Alexander
Rozhdestvenskiy
Professor of Violin
Sasha Rozhdestvensky is considered one of the finest Russian violinists of today; Yehudi Menuhin described him as "one of the most talented and refined violinists of his generation."
He studied at the Central School of Music in Moscow, the Moscow Conservatory, the Paris Conservatory, and the Royal College of Music in London. Sasha Rozhdestvensky has performed internationally with renowned orchestras such as the Bayerische Staatsorchester, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio-France, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of La Scala, Mariinsky Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, and worked with conductors like Vladimir Ashkenazy, Jean-Claude Casadesus, Valery Gergiev, Theodor Guschlbauer, Vernon Handley, Louis Langree, Jacques Mercier, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Gerard Schwartz, Yuri Simonov, Christopher Warren-Green, and Vladimir Jurowski.
He has recorded for several labels: Chandos, where he recorded Alfred Schnittke's Concerto Grosso No.6 written especially for him and Viktoria Postnikova. For Nimbus, he recorded Shostakovich's Concerto No.1 and Glazunov's Concerto with his father. He recorded the complete works for violin and piano by Ravel for Praga Digitals, and for Delos, he recorded the complete works for violin and piano by Tchaikovsky with pianist Josiane Marfurt, Shostakovich's sonatas with Jeremy Menuhin, the world premieres of Myaskovsky, Shebalin, and Nechaev's sonatas with Viktoria Postnikova, and most recently the world premiere of John Mayer's concerto with the BBC Orchestra for FHR.
Sasha Rozhdestvensky has been a guest at major festivals such as the BBC Proms (London), Tanglewood, Schleswig-Holstein, Gstaad, Colmar, Ravinia, Florida, Lockenhaus, Montreux, and Rheingau, and has performed in prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Barbican and Festival Hall in London, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Berlin Philharmonie, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Salle Pleyel and Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, Mann Auditorium in Tel-Aviv, and La Scala in Milan, always with great success.
Among his chamber music partners are Marc Coppey, Gary Hoffman, Steven Isserlis, Christian Ivaldi, Josiane Marfurt, Jeremy Menuhin, Kun Woo Paik, Michel Portal, Viktoria Postnikova, and Michael Rudy.
Sasha Rozhdestvensky's commitment to contemporary music is highlighted by his close relationships with composers such as Alfred Schnittke, Arvo Pärt, Sofia Gubaidulina, Giya Kancheli, and Ian Venables.
Additionally, he is also dedicated to traditional Latin American music with the ensemble "Ambar" (albums "El Diablo Suelto" for Delos and "O voo da mosca" for FHR).
Learn more about Alexander Rozhdestvenskiy
Claude
Gastaldin
Professor of Drums - North Indian Rhythm - Tabla & Konakol
Claude Gastaldin is the author of several works dedicated to the study of rhythm. He graduated with honors in 1986 from the Percussion Institute of Technology in Los Angeles, where he studied with notable musicians such as Ralph Humphrey, E. Toro, A. Acuna, and J. Porcaro. He began his international career in 1985, performing as a drummer with various bands in numerous countries and participating in many recordings.
Currently, he divides his time between his career as a musician and composer through multiple experiences (live performances and studio work) and intense pedagogical activities. In the musical field, he primarily focuses on the group Stoa, which he initiated, and also supports various musicians and artists, particularly Occitan ones, in their projects (Luc Aussibal, J. Privat, B. Manciet, etc.). He also regularly collaborates with Indian musicians N. Battacharya, J. Oumabady, M. Jadhav, and L. K. Sharma, and has recently composed several pieces for percussion quartets and classical orchestras.
Regarding his pedagogical activity: in addition to his position as a professor at the Haute école de musique de Genève and occasional engagements at various educational institutions (Conservatories, Training Centers, Workshops, and Schools), he is the national educational director of the Hohner Sonor Music Academy. He is also a demonstrator artist for a major European drum brand, for which he regularly performs showcases.
