Milena
Viotti
Professor of horn
Milena Viotti was born in Lausanne in 1988 and began playing the horn at the age of eight at the Forbach Music School. In 2007, she went to study at the Musik Akademie in Basel before obtaining her Master's degree with Erik Penzel and Christian Lampert in Stuttgart.
In 2010, she joined the prestigious Munich Opera Orchestra, the Bayerisches Staatsorchester, as a high horn player and also played in renowned orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Orchestre de Paris.
Milena Viotti has won numerous prizes in major international competitions, such as the Prague Spring Festival Competition and the Luxembourg Competition.
Passionate about chamber music, she gives a large number of concerts each year with various ensembles in a wide variety of formations. Eager to share her experience and expertise, she participates in numerous workshops and masterclasses in Europe each year. As a teacher, her curiosity for new pedagogical approaches and innovative solutions makes her an educator who is ready to inspire and guide her students towards musical excellence.
Lise
Berthaud
Professor of Chamber Music - Professor of Viola (NE)
Lise Berthaud was born in 1982 and started studying the violin at the age of 5. She studied with Pierre-Henry Xuereb and Gérard Caussé at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris and was a prize winner of the European Young Instrumentalists Competition in 2000. In 2005, she won the Hindemith Prize at the Geneva International Competition. She was short listed by the Victoires de la Musique Classique 2009 as “Révélation de l’Année” (Newcomer of the Year).
Lise Berthaud is unanimously praised as an outstanding figure on the international music scene. She has performed in various prestigious concert venues throughout the world (Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Het Concertgebouw, Baden Baden Festspielhaus, Elbphilharmonie, Musikverein, Vienna’s Konzerthaus, Wigmore Hall, Bridgewater Hall, The Sage Gateshead, Philharmonie de Paris, Moritzburg Festival, Schwartzenberg’s Schubertiade Hohenems, Rencontres Musicales d’Evian) with such artists as Renaud Capuçon, Baiba Skride, Lauma Skride, Harriet Krijgh, Julian Steckel, Daishin Kashimoto, Eric Le Sage, Augustin Dumay, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Emmanuel Pahud, Gordan Nikollich, Martin Helmchen, Marie-Elisabeth Hecker, Alina Ibragimova, Veronika Eberle, Christian Poltera, Quatuor Ebène, the Modigliani Quartet.
As a soloist, Lise has played with all BBC orchestras, including for her BBC Proms Debut in 2014 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Andrew Litton. Other solo engagements include the Croatian Radiotelevision Symphony Orchestra, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de Belgique, Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, Orchestre National de Lyon, les Musiciens du Louvre, Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Sao Paulo Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Orchestre de Chambre de Wallonie, Hong-Kong Sinfonietta, Hallé Orchestra, and various orchestras in France, with conductors like Sakari Oramo, Pascal Rophé, Fabien Gabel, Emmanuel Krivine, Andrew Litton, François Leleux, Paul Mc Creesh, Marc Minkowski, Leonard Slatkin who invited Lise to perform and record (for Naxos) Harold in Italy with the Orchestre National de Lyon as part of the orchestra’s Berlioz complete works recording for Naxos.
During the 2013-2015 period Lise was part of the prestigious BBC Radio 3’s New Generation Artists Scheme which allowed her to perform with all BBC orchestras and record a great amount of repertoire both live and in studio.
After taking part in Eric Le Sage’s successful recordings of Schumann and Fauré complete piano chamber music works, she released her first solo album in 2013 with pianist Adam Laloum under the French Aparté label. The disc featuring works by Brahms, Schumann and Schubert was unanimously praised and won several awards in France.
In 2018-2021 she took part in the recording of Brahms’ complete chamber music for B-Records with Eric Le Sage, Pierre Fouchenneret, François Salque and others, which has been critically acclaimed since then.
