Azahar Ensemble is a Wind Quintet consisting of the musicians André Cebrián Garea – Flute, María Alba Carmona Tobella – Oboe, Antonio Lagares Abeal – French horn, María José García Zamora – Bassoon and Miquel Ramos Salvadó – Clarinet.
After winning the 2nd prize and the audience prize at the 63rd ARD International Music Competition in Munich (the 1st prize was declared void), Azahar Ensemble began an international career that has taken them to many prestigious concert halls such as the Musikverein in Vienna, the Philharmonie in Berlin, the Prinzregententheater in Munich, the Philharmonie in Essen, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, and festivals such as the Mozartfest in Würzburg, the International Festival in Santander, and the Festspielhaus in Baden-Baden, among others.
Azahar Ensemble was founded in 2010 and was then tutored by bassoonist Sergio Azzolini at the Hochschule für Musik in Basel (Switzerland), thanks to a scholarship granted by the BBVA Foundation and the National Youth Orchestra of Spain, of which they were members at that time. In 2011, the ensemble received a prize in the ORPHEUS Swiss Chamber Music Competition, and a year later, they won 2nd prize in the El Primer Palau music competition (Barcelona).
As part of their international career, Azahar Ensemble was invited by Ensemble Pentaèdre to visit Montreal (Canada) in 2016 to participate in the music festival Les Journées des Vents. In 2018, the ensemble returned to Canada, this time to the city of Calgary, as artists in residence for the International Honens Piano Competition. Azahar Ensemble has made numerous recordings for Bayerischer Rundfunk, SWR, Deutschland Radio Kultur, Radio Clásica España, SRF2, France Musique, and Catalunya Música.
Azahar Ensemble is named after the white, aromatic orange blossoms typical of southern Spain and delights audiences with “great imagination and technical precision” (Süddeutsche Zeitung), making the quintet’s performances “bloom in sensual abundance” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung).
Frontside has existed since 2019 and is largely driven by volunteer efforts, but we are highly dependent on additional financial sponsors and fundings. All contributions are used to engage fantastic musicians, rents of venues and all other things that make the festival a magical experience.
Welcome as a member of the Frontside Chamber Music Association.
As a member, you will continuously receive our newsletters and advance information about tickets.
If you wish to donate some extra money, it would be greatly appreciated! You will then belong to our Tone-donating members and will continuously receive our newsletters and advance information about tickets, as well as be offered a glass of sparkling wine in a unique meeting with our artists during the festival days.
If you wish to sponsor the festival with larger amounts, we are extremely grateful. You will continuously receive our newsletters and advance information about tickets, as well as be offered a glass of sparkling wine in a unique meeting with our artists during the festival days, and your name will be published (upon agreement) on our website.
Our membership register contains information about names and addresses, in some cases also phone numbers and/or email addresses. The register is used only for sending out membership information. The association will not sell or otherwise share personal information with any other party. Upon leaving the association, the information will be deleted and will only remain in the records that we are required to keep for seven years according to accounting laws. For further information or if you wish to be removed from the register, please contact our treasurer, Catrin Bernsro: catrin@bernsro.se
