Studies

Gemma Galeano Ballestar was born in Segorbe, Spain, in 1996. She completed her Saxophone Professional Degree at the Conservatory "Alto Palancia" in Segorbe in 2015. That same year, she began her Bachelor's studies at the "Conservatorio Superior de Música de Castilla y León" in Salamanca, under Professor Ángel Soria.

In her final year, thanks to the Erasmus Program, she continued her studies at the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (ZHdK) in Zurich. Between 2019 and 2023, she pursued two advanced degrees at ZHdK: a Master of Arts in Music Performance (2019-2021) and a Master in Music Pedagogy (2021-2023). Her studies in Switzerland were supported by scholarships from Elsy Meyer, Fondation ZHdK, Freundeskreis, Lyra, Zackowsky, and Melinda Esterházy de Galantha.

Performance

Throughout her career, Gemma has been actively involved in saxophone performance. During her undergraduate years, she was a member of the 2.13 SAX Saxophone Ensemble, performing in various cities across Spain and at the 18th World Saxophone Congress in Zagreb, Croatia.

From 2018 to 2022, she performed with the Zurich Saxophone Collective, directed by Professor Lars Mlekusch. 

In 2019, Gemma performed as part of a Saxophone Quartet representing Zurich University of the Arts at the Swiss Embassy in Seoul, South Korea. 

From 2023 until 2024, she has also been a member of Billiger Bauer, one of Switzerland's oldest free improvisation bands. 

In 2024 she participated in the concert tour of Alsibana Saxophone Orchestra, the first professional saxophone ensemble  based in Switzerland.

Gemma Galeano performed in 2019 and 2023 at the Unerhört!, one of the most important festivals of New Music/Jazz of Switzerland, solo and duo with Ferran Gorrea. 

She collaborates in concerts and album recordings with JODOQ since 2022, a music band of electronic pop.

Apart from her solo performances in important swiss venues, she is part of Duo Via (with Ferran Gorrea), as well as a trio with saxophones and electronics together with Ferran Gorrea and Räto Kessler and the free improvisation quartet Slide Ensemble. In addition, Gemma is hosting SPURFREI since 2023, a regular open-stage series at Mehrspur Musikklub, which encourages collaborative musical performances. 

Teaching

For the past ten years, Gemma has combined her performance career with teaching. She has worked as a saxophone teacher at music schools including "Banda de Música de Zamora" and Cabrerizos Music School in Spain, as well as Jugendmusik Sihltal (Langnau am Albis), Music School of Brugg (Aargau), Musikschule Zollikon and Musikschule Lachen in Switzerland.

She currently teaches saxophone at Yamaha Music School Zürich, Musikschule Zumikon , My Music Coach and privately. In addition, she is the artistic director of the first ensemble of amateur saxophnists in Zürich.