The gig began with an unexpected email.

The recording ended up being nominated for a Grammy Award.

Trek Boyland was glancing at his inbox last July when he saw the message requesting four saxophone players to play on a song that would feature vocals from two Broadway stars -- the late Rebecca Luker, who died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Aaron Lazar, who was diagnosed with ALS.

The Lotus Saxophone Quartet fit the bill. The four doctoral students -- Boyland, Mikayla Peterson ('22 M.M.), Benjamin Facundo and Rico Allen ('24 D.M.A.) -- in the College of Music were eager to perform.

That album was Lazar's "Impossible Dream," which raises funds for the ALS Network and features a host of Broadway stars. Now the quartet can claim they've performed on the same album as Neil Patrick Harris, Josh Groban and Leslie Odom Jr. And they'll be eagerly watching the Grammy Awards Feb. 2 as "Impossible Dream" contends for best pop traditional album.

But just playing on the album felt like a dream.

"When it came out, I was still in denial a little bit that it actually happened," says Peterson, who is a teaching fellow at UNT, private lesson teacher in Denton and an elementary music teacher in Irving. "They reached out to our quartet of all quartets that they could have reached out to. I'm extremely grateful for that. But even to this day, it doesn't seem like it's real."

Good Vibes

All four members of the quartet started their doctoral studies at UNT in 2021. Boyland, now an assistant professor at East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, sent an email to all doctoral students in saxophone to meet up for lunch. Only one person -- Facundo -- showed up.

But they got to talking and ended up practicing together. Boyland suggested starting a quartet. Facundo and Peterson knew each other from their time at the University of Wyoming, and Allen and Boyland attended the University of Cincinnati together while earning their master's degrees.

They met at Peterson's house to rehearse.

"The vibes were perfect," says Facundo, a Denton resident who teaches private lessons. "I think someone said a joke, and we all laughed at the same time. Our rehearsal times were a lot of laughing while getting a lot of work done. We were friends first, and then we also made music together."

The first song they played was "Andante et Scherzo," which they were preparing for the North American Saxophone Alliance competition, although they ended up not participating.

In three months, they were playing gigs. They've performed at UNT's faculty galas, where they treated the audience to Coldplay and Queen songs. They play mostly classical music, and they've also played "Sunburnt" by contemporary composer Takuma Itoh.

Then came the email.

In the Studio

Christina Giacona, a lecturer and affiliate faculty for the film and media department at the University of Oklahoma, was in charge of the orchestra for the Cole Porter song "I Am Loved" for the Lazar album. The tune needed four saxophone parts and she found the group online.

The group didn't realize the significance of the project until they had their first rehearsal and reread the email from Giacona. Luminous Sound is run by Grammy Award-winning sound engineer Tre Nagella, who often works with major artists such as Kirk Franklin.

"We walked into the studio, and you look to the right, and there's just a case full of awards, and gold and platinum albums all over the walls," says Allen, a Dallas resident who teaches at Tarleton State University and the University of Texas at Tyler. He also teaches online general music studies for the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, which is Lazar's alma mater.

The recording itself was "easy and fun," Boyland says.

"The entire process took us about 30 minutes from start to finish," Boyland says. "Tre's studio is top notch, and Tre has a great ear for mixing. We ran through 'I Am Loved' two or three times, spot checked a few places, and we were done!"

A New Realm 

In November, they found out about the Grammy nominations when Giacona tagged them on a Facebook post.

If the album wins, they'll receive a certificate of participation. Now they have bragging rights with their students.

"I told my students one time weeks ago, and it's been like this ongoing thing every time they see me, 'Oh, it's Grammy-nominated Dr. Allen,'" Allen says. "It's so embarrassing, but I love them."

"I used to watch Grammys just for the performances. But now I'll be watching in anticipation," Facundo says.

They're working on other goals after they graduate. Boyland wants to continue teaching and perform internationally. Facundo would like to teach at a university and perform. Peterson wants to find a college job. Allen plans to continue teaching.

They still occasionally meet up for gigs even though they're now in separate cities. The Lotus Quartet will be performing a piece called "Second Nature" by Viet Cuong this semester with the UNT Wind Ensemble, conducted by professor Amy Woody.

"Impossible Dream" has deep meaning for several reasons.

"I love Broadway, and I was just like, 'Man, this is one step closer to being in the same realm as these famous people -- not just celebrities, but artists," Facundo says. "And I think the album is really powerful for the message that Aaron's trying to send, and I hope it wins."