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.
Nicolas
Rabaeus
Professeur de composition à l'image - musique et cinéma
Born in Geneva on 6 May 1984, Nicolas Rabaeus is a Swiss composer specialising in music for moving images. He mainly creates his music by recording and synthesising instruments and objects in his studio in Geneva, which he then combines with other musicians and ensembles.
Classically and jazz trained, he is equally comfortable with an orchestra in a concert hall as he is creating experimental textures with a modular synthesiser, or even with a guitar playing pop songs. This horizontal approach to music is his signature and helps him find a unique sound for each score.
His music has won several awards, including the Swiss Film Award (2023, for Foudre), the Colombier-Dompierre Award in Montreal (2023, for Foudre), and the Kinotavr Award in Sochi (2015, for Le syndrome de Petrushka).
Over the past fifteen years, he has worked on more than fifty projects with European and Swiss filmmakers.
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
Marcin
Habela
Professor of Voice
Dr. Marcin Habela, a baritone, vocal professor, and researcher, is particularly renowned for his versatility in repertoire, innovative pedagogy aligned with the latest voice science advancements, and his extensive international professional networks.
Trained at the Conservatoire de Paris, he won several international prizes that paved the way for a prestigious career. He has performed over 80 roles spanning a vast repertoire (including Ford, Figaro, Sharpless, Oneguine...) on major stages such as Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Geneva, Warsaw, Athens, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Bremen, Frankfurt, Lausanne, Almaty, and Krakow.
He has sung alongside notable artists like R. Alagna, J. van Dam, T. Hampson, K. Mattila, L. Oropesa, P. Petibon, K. Deshayes in productions conducted by S. Rattle, Ch. von Dohnanyi, J. Tate, E. Krivine, A. Pappano, and directed by A. Arias, S. Braunschweig, M. Hampe, A. Serban, Ph. Himmelman, and S. Poda.
Passionate about contemporary music, he has premiered numerous works by 20th and 21st-century composers in prestigious settings such as Warsaw Autumn, Sacrum Profanum, and the Malta Festival with ensembles like 2E2M and Contrechamps. His concert repertoire ranges from Monteverdi to Britten, with recordings for Radio France, TSR, SBB, EMI, RAI, Espace 2, Virgin, RTS, and SevenStarsSystems.
Critically acclaimed for his creation of Raoul Wallenberg in Kingsley and Kunze's opera "Raoul," he received the Grand Prix du Public for best performer at the Mezzo TV International Opera Competition in November 2008.
In addition to his operatic career, since 2014, he has gained solid experience in musical and experimental theater, and performs concerts with jazz, musical comedy, and symphonic cabaret repertoires.
A vocal professor at the Haute école de musique de Genève (HEM) since 2005, he was head of the vocal department from 2011 to 2022. He initiated the European Opera Academy (EOA) and established numerous institutional collaborations at the cantonal, national, and international levels. Active in professional circles, he serves on the juries of international singing competitions (Ada Sari, Szymanowski Competition, Mahler Competition, ARMEL, Geneva Competition...) and is a member of various artistic commissions (Tibor Varga Academy, Geneva International Competition, European Opera Academy, MAAKSS).
A renowned vocal professor, he is regularly invited to give masterclasses across Europe (Tibor Varga Academy in Sion, Lugano, Stockholm, Warsaw, Porto, Gdansk, Frankfurt, Oslo, Antwerp, Bucharest, Krakow, Paris, Hamburg, Athens...) and internationally (Japan, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Australia, Russia, China...).
With a PhD in arts, specializing in contemporary vocalities, he leads numerous research projects, including in vocal pedagogy (improvisation, national singing schools). He fosters prestigious international collaborations with institutions such as the University of the Arts Oslo, Kapodistrias University of Athens, CNSMDP, Kazakh National Conservatory in Almaty, Astana University of the Arts, UFCM Warsaw, the neuroscience faculty of UNIGE, the medical faculty of Lyon 2 University, and Maastricht Conservatory.
