Laurent
Gignoux
Responsable du département des instruments de l'orchestre, coordinateur des Traits d'orchestre et des Traits d'orchestre en section ou en pupitre et préparation aux concours
Laurent Gignoux, de nationalités suisse et française, hautboïste, pédagogue, chef d’orchestre, responsable de projets artistique et pédagogique a été formé dans deux grandes institutions européennes : le Conservatoire national supérieur musique et danse de Paris (CNSMDP) puis à la Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (ZHdK) - en hautbois, musique de chambre, orchestre, pédagogie et direction d’établissement artistique. Lauréat de concours internationaux et nationaux, soutenu par différentes fondations, il partage sa carrière internationale entre des concerts en soliste, en musique de chambre avec orchestre, plus récemment comme chef d’orchestre. Comme pédagogue, il a été professeur de hautbois et de musique de chambre dans différents conservatoires en France ainsi que l’assistant de Thomas Indermühle à la Musikhochschule de Karsruhe.
Il a côtoyé dans sa carrière, de grands chefs et solistes français et européens – Pierre Boulez, Michel Plasson, Yehudi Menuhin, Emmanuel Krivine, Pinchas Steinberg, Eri Klas, Roberto Alagna, Brigitte Engerer, Shlomo Mintz, José Vandam, Félicien Brut, Ophélie Gaillard - dans de grandes salles et des festivals internationaux.
De 2006 à 2023, à la direction générale et direction musique du Pôle d’Enseignement Supérieur de la Musique et de la Danse de Bordeaux Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Laurent Gignoux s’est consacré à développer cet établissement et a notamment conduit le projet de construction du futur bâtiment.
En 2024, Laurent Gignoux a fondé l’Essentia Orchestra, une formation de chambre de 10 à 15 alumni, musicien-ne-s professionnel-le-s diplômé-e-s d’écoles supérieures, pour partager le grand répertoire symphonique à tous les publics et ouvrir la “musique classique“ à d’autres lieux et territoires.
Mirela
Vedeva Ruaux
Professor of Double Bass
Mirella Vedeva received a virtuosity prize from the Conservatoire de Genève and graduated from the Giovanni Bottesini International Double Bass Competition. Michel Plasson, who noticed her during this competition, hired her as a soloist for the Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse. She has also collaborated with other symphonic ensembles such as the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande de Genève, the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, the Geneva Chamber Orchestra, and the Lausanne Sinfonietta.
Her passion for imparting her instrumental knowledge drives her towards teaching. At the Conservatoire de Genève and the Accademia, she created classes for very young double bassists starting from the age of six. In charge of directing the Music School Orchestra of the Conservatoire de Genève, she has carried out numerous educational projects.
At the Haute école de musique de Genève (HEM), she receives students from around the world, perpetuating the tradition of excellence from the school of her mentor Franco Petracchi.
She is also a professor at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Saragosse. Invited for numerous masterclasses in Italy, Spain, France, Switzerland, and China, her pedagogical talents are universally recognized.
Lastly, her activities as a soloist and chamber musician have garnered her much success both in Switzerland and abroad.
Learn more about Mirella Vedeva Ruaux.
Alessio
Corti
Professor of Organ - Improvisation (for Organists) - Chamber Music with Organ - Organ as a Secondary Instrument
Born in Milan in 1967, the son of a renowned organist and pedagogue, Alessio Corti received his first music lessons at an early age.
In 1985, he obtained his piano diploma "cum laude," followed by diplomas in organ and harpsichord.
He pursued further studies with internationally renowned organists and was a student of Lionel Rogg at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Genève for three years. In 1992, he won a "Premier Prix de Virtuosité with distinction" and the special "Otto Barblan" prize.
He subsequently won First Prizes at the International Competitions of Geneva (C.I.E.M. 1993), Carouge (Switzerland), and the "Froberger Prize" for early music at the International Competition of Kaltern-SüdTyrol. He is also a laureate of several competitions in Italy, notably in Milan.
