ZHdK Saxophone Class

we are very proud of Alejandro Latorre Cañadas for winning the first prize at the Canarias International Saxophone Competition 2026!
ZHdK Music
zürich saxophone collective

We are incredibly proud of Leonor Dias for winning First Prize at the Festival Internacional Cidade do Fundão competition in Portugal! 🇵🇹🎷
Congratulations on this wonderful achievement!
Bravo, Leonor! . 👏

ZHdK Music
zürich saxophone collective

We are incredibly proud to celebrate another wonderful achievement of Juan David Toro Martín, student ZHdK Saxophone Class.

Congratulations on winning First Prize in the Woodwind Category at the Concurso Juventudes Musicales de España.

This success comes shortly after his First Prize at the Andorra International Saxophone Competition and is a testament to his outstanding musicianship, dedication, and artistry.

Bravo! 👏🎷
ZHdK Music

EL ‘CONCURSO JUVENTUDES MUSICALES DE ESPAÑA’, IMPULSO PARA LA CARRERA DE JÓVENES TALENTOS, TIENE GANADORES DE SU 114ª EDICIÓN EN VIENTO-METAL Y VIENTO-MADERA: HÉCTOR MORA Y JUAN DAVID TORO | Juventudes Musicales de España El trombonista Héctor Mora, en la modalidad de viento-metal, y el saxofonista Juan David Toro, en la modalidad de viento-madera, han sido los ganadores de...

enjoy some excpert of Richard Strauss: Metamorphosen (1945) in an arrangement for the zürich saxophone collective.
Recording from a concert in January at Johanneskirche Zürich.

Richard Strauss: Metamorphosen 1945 zürich saxophone collectiveLars Mlekusch, conductor & artistic dir...

meet the exceptional young saxophonists of the
ZHdK Saxophone Class 2026/2027

Leonor Dias
Nora Favre
Tadej Pance
Anna Nalter
Sarina Tepel
Samuel Cerrillo Nuñez
Pol Del Moral Vargas
Alejandro Latorre Cañadas
Gisela Dekort
Augustas Vasiliauskass
Christian Kunz
Juan David Toro Martín

ZHdK Music
zürich saxophone collective

Meet the new members of our class, joining in Fall 2026

Samuel Cerrillo Nuñez, MA Music Performanc Saxophone

"My training as a saxophonist began in 2011 in my hometown, Albacete. I later pursued my bachelor studies at the RCSMM and the CSMA, where I had the opportunity to study with Andrés Gomis and Carlos Zaragoza.
I am very excited about the opportunity to study at ZHdK and to join the saxophone class of Lars Mlekusch. I consider that the academic and artistic environment offered by the institution provides an ideal context to further develop my training, broaden my musical perspective, and deepen my own projects.
I am confident that this experience will represent a very important step in my artistic and personal growth."

ZHdK Music
zürich saxophone collective

meet the newest members of our class, joining in Fall 2026

Augustas Vasiliauskas, MA Specialized Soloist

"The stage… Whenever I step onto it, I feel at home. For me, it is a place of honesty, where you cannot fool anyone—not even yourself. Even if you try, you will always fail. I can say with certainty that this is where I feel most alive. I am thrilled and grateful for the opportunity to study with Prof. Lars Mlekusch at ZHdK, to develop my artistic personality, and hopefully to take part in various inspiring projects."

Augustas Vasiliauskas is a 21-year-old Polish-Lithuanian musician. He completed his Bachelor’s degree at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw in Prof. Paweł Gusnar’s saxophone class. He has been a member of the Warsaw Saxophone Orchestra, conducted by Prof. Paweł Gusnar. In 2023, the ensemble’s debut album received the prestigious FRYDERYK Award in the “Album of the Year – Orchestral Music” category.

Despite his young age, his artistic activity encompasses solo appearances with orchestras, orchestral and chamber performances, premieres of new works, composition, and teaching. In 2025, he gave saxophone masterclasses at the National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art and performed a recital there. From September 2023 to June 2024, he collaborated with the National Philharmonic in Warsaw in the educational concert series Meetings with Music, performing more than 250 concerts throughout Poland.

He has performed with the Polish Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra as an orchestral musician, and as a soloist with the Capella Bydgostiensis Chamber Orchestra and the Jerzy Semkow Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra. Augustas is a three-time scholarship holder of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and a scholarship holder of the “Presentations” programme at the Krzysztof Penderecki European Music Centre in Lusławice, where he performed a recital as part of the Concerts of Talents series.

He also runs his own original project — a series of video-recorded discussions with internationally renowned artists on various musical topics, recorded in the podcast studio of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music. Guests have included, among others, Adam Sztaba and Kuba Więcek.

He is also a laureate of numerous national and international competitions in Poland, Lithuania, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Portugal, France, and other countries.

Augustas Vasiliauskas
ZHdK Music
zürich saxophone collective

Huge congratulations to our alumni Ariel Levy, Iván Perdomo Roget, Giovanni Ottomano, Tadej Pance, Oskar Rzążewski on their wonderful and very personal final Master's Recitals.

It has been a pleasure having you in our class and sharing memorable moments with in the collective. Thank you for your dedication, curiosity, and musicianship.

We wish you all the very best for everything that lies ahead.

ZHdK Music

meet the newest members of our class, joining in Fall 2026

Sarina Tepel, BA Music

"Music has been an important part of my life. I studied at the Music School of Konstanz in Germany, where I received valuable musical training and inspiration. I am excited to continue my artistic development and explore new musical perspectives at ZHdK."

My goal at ZHdK is to develop into a more professional and versatile saxophonist while gaining a deeper understanding of music and musical expression. I also hope to strengthen my creativity and develop my own artistic voice. I look forward to learning from Lars and my fellow students, and to growing both as a musician and as a person."

meet the newest members of our class, joining in Fall 2026

Gisela Dekort, MA Specialized Music Performance Soloist

"My name is Gisela, and I am a classical saxophonist from Spain. I began my Bachelor's degree at the age of 16 thanks to a scholarship from the Ferrer-Salat Music Foundation, studying with Professor Albert Julià. I recently completed my Master's degree in Classical Saxophone at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam under the guidance of Arno Bornkamp. Since 2024, I have been recognized as a Yamaha Young Talent, and I have had the opportunity to perform as a soloist with ensembles including the OSCyL Orchestra, the Vienna Opera Ball Orchestra, and several youth orchestras.

I am very much looking forward to studying at ZHdK and working with its outstanding teachers, especially Lars. I am also excited to collaborate with and learn from the talented students there. I feel that ZHdK offers a particularly creative and inspiring environment, and I see it as a wonderful opportunity to continue growing as a musician and to take my career a step forward."

ZHdK Music
zürich saxophone collective