Curriculum Vitae
After studying the saxophone with Iwan Roth and obtaining a teaching diploma from the Musik-Akademie der Stadt Basel (Conservatory), Martin Neher continued his studies with Marcus Weiss at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts to achieve a concert diploma. A highly versatile musician and pedagogue, Neher holds several further academic qualifications, such as a teaching diploma for clarinet from the Schweizer Akademie für Musik (with Paul Lamaze) as well as a diploma in vocals (with Hans Peter Blochwitz).
For many years, Neher has extensively performed in chamber music formations, touring Europe and the United States with his saxophone quartet Basel, founded in 1992. The ensemble was awarded first and special prize for contemporary music at the International Music Competition in Illzach (France) in 1994.
For many years, Martin Neher performed saxophone concertos with the Musikkollegium Winterthur both as orchestra musician and as soloist. Other engagements in Switzerland included the Basel Symphony Orchestra, the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, the St Gall City Orchestra, the Basel Chamber Orchestra as well as the Basel Sinfonietta. In Germany, Neher collaborated with the Max Raabe & Palast Orchester, the Philharmonie Konstanz and the Philharmonisches Orchester Freiburg. Achieving recognized renown in Germany, Spain, Italy and Austria for his performances with the Ensemble Modern Frankfurt, he contributed to various recordings with orchestras and chamber music ensembles (for Deutschlandfunk, Schweizer Radio DRS and Espace 2).
Other than his instrumental concert activity, Martin Neher is an active baritone singer. Initially taught by Stephan Kramp and Kim Bartlett, he later studied vocals with Hans Peter Blochwitz at the Schweizer Akademie für Musik, obtaining his diploma in 2011. He pursued his vocal studies with Heidi Wölnerhanssen, Luca Martin, Neil Semer (Vocal Institute New York), Hartmut Singer (Sing-Akademie Köln) and Croatian pianist und director Baldo Podic.
Since 1995, Martin Neher has been instructing saxophone didactics/teaching methodology at the FHNW Academy of Music in Basel, and since 2011 at the Zurich University of the Arts ZHdK. In addition, he taught vocal solo singing, the clarinet and the saxophone at the Kantonsschule Sursee from 2004 until 2014. A saxophone teacher at the Musikschule Basel 1989-2023, he also acts as department head and head of Haus Kleinbasel within the same institution.
Martin Neher took the lead of PreCollege Basel in summer 2023.