Claude Delangle (1957) has been teaching saxophone at the Paris Conservatoire for 36 years and co-founded the European Saxophone University in Gap, France. He performed with the Ensemble Intercontemporain with Pierre Boulez. Being close to Luciano Berio, Italian composer noted for his experimental work and for his pioneering work in electronic music, he premiered his Concerto, Chemin VII – Récit, and performed with him in the US and in Europe. He collaborated with major orchestras and conductors, making his debut with Claude Debussy’s Rhapsody with the Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 23. An enthusiastic promoter of French wind instruments, he plays with the most renowned wind orchestras. He collaborated in about all contexts, with the electronic, with choreographers and singers. Claude Delangle has premiered 150 works. Creating and passing on motivate his musical activity. He has made twenty-five recordings for BIS, performing for five decades with the pianist Odile Catelin-Delangle. Mr. Delangle actively participates in the development of Henri-Selmer-Paris saxophones and is responsible for a collection at the Editions Henry-Lemoine-Paris. Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres and a Doctorate Honoris Causa from Iasi Georges Enesco University, Romania, he is a priest in the Deanery of France of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

Nicolas Arsenijevic is one of the most talented saxophonists of his generation. He graduated from the Paris Conservatoire (CNSMDP) in Claude Delangle’s class in 2016. For several years, he has been paying his divided attention to contemporary creations, original as well as transcribed compositions, traditional music or even musical theatre. A multiple prize-winner in numerous international competitions, such as the Gap European Saxophone Competition (France, 2008), the Nova Gorica International Saxophone Competition (Slovenia, 2011), the Chieri International Competition (Italy, 2011), the Flaine Academy (France, 2012), the Andorra SaxFest International Competition (2015), the prestigious Adolphe Sax International Competition (Dinant, Belgium, 2014), he regularly performs in Paris (Musée Jacquemart-André, Salle Cortot, Théâtre du Châtelet) and throughout Europe (The Netherlands, Scotland, Slovenia, Italy, Serbia, Montenegro) teaching a number of master classes on the spot as well. A member of several chamber ensembles (Quatuor Laloy, the Saxback Ensemble, the Kosmopolitevitch Orkestar, The Oct’opus Ensemble), devotes part of his time to contemporary creation. His work with young composers at IRCAM and CNSMDP has produced original compositions like Four Bodies in Search of An Author that was created in Paris in 2014. He is a Selmer Paris artist and has been a laureate of the Cziffra Foundation since 2013. Arsenijevic has just been appointed Professor of Saxophone at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP) taking over from the great saxophonist and pedagogue, Claude Delangle.

At the age of 8 Étienne Boussard discovered the saxophone and developed his love for music thanks to his teacher Stéphane Charlot, who instilled in him the greatest artistic values: sharing, curiosity, freedom, and above all, the joy of making music and appreciating it both as performer and as listener. Wishing to pursue this path, he refined his skills at the Conservatories of Tours and Lyon before joining the prestigious class of Claude Delangle at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, where he is currently in his final year of a Master’s in Performance. Étienne has also been teaching saxophone at the Conservatoire du Pré Saint Gervais for several years. In 2020, Étienne won four prizes at the Josip Nochta International Competition in Croatia. Two years later he won the 1st Prize at the SAXGO International Competition in Slovenia, followed by a 1st Prize at the Adolphe Sax International Competition in L’Haye-les-roses in 2024. These successes opened him doors to orchestras in Croatia, Slovenia, and France, inviting him to perform as a soloist. Still in training, Étienne continues to sharpen his senses and develop his curiosity in repertoire and creation, notably with the Quatuor Zahir and the Duo Mœbius.

Jan Gričar teaches saxophone and chamber music at the Conservatory of Music and Ballet Ljubljana and is an assistant professor of saxophone at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana. He has performed in prestigious venues such as Salle Cortot in Paris, Izumi Hall in Japan, and Musikverein in Vienna. He has appeared as a soloist with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, and the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra. He places special emphasis on contemporary music, having premiered over 20 works by Slovenian and international composers. He regularly records for the RTV Slovenia archive and participates in various discographic projects. Gričar studied at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana (Prof. M. Drevenšek, Prof. M. Rogina), the Regional Conservatory in Versailles (Prof. V. David), and the Paris Conservatory (Prof. C. Delangle). As a soloist and chamber musician, he has received numerous awards at renowned competitions in Slovenia and abroad, including TEMSIG, SAXGO, Andorra Sax Fest, and the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition. Since 2021, he has been the artistic co-director of the SAXGO International Saxophone Meeting in Nova Gorica and regularly serves as a jury member at national and international competitions.