In 1983, he was appointed titular organist of the Grands-Orgues at the Church of Santa Maria Segreta in Milan, where at the age of 18, he performed the Complete Works of D. Buxtehude, and the following year, the Complete Works of J.S. Bach. From 1991 to 2016, he was also the titular organist at the Chiesa Cristiana Protestante in Milan.
In his brilliant career, he is regularly invited to major international organ festivals.
Alessio Corti plays a wide repertoire of early, romantic, and contemporary music, and his discography comprises around thirty CDs, including a complete recording of J.S. Bach’s organ works and "The Art of Fugue," monographs of W.A. Mozart and Mendelssohn, and several anthologies on historic organs. For the Fugatto label, he recorded a DVD of J.S. Bach's Six Trio Sonatas on the historic (1738) organ of the Kreuzkirche in Suhl, Thuringia.
His recordings and recitals have received attention and favorable reviews from international critics.
He is often invited as a jury member for major international competitions and to give masterclasses.
From 1994 to 2001, he was a professor of organ in Italy at the Conservatories of Udine and Verona, having placed first in the national competition of the Ministry of Public Education.
Alessio Corti has been a Professor of Organ and Improvisation at the Haute école de musique de Genève since 2001, succeeding Lionel Rogg. Many of his students have obtained diplomas and master's degrees (concert, soloist, pedagogy), and some have distinguished themselves in international competitions.
Learn more about Alessio Corti.
Cédric
Pescia
Professor of Piano
Born in Lausanne, holding Swiss and French nationality, Cédric Pescia studied at the Conservatories of Lausanne (with Christian Favre) and Geneva (with Dominique Merlet), at the Universität der Künste in Berlin (with Klaus Hellwig), and at the International Piano Academy Lake Como (with D. Bashkirov, L. Fleisher, A. Staier, W. G. Naboré, and Fou T’song). Additionally, he perfected his skills with P.-L. Aimard, D. Barenboim, D. Fischer-Dieskau, I. Gage, I. Gronich, C. Zacharias, and the Alban Berg Quartet.
He won the First Prize at the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition in 2002 in Salt Lake City, USA.
He gives recitals and concerts with orchestras in Europe, the USA, China, and South America: Philharmonie and Konzerthaus Berlin, Konzerthaus Vienna, Wigmore Hall London, Mozarteum Salzburg, Carnegie Hall New York, Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, Tonhalle Zurich, Prague Spring Festival, Lucerne Festival, Menuhin Festival Gstaad, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Davos Festival, Klavierfestival Ruhr. He has a long-standing collaboration with violinist Nurit Stark.
He is the artistic director of the chamber music series Ensemble enScène in Lausanne.
He is a laureate of the Leenaards Foundation in Lausanne and the Music Prize of the Vaud Foundation for Culture. For Claves Records, Aeon, BIS, Genuin, La Dolce Volta, he has recorded works by Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, Schubert, Couperin, Messiaen, Debussy, Cage, Busoni, Enescu, and Gubaidulina.
In 2012, he was appointed Professor of Piano at the Haute école de musique de Genève.
Learn more about Cédric Pescia
Nelson
Goerner
Professor of Piano
--- Nelson Goerner will not be taking on any new students for the start of the 2025-26 academic year ---
Born in 1969 in San Pedro, Argentina, Nelson Goerner began studying piano at the age of five with Jorge Garruba and continued his studies at the National Conservatory of Music in Buenos Aires with Juan Carlos Arabian and Carmen Scalcione. He gave his first concert in his hometown in 1980 and won the First Prize at the Franz Liszt Competition in Buenos Aires in 1986. Thanks to his exceptional talent, Martha Argerich awarded him a scholarship to study at the Conservatoire de Genève in Maria Tipo's virtuosity class.
September 1990 marked a turning point in his career when he won the First Prize at the Geneva Competition unanimously for his performance of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, which invited him back the following season to perform Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1. This award led to numerous concerts in Europe and a successful tour in Japan.
