Kebyart
Pere Méndez – Sopran Saxophone
Víctor Serra – Alto Saxophone
Robert Seara – Tenor Saxophone
Daniel Miguel – Baritone Saxophone
Since its founding in the year 2014, Kebyart has broken barriers and firmly established itself in theclassical music scene, performing at renowned festivals and concert halls where no saxophone quartet had ever played before and inspiring composers who had never written for the instrument, such as Jörg Widmann. This distinguished path was recognized by ECHO when they were named Rising Stars for the 2021-2022 season.
Kebyart regularly performs in major European concert halls such as the Philharmonie de Paris, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Tonhalle Zürich, Musikverein Vienna, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Palau de la Música de Barcelona... They also participate in prestigious festivals, including Mozartwoche Salzburg, Heidelberger Frühling, Schubertíada, Lockenhaus Festival, Rheingau Musik Festival, Dresdner Musikfestspiele, Musica Insieme Bologna, Hindsgavl Festival, Festival de Santander, among others. They collaborate with distinguished orchestras such as the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, and the Spanish Radio and Television Orchestra, as well as with renowned artists like Nicolas Altstaedt, Xavier Sabata, and Dénes Várjon, exploring new fusions and discovering new sonic dimensions.
Kebyart’s artistic signature is reflected in a creative vision of the repertoire, structured around three main pillars: original literature, own arrangements of a wide range of styles, and a strong commitment to contemporary creation. In this regard, the quartet commissions new pieces annually from composers of different generations and musical styles, including Mikel Urquiza, David Philip Hefti, Mauricio Sotelo, Joan Magrané, and José Río-Pareja, among others. They have also worked with composers such as Péter Eötvös and Heinz Holliger. Committed to musical excellence, Kebyart has received guidance from distinguished musicians and chamber ensembles, including Rainer Schmidt (Hagen Quartett), Hatto Beyerle (Alban Berg Quartett), Jonathan Brown (Cuarteto Casals), pianists Anton Kernjak and Claudio Martínez-Mehner and saxophonist Nacho Gascón. The quartet was part of the European Chamber Music Academy, working with professors Johannes Meissl and Patrick Jüdt.
Since 2022, they have recorded with Linn Records-Outhere. Their three albums, Lectures différentes (2022), Traum der Jugend (2023), and Unraveled (2025), have received outstanding reviews.
The quartet will be artist-in-residence at the Palau de la Música Catalana for two seasons starting in the fall of 2025 and ensemble-in-residence at the Bodensee Festival in Germany in the spring of 2026, offering quartet recitals, performing as soloists with orchestra, collaborating with other artists, and giving masterclasses.
The name Kebyart is inspired by the Gamelan Gong Kebyar, a traditional musical genre from Bali that also names the instrumental ensemble that performs it. Although made up of dozens of musicians, this ensemble is considered a single instrument. Its performance requires great virtuosity and extreme coordination, and it is characterized by a rich timbral, rhythmic, and dramatic range.
The musicians of Kebyart are invited annually to teach at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC) and other institutions such as Folkwang Universität der Künste Essen, Musikene, and Oriol Martorell, among others. Every summer, they host the Acadèmia Mestral, a saxophone and chamber music course in their homeland, Catalunya.
As brand ambassadors, Kebyart plays Selmer Paris saxophones and uses Vandoren accessories.
