Antonio Felipe Belijar

Antonio Felipe Belijar (Madrid 1978) began his musical studies at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid, concluding his career with the Honour Prize in Saxophone.     

He was awarded with several prizes, among others:

• First Prize at the 2nd  International Competition for Young Soloists category B- (under 19 years old), celebrated in Alicante in 1995.
• First Prize and Special Prize at the 3rd International Competition for Young Soloists (up to the ageof 25), in 1996.
• Second Prize at the 4th International Competition “Villa de SanJuan”(age limit 30 years) moreover, obtaining Special Prize ( for best saxophonist below 20) too.
• First Prize at the 1st Saxophone Competition“Villa de Benidorm”, celebrated in 1999.
• First Prize at the 14th  Music Competition “Pacem in Terris” (2001), in Bayreuth, Germany.
• Third Prize and Prix de la Province de Liegè at the 3rd International Competition Adolphe Sax (2002), celebrated in Dinant (Belgium). Second Prize at the 4th International Competition Adolphe Sax (2006), celebrated in Dinant (Belgium).
• First Prize at the 1st Yamaha International Competition for Saxophone Quartet with Octavia saxophone quartet.
• Second Prize at  “Pedro Bote” Chamber Music Competition (2009) with Octavia saxophone quartet.
• First Prize at “9th Mirabent I Magrans” chamber music competition (2011) with Octavia saxophone quartet.

He has played solo concerts with orchestra in Spain, Germany, Italy, USA, Portugal and Belgium. He has performed with orchestras like Radio Televisión Española (ORTVE), Orquesta de Cámara Andrés Segovia, Comunidad de Madrid and Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival Orchester, with the conductors David Shallon, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Donald Runnicles and Christoph Eschenbach.

In 2005 he collaborated with Karlheinz Stockhausen for the recording of Knabenduett, together with Julien Petit.(cd n. 78 ed. Stockhausen).

Selmer Paris chose him for its “1er Tremplin Jeunes 2002-2003”.

Deeply interested in violin repertoire he also dedicates himself to transcribe and play with the saxophone important compositions for this instrument. His transcriptions are always caracterized by a high fidelity to the original, even when the performance requires some confidence with the altissimo register.

He is member and musical director of Sax Antiqua, a saxophone group specialized in Ancient  Music repertoire.

He has being teacher at Francisco de Vitoria University and at MUSIKENE (High Conservatory of Pais Vasco). Nowadays he is saxophone teacher at Castilla-La Mancha High Conservatory of Music.