Joonatan Rautiola studied at the Sibelius Academy under Pekka Savijoki and in Paris with Nicolas Prost and Christian Wirth. In 2010 he became the first Nordic saxophonist having graduated from Claude Delangle’s saxophone class at the Paris Conservatory. His other teachers include clarinettist Paul Meyer and oboist Maurice Bourgue. He has appeared as a soloist with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Düsseldorfer Symfoniker, Het Kamerorkest Brugge among others and with several professional Nordic wind orchestras. He has given recitals in London, Dublin, Tokyo, St. Petersbourg and at New York’s Carnegie Hall. An active performer of contemporary music, Joonatan Rautiola has given first performances of works by Patrick Marcland, Tapio Tuomela, Olli Virtaperko, Tuomas Turriago, Gerald Shapiro, Antonin Servière and Christian Lauba, and has received tuition from Pierre Boulez and Betsy Jolas. In 2015 and 2016 Rautiola premieres Guillaume Connesson’s saxophone concerto with the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra and Olli Virtaperko’s saxophone concerto with TampereRaw. He is the only wind instrumentist having won the Finnish National Radio’s Young Soloists’ Competition. His numerous prizes in international competitions include first prizes at the Nordic Wind Soloists’ Competition and the Nova Gorica International Saxophone Competition SAXGO as well as prizes at the International Aeolus Competition for Wind Instruments and the International Adolphe Sax Saxophone Competition in Dinant, Belgium. Joonatan Rautiola teaches at the Sibelius Academy and at the Tampere Music Academy and has given masterclasses at Tokyo, Riga, London and Strasbourg among others.

Miha Rogina, ‘the best saxophonist of today’s younger generation’ by The Sax magazine, is accredited for his innovative interpretations of musical works. He has won 1st prize at no fewer than 10 international competitions. He has worked with today’s leading musicians including Pierre Boulez and Fabio Luisi and has appeared on major international concert stages throughout Europe, Asia, USA, and Africa such as the Musikverein in Vienna, Salle Pleyel in Paris, Großes Festspielhaus in Salzburg, or Izumi Hall in Japan. He initially studied at Ljubljana University, faculty of music with Matjaž Drevenšek and continued his studies at the prestigious CNSM de Paris with Claude Delangle, where he graduated with highest honours. He also studied at the renowned Eastman School of Music in the USA. In 2015 he graduated orchestral conducting from the Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna where he studied under Johannes Wildner and Bertrand Debilly, and in 2019 choral conducting under Thomas Lang at the same institution. As a soloist he has performed with several orchestras worldwide including the Vienna Symphony Orchestra as well as Hoffer, Bruges, Slovenia, Maribor, Paris Laureates and Thailand Philharmonic orchestra. Being an active chamber musician, he performs frequently with concert pianist Sae Lee with whom they perform worldwide as the Duo Kalypso. He is also a member of the Slovenian wind sextet Camerata Academica and the Cvilič Quintet, whose members are professors of the Academy of Music of the University of Ljubljana. Miha Rogina is a professor and a vice dean for study affairs at Ljubljana University, faculty of music. From 2013 to 2016 he was a guest lecturer at Senzoku gakuen University in Tokyo. In 2017 and 2018 he was a visiting professor at Osaka College of Music (Japan) and Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. Mr. Rogina leads masterclasses at universities across Europe, Japan and the UK and works as a member of jury at national and international saxophone competitions. As a conductor he led orchestras such as Slovenian philharmonic orchestra, Symphonic orchestra of Slovene radio and television, Bratislava philharmonic orchestra, Symphonic orchestra of Slovene national theatre as well as the Symphonic orchestra of Ljubljana University, faculty of music. As a member of Vienna based choir Wiener Singverein, he collaborated under the baton of great conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Mariss Jansons, Daniel Barenboim, Charles Dutiot, Herbert Blomstedt etc.

Miho Sumiya (1995) started learning the piano at age 5. She also started studying saxophone when she was 12. In 2018, she graduated from the Department of Instrumental Music at the Faculty of Music of Tokyo University of the Arts. Upon graduating, she received the Acanthus Music Prize, the Ataka Award, and the Mitsubishi Estate Award. She has won numerous competitions since high school, including 1^st place in the saxophone division for the 22^nd All-Japan Junior Classical Music Competition, 1^st place in the 15^th Junior Saxophone Competition, and the Gold Medal in the high school division for the 15^th Japan Junior Wind and Percussion Competition. As a university student, she won 1^st place in the 6^th Akiyoshidai Music Competition and the Grand Prize (Yamaguchi Prefectural Governor Award). Subsequent numerous awards include 2^nd place in the 34^th Japan Wind and Percussion Competition. She also became the first woman to win the International Saxophone Competition SAXGO held in Nova Gorica, Slovenia at his 9^th edition in 2018. Sumiya made her CD debut in 2018 with ‘Promenade’ (King Records). Her frequent media appearances include TV Asahi’s Untitled Concert, BS Japan’s Enter the Music, Nippon Television’s Hirunandesu!, and NHK-FM’s Recital Nova. She is now a rising star among female saxophonists, attracting attention from many quarters. Sumiya has performed with numerous orchestras. She has been the artist-in-residence for the Japan Foundation for Regional Art-Activities 2015/2016 Public Hall Music Revitalization Project, soprano saxophonist for the Lumie Saxophone Quartet, and a member of Panda Wind Orchestra. Sumiya has studied saxophone under Nobuya Sugawa, Nami Tsurukai, Masanori Oishi, and Sumichika Arimura.

