 Nexas was awarded the Wal Hardwick Memorial Scholarship for excellence in chamber music by the Sydney Conservatorium of Music Association. Nexas are an open-minded ensemble that shows no fear in exploring the polymorphic nature of the saxophone. This was aptly demonstrated by their 2004 collaboration with the PACT theatre group. Here Nexas performed music written by Margery Smith, as well as utilizing contemporary improvisation in the work ‘Song’s of Ghosts’. In July of 2004 Nexas attended the European University for the Saxophone, held in Gap, France. Here the quartet gave performances of French and Australian music, including European premieres of works by Paul Stanhope, Stuart Greenbaum and Margery Smith. Nexas has been privileged to perform in master-classes with Claude Delangle (Professor of Saxophone at the Paris Conservatoire), and the Diastema Quartet (Paris).