Concert Featuring the World Premiere of a Work by Thomas Trachsel

Swiss Saxophone Orchestra Presents a Symphonic World Premiere

Under the guest baton of American conductor Paul Cohen, the Swiss Saxophone Orchestra will premiere the 6th Symphony by Swiss composer Thomas Trachsel as part of its current concert series.

In its eighteenth year, the Swiss Saxophone Orchestra (SSO) is honoring two figures who have shaped the ensemble. Thomas Trachsel led the orchestra for over ten years but stepped down from the conductor’s podium in 2025. Since then, he has composed a large-scale symphony in four movements for the SSO, which—together with piano and percussion—covers the entire range of the orchestra, from the heavenly soprano to the deep, resonant subcontrabass. A unique aspect of his Sixth Symphony is the solemn, slow movement in the form of an Agnus Dei, with which the composer departs from the otherwise traditional symphonic movements (Prelude, Scherzo, and Finale).

The half-hour symphony will not be rehearsed and premiered by Trachsel himself, but rather by the American guest conductor Paul Cohen, who has also conducted the SSO on several occasions in the past. The saxophone professor at the Manhattan School of Music will also present works from his own repertoire and place a second emphasis on 20th-century American composers such as Robert Russell Bennett, Percy Grainger, and William Schuman.

Swiss Saxophone Orchestra
Paul Cohen, Director
Harry White, Concertmaster

Friday, November 20, 8:00 p.m., Oberstrass Church, Zurich
Saturday, November 21, 8:00 p.m., Blatten School Auditorium, Männedorf
Sunday, November 22, 5:00 p.m., Lenzburg City Church

Admission free - collection

Date and time
21/11/2026 20:00

Address
Blatten Auditorium, Männedorf

Organizer
Swiss Saxophone Orchestra

Works
Symphony No. 6 (World Premiere) Thomas Trachsel and others

Management
Paul Cohen (USA)

Admission price
Optional - Offering

Website
www.swiss-sax-orchestra.com