Based in Boston, the Pharos Quartet is a stirring musical collaborative formed by four New England saxophonists: Jennifer Bill (soprano), Amy McGlothlin (alto), Emily Cox (tenor), and Zach Schwartz (baritone). Their unique combination of ideas, styles, and expressions brings the sound of the saxophone quartet to a new apex. With a vivid repertoire, balanced between notable pioneers as well as visionaries of tomorrow, Pharos maintains a steady appetite for today’s most demanding saxophone quartet literature. Their concerts are stimulating, entertaining, and unpredictable. Its members bring together their own international performance experience and fuse it into a distinct chamber music event. 

Pharos, the great lighthouse of antiquity and often considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World was built by the Ptolemaics in c.280 BC in the port city of Alexandria on the coast of Egypt. This great beacon of light that stood for around 1,000 years inspires the quartet to be a guiding light in chamber music performance of the 21st century. 

Pharos has held concerts in Boston, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and in Western Massachusetts. The quartet continues to enjoy performances of their first commission, Justin Casinghino’s Thinking in Four Places (2018), which explores four global drumming traditions through saxophone quartet and ‘80s synth drum machine. Other commissions include Rift (2019) for saxophone quartet and piano by Thomas Weaver, and,  as part of a consortium led by Prism Quartet, a new saxophone quartet piece by Martin Bresnick to be premiered in 2022.

The Pharos Quartet are Ambassadors of Rovner Products and are honored to be the first chamber ensemble to hold this title.