Nina Šenk (1982) graduated in composition from the Ljubljana Academy of Music under Prof. Pavel Mihelčič, then continued her postgraduate studies in composition in Dresden under the mentorship of Prof. Lothar Voigtländer and obtained her master’s degree in the class of Prof. Matthias Pintscher at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Munich. She is a recipient of many awards, including the Prešeren Fund Prize for her creative work in 2017, Johann Joseph Fux Prize 2021, awarded by the government of the Austrian state of Styria, for her new opera Canvas and 2024 Erste Bank Composition Award. Nina Šenk’s works have been performed at numerous important international festivals (BBC Proms, New York Philharmonic Biennial, Wien modern, Salzburger Festspiele, Young Euro Classic Berlin, Kasseler Musiktage, Musica Viva Munich, etc.) and in many other concerts around the world with various orchestras and ensembles (Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble InterContemporain, Klangforum Wien, Ensemble Modern, Scharoun Ensemble, Ensemble Mosaik, London Sinfonietta and others). Since 2019 she is an associate member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts.

Prof. mag. Matjaž Drevenšek, MSc is professor of saxophone at the Academy of Music of the University of Ljubljana. As a soloist and chamber musician (a member of the Zagreb Saxophone Quartet, LJD Ensemble and other classical, jazz and rock bands) he performs in Europe, South and Central America, Asia, Canada and the USA. As a soloist he plays with symphony and wind orchestras at home and abroad: the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Maribor Philharmonic, Slovenian Philharmonic String Chamber Orchestra, Slovenian Military Orchestra, Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, Croatian Radio television Symphony and Jazz Orchestra, Zagreb Soloists, Croatian Chamber Orchestra, Croatian Army Symphony Wind Orchestra, French Republican Guard Orchestra, Hong Kong Festival Wind Orchestra, Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra (UK), Emory Wind Ensemble and University of Minnesota Symphonic Wind Ensemble (USA) and the San José Concert Band, Costa Rica. Prof. Drevenšek is a jury member in national and international competitions for young musicians (Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Northern Macedonia, Poland, Serbia) and conducts numerous summer schools and master classes in Europe, Asia, Central America and the USA. He has premiered some eighty compositions by domestic and foreign authors, and participated in twenty-one recorded releases. He has been artistic director of International Saxophone Meetings SAXGO and International Saxophone Competition in Nova Gorica. He is Vice-Rector of the University of Ljubljana for the Arts (2021—2025).

Sae Lee is one of the most sought-after collaborative pianists of her generation. Her ability to interact with other musicians with exceptional instrumental and artistic level captivate audiences. (Mainich newspaper) She appeared at important festivals and events such as Piano festival Enghien (France), International conference Nevada-Semipalatinsk organized by Kazakhstan government & UNESCO and Japanese National TV program Classic-club. As soloist she performed with a number of orchestras worldwide including the Sofia Philharmonic, Kansai philharmonic and Slovenian philharmonic orchestra. Her collaboration is not only with musicians but also with well-known ballet dancers like Aurélie Dupont (director of Paris opera ballet) and Kevin O’Hare (director of The Royale Ballet). After studying at the University of Music TOHO-Gakuen, Continued her studies of Piano and Chamber music at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris with Michel Beroff and Eric Le Sage. In June 2007 and 2008 she graduated with the highest marks. She was a winner at many national and international competitions, including the International Competition of Citta di Padova, the International Piano Competition of Albert Roussel. Sae is currently employed at the Ljubljana Academy of Music.

Irèn Seleljo was born 1987 in Uzhgorod (Ukraine) and started to learn the piano under the tutelage of her mother, followed by the studies with Erzsèbet Belàk at the St. Stephan Music-High School in Budapest. From 2006 to 2011 she was studying at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music (Budapest) with Professors Attila Némethy and István Gulyás. In 2008 she spent a semester at the Bard College (USA), she had piano lessons with Prof. Jeremy Denk. She showed always a strong interest in chamber music, accompanied musicians in competitions, auditions and recitals. After getting the Master Degree at the Academy as a Soloist Performer and Teacher, she continued her studies (Instrumental Accompaniment) at the Konservatorium Wien Privatuniversität in the class of Prof. Denise Benda. Irèn Seleljo is a requested chamber musician and plays regularly concerts with various instrumentalists. Her repertoire covers several classical music styles, however in the past years she developed a special attention to the contemporary music. Besides the concerts with her chamber music groups Duonarchie and Seleljo Duo, she performed as soloist and chamber music partner in prestigious festivals and recitals in Hungary, Austria, Spain, Slovenia, Italy, Rumania and Chile. Since 2013 she is working as piano accompanist at the Kunstuniversität Graz and at the Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität der Stadt Wien.