Itsasne Alzola – Violinist
Itsasne Alzola is a dedicated and ambitious violinist with a lifelong passion for music. She holds a Master in Music Pedagogy (Classical) at Hochschule der Künste, Bern (2023–2025) and a Certificate of Advanced Studies (2022–2023), both under the guidance of Tianwa Yang. She also completed a Master in Music Performance (Classical) at the same institution (2020–2022) and previously studied at Musikene in San Sebastián, where she earned her Bachelor (2015–2019) and completed advanced studies (2019–2020) with Aitzol Iturriagagoitia.
Itsasne has extensive teaching experience, having worked as a violin substitute at several Swiss music schools, including Lyss, Zollikofen-Bremgarten, and the Gürbetal region, and as a violin teacher at Liceo Musical in Bilbao. She has also gained rich orchestral experience, performing as a soloist with B.O.S in Bilbao and participating in professional orchestras such as T.O.B.S. (Biel/Solothurn Symphony Orchestra) and B.S.O. (Berner Symphony Orchestra), as well as youth orchestras like J.O.N.D.E. in Spain and E.G.O. in San Sebastián.
Her achievements include multiple awards in competitions such as Jugend Musiziert and “Jóvenes Músicos” in the Basque Country, and performances with chamber groups like the Alzola Trio and Hartza Duo across Spain, Portugal, and Switzerland. She has also attended masterclasses with renowned violinists including Simone Lamsma, Pavel Vernikov, and Regina Brandstätter.
Fluent in Spanish and Basque, Itsasne also holds C1 German and B2 English certifications. She is creative, disciplined, communicative, and team-oriented, with personal interests in the intersection of music, psychology, and biology, as well as tennis and photography.
Francisco Morais Fernandes – Pianist and Conductor
Francisco Morais Fernandes began his musical training at the Conservatório de Música in Bragança and continued his studies at the Escola Superior de Música e Artes do Espetáculo (ESMAE) in Porto, where he studied under Pedro Burmester. He then completed a Master in Music Performance at the University of the Arts Bern (HKB) in Switzerland and is currently pursuing a Master Specialized in Contemporary Music with pianist Antoine Françoise.
With a deep passion for contemporary music, Francisco has collaborated with composers such as Pierre Jodlowski, Héctor Parra, Eric Wubbels, and Beat Furrer. As a performer, he regularly appears both as a soloist and with various ensembles. He has performed with the Remix Ensemble under Titto Ceccherini, the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra under Beat Furrer and George Benjamin—whose concerts were broadcast by SRF—and the Berner Symphonieorchester under Graziella Contratto.
In addition to his work as a pianist, Francisco is active as a conductor. He currently leads the Musikgesellschaft Eggiwil, a wind music ensemble in the Emmental region of Switzerland, where he develops a diverse repertoire and brings his interpretive perspectives into a broader musical context.
Throughout his career, Francisco has received multiple awards for both technical mastery and musical interpretation. In 2024, he became the first Portuguese musician to receive the prestigious Fritz-Gerber Award, which led to a solo recital at the Lucerne Festival as part of the “40min” series alongside other award winners. He has also performed at prominent festivals such as the Mixtur Festival (Barcelona), the Aurora Music Festival (Stockholm), and Les Jardins Musicaux, where he presented a recital of Luciano Berio’s Sequenze broadcast on Swiss National Radio. Additionally, he was a soloist at the Remix Summer Academy at Casa da Música, performing Olivier Messiaen’s Oiseaux Exotiques under the direction of Peter Rundel.
Francisco has had the opportunity to participate in masterclasses with internationally renowned musicians, including pianists Tamara Stefanovich, Joonas Ahonen, Piotr Anderszewski, and Alasdair Beatson, as well as the ensemble Yarn/Wire. These experiences have allowed him to engage deeply with modern and contemporary repertoire.
His repertoire includes major 20th- and 21st-century works such as Messiaen’s Oiseaux Exotiques, Berio’s Sequenza IV, and Ligeti’s Études pour piano, Livre I. In 2026, he will continue his chamber music work with the Hartza Duo, giving recitals in Portugal and Spain, and further explore contemporary music through a ten-day residency with the TAK Ensemble in New York.
