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, Simon Steen-Andersen, Chaya Czernowin, Nadir Vassena, Michel Roth, Volker Heyn, and Germán Toro Pérez, among others. As a performer, he has given concerts in countries including the United States, Colombia, Canada, Italy, France, Spain, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.

Alejandro began his saxophone studies at the Conservatorio Profesional de Música de Huesca with Professor David Ruiz. From 2010 to 2014, he studied at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Castilla y León under the guidance of Andrés Gomis. In 2014, he was admitted to the Hochschule für Musik Basel, where he studied with the prestigious saxophonist and pedagogue Marcus Weiss, earning a Master’s in Performance and later a Master’s in Music Pedagogy.

Throughout his career, he has been awarded several national and international prizes. Notable achievements include First Prize at the Basler Orchester Gesellschaft Competition (CH), Second Prize at the Kiefer Hablitzel Competition (CH), Second Prize at the 1st Exigentia International Saxophone Competition (IT), and Second Prize at the 11ème Concours du Jura (CH). He has also been the recipient of scholarships from foundations such as Lyra Stiftung, Förberg-Schneider Stiftung, Doms Stiftung, and Melinda Esterházy Stiftung.

Alejandro has appeared as a soloist with orchestras such as the Kammerorchester Basel (CH), the Real Filharmonía de Galicia (ES), the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia, and the Staatsorchester Darmstadt (DE). He has also been part of ensembles including the ORCAM (Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid) (ES), Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra (CH), Ensemble Collegium Novum Zürich (CH), Ensemble Aventure Freiburg (DE), Ensemble Lemniscate (CH), Ensemble Zone Expérimentale (CH), Ensemble Klangforum Heidelberg (DE), Swiss Youth Orchestra (CH), and the saxophone quartet Sigma Project (ES). He has collaborated with some of the most acclaimed conductors of our time, including Simon Rattle, Peter Eötvös, Emilio Pomárico, and Matthias Pintscher.

He has been invited to perform at renowned festivals such as the Darmstädter Ferienkurse (DE), Zeit Räume Basel(CH), Tage Neuer Musik Weimar (DE), Impuls Festival in Graz (AT), Rümlingen Festival (CH), Outear Series at Experimental Sound Studio in Chicago (US), Null Point Series in Buffalo (US), No Hay Banda Series in Montreal (CA), Rainy Days (LU), and Early Night Concerts in Lugano (CH).

A passionate music educator, Alejandro has taught at various conservatories and universities including the Manhattan School of Music (New York), Longy School of Music (Boston), the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Granada, Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio (Madrid), Conservatorio Superior de Música de Albacete, Conservatorio Superior de Música de Aragón, the University of Medellín and the University of Cali (Colombia), and the Conservatorio Superior de Castilla y León, where he served as a full professor in 2022.

Dedicated to contemporary creation, he is a member of Duo Signal, Fx Kollektiv, and Gyre Ensemble. Through these groups, he collaborates with emerging composers from around the world in developing new repertoire.

He is currently Assistant Professor of Saxophone at the Hochschule für Musik Basel, working alongside Professor Marcus Weiss.