The Faculty of Music in Debrecen held its traditional nationwide saxophone meeting for the sixteenth time between November 13 and 15. The guest and master teacher at the academic meeting was Nicolas Arsenijevic from France, a professor of the institution called Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, which is considered to be a “stronghold” of saxophone training.
There were twenty-five gifted young musicians taking part in this annual event, which aims to support the professional development of saxophone students in order to help them gain international experience under the guidance of the French professor.
Nicolas Arsenijevic, who is one of the most talented saxophonists of his generation, graduated from Paris Conservatoire in 2016, where he had studied under Claude Delangle. He has won a number of international competitions, including Gap European Saxophone Competition (France, 2008), Nova Gorica International Saxophone Competition (Slovenia, 2011) and Chieri International Competition (Italy, 2011).
Levente Puskás, Associate Professor at the Woodwind Department of the Faculty of Music at the University of Debrecen, told hirek.unideb.hu that the significance of SaxFest had by now become unquestionable, as students can learn from renowned foreign artists every year, gaining an international perspective on the most recent trends in their field as well as acquiring important professional knowledge from the best representatives of the profession.
- The most significant aspect of this event is its consistency. Our students can plan ahead if they wish to participate in these masterclasses and rest assured that they will always become the recipients of a special experience. On the one hand, this is because they can learn a lot and gain new inspiration from each other, which makes the professional work extremely active and lively. On the other hand, they can expect that, every year, there will be widely renowned and internationally recognized, legendary artists visiting our faculty. Once again, students gathered here from all over Hungary, from institutions including Zoltán Kodály Secondary School in Debrecen, the Faculty of Music at the University of Győr, the University of Miskolc and the local Academy of Music, as well as Béla Bartók Secondary School of Music and Instrument Making in Budapest. Based on their feedback, we are certain that everyone was satisfied with the course. The FrThe French professor provided the participants with fantastic advice, both musically and professionally. He delivered talks not only about interesting aspects of instrument technique but also about the importance and calming effects of breathing exercises related to preparation. Three years ago, he had participated in the course as a teacher from Brussels and, this time, he also returned as a teacher for this year’s event. His example is an excellent illustration of our efforts to host the world’s best artists at the faculty on every single occasion- said Levente Puskás.
The masterclasses were intended primarily for students of the saxophone, but other wind instrument students also had the opportunity to learn from the French master.
As the final act of SaxFest, Nicolas Arsenijevic gave a concert on Saturday in our Liszt Hall as part of the Universitas-Debrecen concert series, with the participation of the saxophone orchestra of the Faculty of Music as well as Éva Mogyorósi and Judit Váradi, lecturers at the Faculty of Music of the University of Debrecen.
Press Center - BZ