Her passion for contemporary music has also lead her to collaborate with various composers, including Philippe Hersant, Thierry Escaich, Henri Dutilleux, Gyorgy Kurtag, Guillaume Connesson, Florentine Mulsant or Eric Tanguy
Learn more about Lise Berthaud
Antoine
Schneider
Professor of Practical Writing - Contrepoint
After studying violin and musicology in Geneva, Antoine Schneider furthered his musical theory education in Zurich with Burkhard Kinzler and Andreas Nick. He also trained in musical direction, piano, and baroque violin.
He is currently a professor of solfège and counterpoint at the Haute école de musique de Genève and the Haute école des arts de Berne, as well as a professor of musical training at the ESM Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (Early Music Department).
In his teaching, he specializes in the practices of musical improvisation during the Renaissance period. He is regularly invited to give masterclasses across Europe and collaborates with Jean-Yves Haymoz, Barnabé Janin (CNSMD Lyon), and the Helicona project. He is the co-responsible for the website Super librum cantare (www.superlibrum.com).
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.
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.
Heidi
Brunner
Professor of Singing - Audition and Competition Preparation
Native of Lucerne (CH), Heidi Brunner studied singing, organ, and conducting in Lucerne, Basel, and Zurich.
At the age of 17, she was already an organist and choir director before beginning her singing career at the age of 28.
Her first engagements as an opera singer led her to Biel, where she debuted in the title role in Rossini's "La Cenerentola." She then took engagements in Basel, Innsbruck, and Dessau. She performed at the Komische Oper in Berlin (La Cenerentola and Charlotte in Werther, among others) before being engaged as a resident artist at the Staatsoper and the Volksoper and Theater an der Wien in Vienna from 1996 to 2008 (where she performed roles such as La Cenerentola, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, Idamante in Idomeneo, Die Sekretärin in Der Konsul by G.C. Menotti, Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, Second Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Zerlina and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Nicklausse in Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Sesto, Anio and Vitellia in La Clemenza di Tito, Adalgisa in Norma, and the title role in La Périchole).
In 1998, she made her debut in Monteverdi's "L'Orfeo" at the Opernfestspiele in Munich and the Wiener Festwochen. She reprised the role of Idamante at the Klangbogen Festival at the Theater an der Wien and performed at venues such as the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, the Bayerische Staatsoper, the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, the Grand Théâtre de Genève, and the Salzburg Festival.
She has appeared in recitals and concerts at venues such as the Musikverein and Konzerthaus in Vienna, Berlin, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Santiago de Compostela, Milan, Pesaro, Lyon, Paris, Lucerne, Zurich, Basel, Bern, Lisbon, Frankfurt, Bergen, Helsingborg, Turin, and Munich.
Her repertoire expanded with roles in Schreker's "Irrelohe" and Schmidt's "Notre Dame" at the Volksoper in Vienna, Hindemith's "Mathis der Maler" at the Konzerthaus in Vienna, Schoenberg's "Erwartung" at the Komische Oper Berlin and at the Musikverein in Vienna.
She made her debut in the roles of Brangäne in "Tristan und Isolde" at the Amsterdam Opera and the Liceu in Barcelona, Marie (Wozzeck) at the Staatsoper Hamburg, Vitellia (La Clemenza di Tito) and Marta (Tiefland) in Vienna, Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) and Madame Lidoine (Dialogues des Carmélites) at the Theater an der Wien, Kundry (Parsifal) at the Teatro Regio Turin, Giulietta (Les Contes d'Hoffmann) and the Mother in "Kullervo" by Aulis Sallinen at the Frankfurt Opera, and Sieglinde (Die Walküre) at the Staatsoper Hamburg. In 2015, she made her debut as Mère Marie (Dialogues des Carmélites). That same year, she sang the mezzo-soprano part in Verdi's Requiem in Vienna and performed "The Seven Deadly Sins" by Kurt Weill in the Forbidden City in Beijing.