Andrea
Bandini
Professor of Trombone
Andrea Bandini began his music studies in 1973 at the Music School of Siena in Italy and obtained his trombone diploma in 1980 at the Luigi Cherubini Conservatory of Music in Florence. In 1978 he joined the Italian Youth Orchestra under the direction of Franco Ferrara.
In 1981, he decided to perfect his skills at the Geneva Conservatory of Music in the class of Roland Schnorhk, where he obtained the 1st prize for virtuosity with distinction in 1985. The same year, he won the 1st prize at the Riddes Competition, the 3rd prize at the Markneuenkirchen Competition and the following year the bronze medal at the Bordeaux International Festival of Young Soloists.
Since 1986, Andrea Bandini has been a member of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and has been appointed solo trombone until 2011. From 1984 to 2008 he was a member of the contemporary music ensemble, Contrechamps, an ensemble with which he was fortunate enough to rub shoulders with the greatest contemporary music composers of the 20th and 21st centuries. Invited as a jury member in the most important international trombone competitions, Andrea Bandini has been teaching at the Haute école de musique de Genève since 1999. Andrea Bandini is also regularly invited to participate in masterclasses and brass festivals throughout the world. He is also a consultant for the " Free-flow Valve " system for trombone, invented by Rene Hagmann, owner of the " Servette-Musique " shop in Geneva.
Andrea Bandini bought his first slide trombone and his first classical music record in Florence in 1976. It was a recording of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande by Ernest Ansermet. After having listened to it many times, Andrea Bandini announced to his father that he would one day perform with this orchestra.... 10 years later, he joins the OSR.
Learn more about Andrea Bandini
Louis
Schwizgebel
Professor of Piano
Born in 1987 in Geneva, Louis Schwizgebel studied with Brigitte Meyer in Lausanne and Pascal Devoyon in Berlin. At the age of seventeen, he won the Geneva Competition and two years later, the Young Concert Artists Auditions in New York. He then studied at the Juilliard School in New York with Emanuel Ax and Robert McDonald, and in London at the Royal Academy with Pascal Nemirovski. In 2012, he won the 2nd prize at the Leeds Piano Competition and was named a BBC New Generation Artist.
Louis Schwizgebel performs with orchestras such as the Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony, all the BBC orchestras, all the Swiss symphony orchestras including the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre National de Lyon, Orchestre National du Capitol de Toulouse, hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Wiener Symphoniker, and the Hungarian National Orchestra.
He has worked with conductors such as Charles Dutoit, Fabio Luisi, Marek Janowski, Vasily Petrenko, Lahav Shani, Joshua Weilerstein, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla, Emmanuel Krivine, Robin Ticciati, James Gaffigan, Edward Gardner, Thierry Fischer, Domingo Hindoyan, John Wilson, and Fabien Gabel.
He appears at festivals such as the BBC Proms, Verbier, Lucerne, Gstaad, Progetto Martha Argerich, Festival Septembre Musical Montreux-Vevey, Bergen, Usedom, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Rheingau, and Klavier-Festival Ruhr.
Louis Schwizgebel records for the Aparté label (Harmonia Mundi). In 2013, he released his first solo album "Poems," followed by Beethoven's Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Saint-Saëns' Concertos Nos. 2 & 5 with the BBC Symphony. His latest album is dedicated to composer Franz Schubert, featuring Sonatas D845 & 958.
Learn more about Louis Schwizgebel
Stefan
Legee
Professor of Sackbut
Stefan Legée began studying trombone in Reims with Amédé Grivillers before entering the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, where he obtained a first prize in trombone unanimously. He received the Certificate of Aptitude in trombone in 1985 and won third prize at the International Competition in Prague in 1987. A member of the brass quintet Magnifica from 1985 to 1990, he won several international prizes with this ensemble (Baltimore and Narbonne). In 1996, he obtained a certificate of advanced studies in sackbut with high honors at the CNSM of Lyon.
