Lars Mlekusch

Lars Mlekusch studied saxophone in Basel (Marcus Weiss) and Chicago (Frederick L. Hemke). He studied conducting with Arturo Tamayo and received important advices from Emilio Pomárico. From the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna he holds a MAS in Art Management.

Following his international career as a concert saxophonist, Swiss musician Lars Mlekusch also appears as a conductor in venues including Musikverein Wien, Wiener Konzerthaus, Cité de la Musique Strasbourg, Casa da Música Porto, Teatro Nacional de Cuba or the National Concert Hall Taipei and at festivals such as the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, the Festival Wien Modern, the impuls festival Graz or Salzburg Aspekte.

He works with the Ensemble PHACE Vienna, the Georgisches Kammerorchester Ingolstadt, the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Cuba, the Ensemble Schallfeld Graz, the Cantus Ensemble Zagreb and others.

Mr. Mlekusch regularly collaborates with major composers such as Georges Aperghis, José María Sánchez-Verdú, Francesco Filidei, Alberto Posadas, Germán Toro-Pérez, Agata Zubel, Simon Steen-Andersen, Klaus Lang, Wolfgang Mitterer, Pierre Jodlowski or Christian Utz and conducted many first performances.

Since 2015 he is professor of saxophone, chamber music and contemporary music at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). From 2005-2017 he was professor of saxophone and chamber music at the Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität Wien (former Konservatorium Wien University). His students are winners of international competitions and hold professorships at music universities in Austria, Germany or in the USA and are successful as performers.

Mr. Mlekusch established himself as a sought-after concert saxophonist and he performed regularly with ensembles such as the Klangforum Wien and the SWR Orchestra. He has recorded for KAIROS, Edition Zeitklang, Label PHACE and many radio stations.

He is regularly invited to teach masterclasses at renowned institutions including Conservatoire de Paris CNSMD, Conservatorium van Amsterdam, Chopin University of Music Warsaw, Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi Milano, Royal College of Music London, Beijing Central Conservatory, Northwestern University Chicago, Eastman School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, New England Conservatory and has also been on the faculties of the European Saxophone University Gap, impuls academy Graz and Arosa Music Academy.

He served as a jury member at the major international saxophone competitions and at the M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition Michigan USA and the Deutscher Musikwettbewerb.