Particularly attentive to his students' professional integration, he maintains a vast international network (opera studios, casting directors, artistic agencies...), with former students like Julien Behr, Marion Grange, Mélody Louledjian, and Diana Lamar performing on prestigious stages such as the MET in New York, Opéra de Paris, and Deutsche Oper in Berlin. He has also trained a generation of pedagogues (Anna Maske, Gabriella Cavasino, Fabrice Farina, Davide Autieri, Magali Pérol-Dumora...) currently teaching at prestigious Swiss institutions.
Learn more about Marcin Habela
Vincent
Thevenaz
Professor of Organ - Improvisation (for organists) - Introduction to Music Reading - Music Reading - Music Reading and Transposition - Chamber Music with Organ
Vincent Thévenaz is a professor of organ and improvisation at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Genève, and the titular organist and carillon player at the St. Peter's Cathedral in Geneva. He is frequently invited for concerts, competition juries, and masterclasses across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
With a comprehensive education spanning organ, piano, classical and jazz improvisation, musicology, music theory, conducting, singing, French and Russian literature, Vincent Thévenaz continuously seeks to invigorate and diversify the organ world. He pushes the boundaries of genres and enriches his interpretations with a profound knowledge of works and their contexts. His repertoire ranges widely from medieval to contemporary and current music of various origins.
Vincent Thévenaz has developed a significant focus on improvisation, exploring the power of the present moment. He practices improvisation in liturgy, concerts, and accompanying silent films. His teaching is enriched by an approach that views written music as an endless source of inspiration and improvisation as a questioning of freedom in interpretation.
As a recognized specialist in the harmonium, he owns a collection of high-quality historical instruments and performs them in recitals and ensembles. His expertise has led him to collaborate with musicians such as Leonidas Kavakos and Yuja Wang, and with the Scharoun Ensemble of the Berlin Philharmonic, earning praise from Simon Rattle: "played by you, the harmonium becomes a living and exciting instrument."
He combines the organ with numerous instruments of diverse origins, including classical (violin, flute) and unusual (saxophone, Alpine horn, percussion) sounds, and plays cousin instruments such as carillon, cinema organ, Hammond organ, keyboards, and percussion.
Vincent Thévenaz is also known for his arrangements, transcribing music of various styles for organ or chamber music formations, and collaborating with orchestras and ensembles. He arranged and directed the annual show "Chantons Noël," creating an original setting for traditional melodies. He also arranged a version for ensemble of Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition."
In 2009-2010, he performed Bach's complete organ works in 14 concerts, followed by Mendelssohn's organ works in 2017, both receiving great acclaim. His duo "W" with saxophonist Vincent Barras has produced two CDs of original repertoire. He has recorded two critically acclaimed CDs with Sony's Ensemble Gli Angeli Genève (Stephan MacLeod). For the 50th anniversary of Geneva Cathedral's Metzler organ, he produced a CD showcasing the treasures of Geneva composers' organ music.
Vincent Thévenaz collaborates with numerous ensembles and conductors (Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ensemble Contrechamps, Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, Lausanne Vocal Ensemble, Capella Mediterranea, Leonardo Garcia Alarcon, Valery Gergiev, Heinz Holliger, Michel Corboz, Lawrence Foster, Antonio Pappano, etc.). In 2005, he founded the Orchestre Buissonnier, a young musicians' ensemble, which he regularly conducts.
Learn more about Vincent Thévenaz.
David
Pia
Professor of Cello
David Pia grew up in Basel and studied with Antonio Meneses at the University of Music in Basel and with Clemens Hagen at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg. During his studies, he was the principal cellist of the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra and worked with conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Herbert Blomstedt, and Philippe Jordan. In 2006, he became a member of the Karajan Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra but decided to accept the position of principal cellist of the Munich Radio Orchestra. A year later, he won the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, where he also received the prize for the best interpretation of the commissioned work.
