About

The Mikeleiz-Zucchi Duo is a London–based ensemble formed by Canadian saxophonist David Zucchi and Spanish accordionist Iñigo Mikeleiz-Berrade. Winners of the Royal Over-Seas League Annual Music Competition’s Mixed Ensemble Prize and City Music Foundation Artists, the Mikeleiz-Zucchi Duo’s repertoire spans everything from reimagined traditional works to modern repertoire and improvisation, all vividly rendered by the unique combination of saxophone and accordion.

After their debut concert at the Vale de Cambra Classical Music Festival (Portugal) in 2019, the duo has performed across the UK and Europe, including appearances at Wigmore Hall, Edinburgh Fringe, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Barnes Music Festival, Newbury Spring Festival, Music@Malling, Rye Arts Festival, Buxton International Festival, the Rosengart Museum (Lucerne), St. George’s Bristol, and the Daylight Music series (Union Chapel, London). They have appeared on BBC Radio 3's In Tune with Sean Rafferty, and were 2023 residents at Music at Brel (Roquecor, France). The duo is dedicated to the generation of new repertoire for their instrumentation, and have collaborated with composers including Robin Haigh, Aileen Sweeney, Roxanna Alabayati, Michael Hughes, and Alex Paxton. New commissions for the duo have been supported by the Marchus Trust, the Nicholas Boas Charitable Trust, and the Vaughan Williams Foundation.

Individually, Iñigo and David have distinguished themselves as award-winning interpreters of classical, improvised, contemporary and experimental music.

The Duo

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Iñigo Mikeleiz-Berrade | accordion

Born in 1994 in Barañáin (Navarra), Iñigo started learning accordion with Marian González and Salvador Parada. In 2015 he completed a Bachelor of Music at the Superior Music Conservatory of Navarra with Nekane Iturrioz as Professor, obtaining an "End of Degree" award.

That same year, he moved to London to pursue a Master of Arts and Advanced Diploma degree, both at the Royal Academy of Music under Professor Owen Murray. At the same time, he gained a Master in Music Research from the Valencia International University and, in 2021, started a PhD in Arts and Human Sciences in the Public University of Navarra.

He has assisted in various courses and masterclasses taught by renowned musicians including Friedrich Lips, Matti Rantanen, Magnus Lindberg, and Claudio Jacomucci.

He has taken part in concerts and festivals in several European countries and Argentina. In the UK he has performed in venues such as Royal Festival Hall, Royal Albert Hall, and Wigmore Hall (where he is a regular collaborator in their Learning Department). Among the instrumental ensembles he has played with are the London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Glyndebourne Opera, Opera North, and Riot Ensemble.

He is an active chamber musician and performs regularly with the Mikeleiz-Zucchi Duo, Diphonon Duo (with Greek violist Michael Iskas), and the improvisation group IN A SNAP Collective along with flutist Lucas Jordan.

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David Zucchi | saxophone

Praised for his “urgently visceral” playing (TEMPO), London-based Canadian saxophonist David Zucchi enjoys a varied career as a performer of classical, contemporary, experimental, and improvised music, collaborating regularly across the UK, Europe, and Canada.

David was born in London (UK), and grew up in Toronto (Canada). He is a graduate of the Royal College of Music’s Master’s and Artist Diploma programmes, where he studied with Kyle Horch as an Edward and Helen Hague Scholar. Previously, David attended the University of Toronto Faculty of Music, where he studied saxophone with Wallace Halladay and composition with Alexander Rapoport. Upon graduating, he was awarded the William and Phyllis Waters Graduating Award, the Faculty’s top graduating prize. David has attended the Universitée Européenne de Saxophone in Gap, France and was selected to participate in the London Sinfonietta Academy. He is currently a PhD student at the University of Huddersfield’s CeReNeM, supported by the Canadian Centennial Scholarship Fund’s Belle Shenkman Award.

David has received additional support from the Canada Council for the Arts, David and Marcia Beach Summer Study Award, the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto, the William and Phyllis Waters Graduating Award from the University of Toronto, and the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation Award.

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