AkMi Duo. Sonatas and Fantasies for Saxophone and Piano

AkMi Duo:
Valentine Michaud (saxophone)
Akvilė Šileikaitė (piano)

Programme:
Paul Hindemith (1895–1963) Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano
Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904) “Song to the Moon” from the opera Rusalka
Wojciech Chałupka (b. 1999) Le Grand Bal for Alto Saxophone and Piano
Fernande Decruck (1896–1954) Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano
Arthur Honegger (1892–1955) Three Songs from The Little Mermaid, H. 63
François Borne (1840–1920) Fantaisie brillante on Themes from Bizet’s Carmen for Saxophone and Piano

The AKMI Duo programme reveals the saxophone in a variety of musical roles: as an equal partner in the sonatas, as the bearer of lyrical melody in arrangements of vocal music, and as a virtuoso soloist in a fantasy on operatic themes. Sonatas by Hindemith and Decruck, arrangements of vocal works by Dvořák and Honegger, Chałupka’s contemporary score and Borne’s fantasy on themes from Carmen create a broad stylistic arc.

AKMI Duo received the Swiss Ambassador Award, won second prize at the Salieri–Zinetti International Chamber Music Competition in Verona and first prize at the Orpheus Swiss Chamber Music Competition.

French saxophonist Valentine Michaud and Lithuanian pianist Akvilė Šileikaitė met at the Zurich University of the Arts, where both were studying for master’s degrees in specialised performance—Valentine in solo performance and Akvilė in accompaniment. Their friendship developed into a close artistic partnership and a shared passion for modern and contemporary music.