From 1985 to 2006, Stefan Legée was the solo trombone of the Orchestre Colonne. He regularly performs with the Concerto Vocale conducted by René Jacobs, Hespérion XXI led by Jordi Savall, Europa Galante under Fabio Biondi, La Fenice by Jean Tubéry, the Sacqueboutiers de Toulouse, and the Concert Brisé led by William Dongois. He is also actively involved in contemporary music, playing with ensembles such as Erwartung (Bernard Desgraupes), Sine Qua Non (Nicolas Brochot), and Ars Nova (Philippe Nahon). In 1996, he premiered Dominique Probst's concerto for trombone and string orchestra, which was dedicated to him. He participated in concerts with Ensemble 2e2m from 2002 to 2005.
Numerous recordings document his work. These include Ex Libris with La Fenice on Opus 111, L’âge d’or du cornet with the Concert Brisé and William Dongois on K 617, the Passione di Jesù by Caldara with Fabio Biondi for Virgin Veritas, and a monograph on Philippe Hersant with Ensemble Ader for Musique Française d’Aujourd’hui.
Stefan Legée has given numerous masterclasses in sackbut. He teaches trombone and sackbut at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Saint Maur and sackbut at the Haute école de musique de Genève.
Learn more about Stefan Legée.
Ricardo
Castro
Head of the Keyboard Instruments Department - Professor of Piano
Born in Vitória da Conquista, a small town in northeastern Brazil, Ricardo Castro began playing the piano at the age of three. At five, he entered the School of Music and Arts at the University of Bahia, and three years later, he made his debut giving recitals. At the age of ten, Ricardo Castro performed Haydn's Piano Concerto in D major as a soloist. Several orchestral concerts and national prizes followed immediately.
In 1984, he moved to Europe to study piano and conducting at the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève with Maria Tipo and Arpad Gerecz, respectively. He also studied with Dominique Merlet in Paris. Castro won First Prize at the Rahn Competition in 1985 and the Josef Pembaur Competition in 1986. He graduated from the Conservatoire de Genève in 1987, receiving the First Prize of Virtuosity with distinction and congratulations from the jury. That same year, he became co-winner of the ARD International Music Competition in Munich and in 1988, he won Third Prize at the Géza Anda Competition. In 1993, he received First Prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition, becoming the only South American winner to date.
In 2003, he formed a piano duo with Maria João Pires. They performed a series of recitals in major European venues and released a CD of Schubert's works on Deutsche Grammophon. Ricardo Castro has recorded several other CDs with BMG/Arte Nova, both in recital and with orchestra.
As a soloist, he has performed with orchestras such as the Leipzig Gewandhaus, Zurich Tonhalle, BBC Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Tokyo Philharmonic, and Mozarteum Orchestra of Salzburg. He has played and conducted in prestigious concert halls, including the Barbican Centre and Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Santa Cecilia in Rome, Philharmonie de Paris, and Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. His partners have included Sir Simon Rattle, Midori, Leif Segerstam, Martha Argerich, Antonio Meneses, Yakov Kreizberg, Kazimierz Kord, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Maria João Pires, and Shlomo Mintz.
In 2007, Ricardo Castro, invited by the government of the State of Bahia, founded NEOJIBA (Centers of Youth and Children's Orchestras of the State of Bahia), a pioneering program in Brazil. He serves as the general director of this program, which in 2020, involved around 6,000 young people and children throughout the State of Bahia. With the program's main orchestra, the NEOJIBA Orchestra, Ricardo Castro has conducted seven international tours, performing in some of the world's most important concert halls.
In 2013, Ricardo Castro became the first Brazilian to be named an Honorary Member of the Royal Philharmonic Society, joining the ranks of the greatest names in Western music. Highly committed to social causes, Ricardo Castro has dedicated a significant portion of his time to educational activities over the years. He is the founding director of the NEOJIBA Orchestra and a professor of advanced piano classes at the Haute école de musique de Genève and the Haute école de musique de Lausanne, as well as at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole in Italy.
Rodolphe
Schacher
Professor of Writing Practice - Analysis - Harmony - Counterpoint
Franco-Swiss composer and pianist Rodolphe Schacher was born in France in 1973. Schacher pursued his musical studies in Paris, Geneva, and Zurich, under the guidance of Michael Jarrell, Thierry Escaich, Gerald Bennett, and Ulrich Koella.
