Fx Kollektiv is an ensemble based in Basel that focuses on new music. Its musical styles encompass contemporary classical music, improvisation, and experimental music that makes use of electronics and media. Fx Kollektiv explores the essence of sound and, through collaborations with composers and artists, seeks to elaborate its own ensemble language. Fx breaks away from the traditional saxophone–piano duo formation and embraces new sonic horizons. For this purpose, they use electronic or prepared instruments, work with live electronics, or explore rarely used instruments such as the tubax or various synthesizers.
Fx is rooted in a keyboard/piano and saxophone duo but lives up to the name "Kollektiv" by regularly engaging in projects with renowned international artists - whether instrumentalists, dancers, or visual artists.
The musicians of this group have long and distinguished stage careers: they have performed at renowned new music festivals and premiered works by young and established composers such as Marco Momi, Nadir Vassena, Andreas Frank, Joseph Michaels, Leonardo Idrobo, Ezko Kikoutchi, Nuño Fernández, Jannik Giger, Vi Weinmann or Pablo Santiago Chin. They have recently toured the United States and offered workshops for composers at the Manhattan School of Music and the Longy School of Music in Boston.
Recently, they recorded their first CD with the Adora New Music label, featuring works by Eric Wubbels, Tobias Krebs, and their own composition. Upcoming projects include tours in China and Chile scheduled for 2026 and 2027 and new premieres by Marco Momi, Paul Clift and José María Sánchez Verdú.
Alejandro Oliván is currently one of the most active saxophonists in the field of contemporary music and sound experimentation. For him, the opportunity to collaborate with composers and be part of the creative process behind new music is an essential aspect of his artistic journey. This passion for contributing to the development of today’s music has led him to premiere numerous works and work with both emerging and renowned composers such as Georges Aperghis, Peter Eötvös, Klaus Lang, Simon Steen-Andersen, Marco Momi, Chaya Czernowin, Nadir Vassena or Germán Toro Pérez, among others.
Throughout his musical career, he has won numerous prizes at national and international competitions. Among his awards are First Prize at the “Basler Orchester Gesellschaft Wettbewerb” in Basel (Switzerland), Second Prize at the “Kiefer Hablitzel” Competition in Bern (Switzerland), Second Prize at the “1st International Saxophone Competition EXIGENTIA” (Italy), and Second Prize at the “11ème Concours du Jura” (Switzerland).
Alejandro has appeared as a soloist with different orchestras such as the Kammerorchester Basel (CH), the Real Filharmonía de Galicia (ES), the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia or the Staatsorchester Darmstadt (DE). He has also collaborate with ensembles such us the Lucerne Festival, Collegium Novum Zürich, Ensemble Lemniscate, Klangforum Heidelberg or Sigma Project among many ohters.
Due to his strong interest in new music, he is a member of Duo Signal, the Fx Kollektiv, Konus Quartett and the Gyre Ensemble. He currently serves as Assistant Professor of Saxophone at the University of Music.
@Reza Kaviani
Carlos Gil Gonzalo is a Spanish pianist whose work combines solo performance, chamber music, and teaching. He studies at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid with Dimitri Bashkirov and Claudio Martínez Mehner, graduating in 2010, and later continues his studies in Basel with Claudio Martínez Mehner.
During his years in Madrid, he receives a scholarship from Fundación Albéniz, is a finalist in the Intercentros Hazen Competition, and is selected as a member of the prestigious Grupo Schubert under the direction of Marta Gulyás.
His artistic development is further shaped through masterclasses and musical guidance from musicians such as Ferenc Rados, Robert Levin, Eldar Nebolsin, and Nino Kereselidze, among others.
As a soloist and chamber musician, he performs in Switzerland, Spain, France, Italy, and Germany. He collaborates with ensembles and institutions such as the Knabenkantorei Basel and the Basel Sinfonietta, and is co-founder of Kados Duo. He also records a CD of Swiss chamber music together with the flautist Peter-Lukas Graf.
In recent years, he increasingly explores electronic music, synthesizers, and new software expanding his artistic work beyond the traditional classical repertoire.
He has been a member of the faculty of Musikschule Konservatorium Zürich since 2020 and has also been teaching at Gymnasium Liestal since 2025.
@Reza Kaviani
