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. 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. He has performed in 22 states and five countries, and has premiered over 70 works for the saxophone to date. He has performed with symphony orchestras such as the Grant Park Symphony (Chicago); 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. He was a founding member of the Chicago-based saxophone quartet ~Nois, serving as the ensemble's Executive Director and soprano saxophonist from 2016-2021. 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 can be heard on over 10 commercially available recordings, including All My Ghosts by his band The Employment Pages, his debut album of all original songs. All My Ghosts was produced by artist and producer Annie Leeth and was 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.” Dr. Quarles appears on five releases by ~Nois including the quartet’s 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.” 
 
Dr. Quarles is a proud alumnus of the University of Georgia (BM 2015) and Northwestern University (MM 2017 and DMA 2021). He is honored to have been the student of saxophonists Clint Schmitt, Connie Frigo, and Taimur Sullivan.