He has been awarded five first prizes (harmony, counterpoint, Renaissance counterpoint, fugue and forms, and 20th-century music) at the CNSM in Paris and received the composition and theory diploma with honors, as well as the concert diploma in chamber music from the Zurich University of the Arts.
Alongside his artistic activities, Schacher teaches analysis and writing at the Haute école de musique de Genève, writing at the Haute école de musique de Lausanne, and taught composition until June 2015 at the Zurich University of the Arts.
Antoine
Marguier
Professor of Bass Clarinet / Woodwind Chamber Music / Orchestral Excerpts in Section or Group (Winds) / Orchestral Sight-Reading
Graduating in clarinet and chamber music from the CNSM de Lyon, Antoine Marguier began his career under the direction of Claudio Abbado with the Orchestre des Jeunes de l’Union Européenne and the Gustav Mahler Jugend Orchester.
At the age of 22, he was appointed as the solo bass clarinet at the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, a position he held for 16 years.
His passion for ensemble music and his desire to pass on his knowledge led him to join the HEM at the age of 27, first as a professor of bass clarinet, then of chamber music and orchestral excerpts, and as a conductor, notably during a tour in China.
As part of the school's international collaborations, he has given masterclasses at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music in Singapore, Seoul National University, the Conservatoire Central de Pékin, and the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance.
Among his mentors and teachers are renowned conductors such as David Zinman, Roberto Benzi, James Levine, and Kurt Masur.
Alongside his international activity as a guest conductor, he has held positions as resident conductor of the Orchestre National de Lyon, music director of the Orchestre du Conservatoire de musique de Genève, and the Seoul International Community Orchestra.
In Geneva, where he resides, he is the founder and conductor of the Compagnie du Rossignol and the Orchestre des Nations, through which he has had the opportunity to accompany great musical personalities such as Renée Fleming, Khatia Buniatishvili, Maxim Vengerov, Gautier Capuçon, Alexandra Conunova, Barbara Hannigan, Miloš Karadaglić, and Pretty Yende.
Also in Geneva, Antoine is a member of the Club Diplomatique and the Cercle des Entrepreneurs.
Learn more about Antoine Marguier.
Marius
Brenciu
Professeur de chant
Marius Brenciu obtained his bachelor's degree (1997) and a master's degree in vocal art (1998) from the University of Music in Bucharest. He taught singing at the same institution between 1997 and 2000.
He participated in numerous competitions and won many prizes, including the George Enescu First Prize in 1999, Queen Elisabeth Competition (2nd Prize and Prize for Best Opera Performance) in 2000, 1st Prize and 4 special prizes at the YCA Competition in New York and the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition (the Lied Prize and the Singer of the World Prize) in 2001.
He has worked under the direction of prestigious conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Seiji Ozawa, Lorin Maazel and Zubin Mehta, to name but a few, and has performed with major international ensembles. He has worked with directors such as Franco Zeffirelli, Peter Stein, Nicolas Joel, Giancarlo del Monaco, Karl and Ursel Hermann, among others.
Marius Brenciu has been a member of the Artistic Committee of the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition - singing section (since 2004) and a member of the Jury (2011, 2014 and 2018 editions). He is regularly invited to give masterclasses in Belgium, France and the United States.
Bertrand
Chatenet
Professor of Horn
Born in 1990 in Paris, Bertrand Chatenet began learning the horn with Patrice Petitdidier at the Conservatoire de Gennevilliers, then with Jérome Rouillard (horn), Paul Meyer, and Eric Lesage (wind quintet). In 2009, he studied alongside Erich Penzel, Christian Lampert, and Christoph Ess at the Musikhochschule in Stuttgart, and in 2013 with Christian-Friedrich Dallmann and Sebastian Posch at the Berlin University of the Arts. Since 2010, he has mainly performed as a soloist with major orchestras such as the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra (SWR), the Bavarian State Opera Orchestra, and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin.
He is currently the principal horn of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra and an assistant professor at the UDK in Berlin.
Learn more about Bertrand Chatenet.
