Musiques du monde
Maja Lisac Barroso
“Maja Lisac is an extraordinary musician.” Vinko Globokar (IRCAM)
“Maja Lisac shows an energy that gives me great confidence in her career as a musician.” Claude Delangle (Paris CNSM)
“She means every single note!” Branford Marsalis
“Maja Lisac's professional competence, as well as her personal maturity and clarity qualify her to take on a leadership position.” Prof. Marcus Weiss (Basel HSM)
Maja Lisac Barroso is a Swiss and Slovenian saxophonist, teacher and arranger based in Basel, Switzerland. After her brilliant classical studies in Basel and Vienna, Maja Lisac performed in concerts throughout Europe, Australia, Africa and Latin America, gave master classes and worked as a juror at music universities and international competitions. Her high-quality arrangements for various ensembles are performed by her own groups as well as by renowned soloists such as Claude Delangle, Daniel Gauthier and ensembles such as the Habanera Quartet and the U.S. Navy Band.
Versatile in various genres (classical, jazz, world), Maja Lisac frequently performs with different ensembles. In 2016, she performed twice as a duo with saxophonist Branford Marsalis. She is the founder of her own saxophone quartet, and performs as a soloist, in duo with early music specialist Jörg-Andreas Bötticher, with tango bandoneonist Marcelo Nisinman and with improvising guitarist Julio Azcano. Maja Lisac has received prizes and scholarships from Novartis, the Friedl Wald Foundation and Baselland.
In 2008, Maja Lisac was chosen for a one-year residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, where she collaborated with various composers, such as V. Globokar, I. Leitinger, B. Saljic, and premiered their works.
Maja Lisac records albums for Solomusica/Sony and Prospero Classical in co-production with Swiss radio and television, is heard on Radio ARS, RTV, SWR2 and SRF, and appears on television. A new album in collaboration with the Habanera Quartet and a monumental work by Franz Schubert will be released in October 2024.
From 2010 to 2013, she was appointed professor and assistant to Prof. Markus Weiss at Basel University of Music.
From 2020 to 2023, Maja Lisac was invited to the University of Music in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, to set up her own international saxophone class. For the past thirteen years, she has been a guest teacher at Jazzcampus Basel, where she passionately teaches classical saxophone and technique to jazz saxophone students.
Photo credit: Janez Marolt
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