Ingo Metzmacher, conductor
"Xavier is a highly virtuoso saxophonist but above all a true musician and at the same time modest and collegial. I would work with him again anytime!"
Alexander Tharaud, pianist
"Xavier Larsson is a fantastic musician. I met him the first time in Germany. I was impressed by the quality of his sound and his presence on stage. I wish him a long and beautiful career"
Xavier Larsson is a saxophone teacher at the prestigious Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin and also directs the saxophone ensemble at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln.
An internationally celebrated musician, Larsson's journey began in Ciutadella de Menorca, Spain.
Born in 1991, he began his musical education in his hometown, studying the violin and saxophone. He later refined his saxophone skills at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln, where he earned a Konzertexamen under Prof. Daniel Gauthier and a Master's degree in New Music with Prof. David Smeyers.
As a soloist, Larsson performed on renowned stages worldwide, including the Köln Philharmonie, Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Frankfurt Alte Oper, Vienna's Musikverein, Palau de la Música Catalana, Auditorio Nacional de Madrid, and Chicago Cultural Center. He has performed under the batons of distinguished conductors such as Ingo Metzmacher, Francesc Prat, Stefan Blunier, Paul Mann, Mario Kiosk, and Vanich Potavanich.
Throughout his career, Larsson has won over 20 first prizes in prestigious national and international competitions, both as a soloist and in chamber music. Notable among these accolades are the Classic Winds International Festival 2016 in Germany, SaxoVoce 2016 in France, Intermusica 2014 in Austria, Michal Spisak 2014 in Poland, International Saxophone Competition Lodz 2012 in Poland, Concurso Permanente Jóvenes Intérpretes Juventudes Musicales 2009 in Spain, August Everding Musikwettbewerb 2021 in Germany, the 20th International Chamber Music Competition in Illzach, France (2017), Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Hochschulwettbewerb 2014 in Germany, Karlsruher Wettbewerb für die Interpretation Neue Musik 2014 in Germany, and the Coop Musik Award 2014 in Italy.
He has been awarded scholarships from esteemed institutions such as the Hezekiah Wardwell scholarship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Märkische Kulturstiftung in Lüdenscheid, and the Alfred Toepfer scholarship in Hamburg.
In addition to his solo career, Larsson is a versatile chamber musician, serving as a member of the Fukio Quartet and Trio SpiegelBild. His collaborations extend to his role as a violinist with the OCIM Chamber Orchestra. Larsson's recordings with Columna Música and Ars Produktion feature works by prominent composers such as Georg Friedrich Haas, Caroline Shaw, Fabien Lévy, Robin Hofmann, Bruno Mantovani, and Edison Denisov.
His latest CD with the Fukio Quartet, "Transcend," received critical acclaim and was nominated for several Opus Klassik Awards in 2023.
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Larsson contributes on the development and expansion of original repertoire for the saxophone through collaborations with various composers.
Review from his debut at the Kölner Philharmonie
Published in Planethugill.com, by Tony Cooper
"Featuring the alto saxophonist, Xavier Larsson Paez, his raw, agressive and virtuosic playing was simply thrilling to listen to. An extraordinary-talented musician (...) But more was to come from this Young Giant who has a promising career ahead of him as he was also the featured soloist in Harrison Birtwisle's inspired work, Panic, the second item on the program. Already, I didn't want this concert to end."
Review of Glazunov's Saxophone Concerto in E-flat, Op. 109, at the Emden Neuen Theater
Published in Ostfriesen-Zeitung, by Werner Zwarte
"What followed then was a musical Furioso never heard before in the town of Emden. (...)By producing frenetic applause and cheers, the audience managed to get an "encore" by the soloist who played with musical artistry, almost driving the hall in dizziness."