Since then, Nelson Goerner has been invited by most major French festivals and has given recitals in many European cities. He also performs chamber music with the Takács Quartet in the UK, Spain, Italy, and France, the Carmina Quartet in Switzerland, the Ysaye Quartet in Holland, and with Steven Isserlis and Vadim Repin in London.
Nelson Goerner has performed with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Claus-Peter Flor, the London Philharmonic and the Residentie Orchestra of The Hague under Franz Welser-Möst, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra with Neeme Järvi, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Andrew Davis, the Bayerische Rundfunk Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and David Zinman, the Netherlands Philharmonic and Vassily Sinaisky, the Bordeaux and Montpellier Orchestras with Yutaka Sado, the Orchestre National de France and Hans Graf, among many others. His future engagements include concerts with the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Liège Orchestra, the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo, and recitals in London, Paris, Lyon, Manchester, and Dallas.
Nelson Goerner has recorded a Chopin recital (EMI Classics), a Rachmaninov recital and the 12 Transcendental Etudes by Liszt for Cascavelle, Rachmaninov's Preludes and Piano Concerto No. 3 with the BBC Philharmonic conducted by Vassily Sinaisky, Busoni's works for piano and orchestra, Liszt's concertos, a Brahms and Schubert recital for Cascavelle, and a new work by John Lord for EMI Classics. His recent recordings of Chopin on historical instruments have earned him a Diapason d'Or.
Learn more about Nelson Goerner.
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.
Andreas
Wolf
Professor of Voice
A young baritone with a confident voice and clear diction, Andreas Wolf maintains a steady career, primarily in Europe. His voice flourishes in the 18th-century repertoire but also makes some beautiful forays into the Romantic and contemporary periods.
He began his musical journey in 1994 at the music school in Wernigerode, where he also joined the Rundfunk-Jugendchor (Radio Youth Choir). In 2002, he received a scholarship to study at the University of Music in Detmold under Heiner Eckels. He attended masterclasses with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Andras Schiff, Christoph Prégardien, and Thomas Quasthoff, eager to understand the respective methods these great singers used to achieve such a high degree of excellence. In 2006, Andreas Wolf joined the European Academy of Aix-en-Provence, which allowed him to grow artistically and gain wider recognition. Since his debut at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in 2007 in Monteverdi's Orfeo (conducted by René Jacobs), Andreas Wolf has been regularly invited by operas and major concert halls, working with renowned conductors such as William Christie, Raphaël Pichon, Jean-Christophe Spinosi, Bertrand de Billy, and Sylvain Cambreling.
Although Andreas Wolf excels in the baroque repertoire, he also performs Romantic works by Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, and Hugo Wolf; he also sang in Schoenberg's Moses and Aaron at the Berlin Philharmonic under the direction of Sylvain Cambreling. In 2017, he participated in the creation of the Requiem by Dutch composer Willem Jeths at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Andreas Wolf travels across Europe on tours, such as a recent one with Il Pomo d'Oro, accompanied by Franco Fagioli.
His growing discography includes Handel's Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, conducted by Marcus Creed, which was a choice of France Musique.
Learn more about Andreas Wolf
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.
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.
Afonso
Venturieri
Professor of Bassoon
Afonso Venturieri was born in Belém, Brazil. With a scholarship from the German government, he studied under Helman Jung at the Hochschule für Musik in Detmold, where he passed the Künstlerische Reifeprüfung exam with high distinction in 1984. He completed his training with Milan Turkovic at the renowned Hochschule für Musik Mozarteum in Salzburg.
In 1989, he won the First Prize at the International Competition for Wind Instruments organized by the Swiss Union of Musicians (USDAM). After serving as a bassoonist with the Ensemble Modern in Frankfurt, Afonso Venturieri became a member of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in 1987, where he holds the position of principal solo bassoon.
He regularly conducts workshops and masterclasses in South America and Europe. He is also dedicated to the training of young musicians, serving as a coach for the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, among others. He performs as a soloist and as part of various chamber music ensembles.
Learn more about Afonso Venturieri.