In 2010, David Pia assisted his former teacher Antonio Meneses at the University of the Arts in Bern and gave master classes at the Kronberg Academy, the University of Music in Freiburg im Breisgau, and at various festivals worldwide.
In 2012, a concert tour with violinist Sarah Chang and the Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra took him to the largest concert halls in Switzerland. He has performed as a soloist with, among others, the Basel Symphony Orchestra, the Bern Symphony Orchestra, the Camerata de Lausanne, the Essen Philharmonic, and the Munich Symphony Orchestra.
As a duo partner with Bobby McFerrin, he performed with the Munich Radio Orchestra, at "Young Artists in Concert" in Davos, at "Septembre Musical" in Montreux, at the "Ravinia Festival," and at "Chamber Music connects the World" in Kronberg. Other musical partners included Kit Armstrong, Daishin Kashimoto, Menahem Pressler, and Antoine Tamestit.
In 2015, the Swiss Embassy in London awarded David Pia the "Swiss Ambassador's Award," after which he embarked on a concert tour in the UK and performed at the renowned Wigmore Hall in London. David Pia has been the principal cellist of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich since 2016 and since 2022 he holds the same position in the Bern Symphony Orchestra (BSO). He was appointed professor at the Haute école de musique de Genève in 2018.
In addition to the famous Stradivarius "De Kermadec Bläss" cello from 1698, David Pia plays a cello by Giovanni Grancino from 1697. Tradition and vision converge in David Pia; he bridges the admiration for his grandfather, Karl Richter, the legendary Munich conductor and organist of Bach, and a future with endless possibilities. For him, it is vital to expand the familiar repertoire by adding interesting pieces and never losing sight of the adventure posed by the unknown.
Learn more about David Pia
Elizabeth
Dobbin
Head of the Early Music Department
Elizabeth Dobbin is a passionate opera singer, artistic researcher, and dedicated teacher. She began her musical studies in childhood with lessons in theory, piano, and singing. After obtaining degrees with high honors in literature and law, she worked for many years as a lawyer in the finance and corporate law sectors in London and Sydney before turning to her true passion, early music.
She earned her Master's degree from the Royal Conservatory of The Hague in the Early Music Department and has regularly performed as a soloist and chorister in oratorio and opera, as well as in recitals across Europe with prominent names in Baroque music. With the ensemble Le Jardin Secret, she won the first prize and jury prize at the Early Music Network International Young Artists' Competition in York, England. She has participated in numerous radio broadcasts and recorded for labels such as Alpha, CORO, Aliud Records, Pentatone, Fuga Libera, and ORF.
A passionate researcher, she obtained her PhD from Leiden University and the Orpheus Institute with a thesis on vocal practice in late 17th-century France, particularly in Parisian salons.
With over twenty years of teaching experience, she is regularly invited to give lectures and masterclasses throughout Europe.
Learn more about Elizabeth Dobbin.
Carine
Tripet Lièvre
Responsible of pedagogical programs - Professor of Education Sciences
Holder of a PhD in Social and Political Sciences, specializing in Education Sciences, Carine Tripet is also a musician. Coming from a jazz background but specialized in world vocal music, she is active in Valais where her musical projects revolve around immigration issues and Valaisan heritage. She received the Musique Pro Valais cultural scholarship for the period 2014-2017 with her project ViaVallesia.
Formerly a professor at the Haute Ecole Pédagogique du Valais, where she led several programs, she also taught Applied Education Sciences in Music Education for six years at HEMU. The content of her courses is decidedly interdisciplinary, drawing from various relevant disciplines (including, but not limited to: didactics, sociology, developmental psychology, neuroscience, ethics, law), to establish a solid network of concepts and notions that enable young teachers to self-analyze their practice. Her research focuses on the construction of the professional identity of music teachers in connection with cultural democracy.
Since 2022, she has been coordinating the pedagogy program at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Genève.
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.
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