She has worked with renowned conductors such as Marco Armiliato, Ivor Bolton, Thüring Bräm, Bertrand de Billy, Alfred Eschwé, Lawrence Foster, Gabriele Ferro, Leopold Hager, Friedrich Haider, Thomas Hengelbrock, René Jacobs, Philippe Jordan, Alois Koch, Ingo Metzmacher, Franz Welser-Möst, Hervé Niquet, Arnold Oestmann, Kirill Petrenko, Markus Poschner, Helmuth Rilling, Peter Schneider, Marcello Viotti, Sebastian Weigle, Simone Young, and Alberto Zedda.
Heidi Brunner has recorded numerous CDs, including "Jubilate Deo," "Te Deum" by De Lalande (ERATO), "Così fan tutte," "Don Giovanni," and "Le Nozze di Figaro" (SONY/BMG), excerpts from "Tristan und Isolde," and a solo album with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Since 2020, Heidi Brunner has been a Professor of Singing at the Haute école de musique de Genève, where she regularly gives masterclasses.
Learn more about Heidi Brunner
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.
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.
Ricardo
Carvalhoso
Professeur de Tuba et Euphonium ou Saxhorn
One of the most prominent tuba players of his generation, Ricardo Carvalhoso has built his career on a singing and energetic approach to brass playing, leading him to win jobs in several orchestras across Europe.
Since 2017 he is Principal Tuba of the Munich Philharmonie Orchestra. Prior to this engagement, Carvalhoso was Tuba-Solo of the Nice Philharmonie Orchestra and later he assumed the same position with the Orchestra of the Zurich Opera House Philharmonia Zurich.
His orchestral activity has led him to perform in some of the most important concert halls around the globe, including New York, Tokyo, Paris, London, Berlin and Vienna.
ln 2014 he played Vaughan Williams' Tuba Concerto with the Nice Philharmonie Orchestra under the direction of Walter Hilgers.
Between 2009 and 2011 he was awarded with a series of international prizes including the Young Musicians Award in Portugal, the "Aosta Valley" Brass Competition in ltaly, the Tuba Competition "Ville d'Avray" in France and the Music Prize of the Kiefer Hablitze\ Foundation in Switzerland. His musical education started in Portugal at the age of 14 years old and his first teachers included Juan Carlos Diaz, Chris Lee, Eduardo Nogeroles and Sergio Carolino. After graduating from Porto University of Music and Performing Arts, he pursued his Master Degree in Switzerland with Anne Je lie Visser.
Ricardo Carvalhoso plays Yamaha instruments and is a sought-after pedagogue and soloist.
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Alexei
Ogrintchouk
Professor of Oboe
Born in Moscow in 1978, Alexei Ogrintchouk studied at the Gnessin School of Music in Moscow under Professor I. Pushechnikov. In 1995, a French government scholarship enabled him to enter the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, where he studied with Maurice Bourgue, Jean-Louis Capezzali, and Jacques Tys. In 1999, he received two first prizes unanimously from the CNSM jury in oboe and chamber music.
A laureate of the National Wind Instrument Competition of Russia (1st Prize in 1991), the International “Concertino-Prague” Competition (1992), and the UFAM International Competition in Paris (1st Prize in 1997), he won the First Prize and special prizes at the CIEM International Competition in Geneva in 1998. In 1999, he won the European “Juventus” Prize.
Under the auspices of UNESCO, with the Les Nouveaux Noms Foundation, as a soloist of the Gnessin Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, and in a duo with Vladimir Spivakov, Alexei Ogrintchouk toured numerous countries.
As a soloist and chamber musician, he has performed with musicians such as Radu Lupu, Gidon Kremer, Vladimir Spivakov, Christophe Coin, and the Kocian and Sine Nomine Quartets. He has played under the direction of conductors such as Fabio Luisi, Kent Nagano, Albert Kaiser, and with many orchestras. He has been a guest at several renowned festivals.
In May 1999, Alexei Ogrintchouk was selected as the principal oboe of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra under Valery Gergiev. Since 2000, he has been supported by the NATEXIS Foundation. During the 2000/2001 season, he was chosen as an artist for the Rising Star program, which led him to prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Wigmore Hall in London, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and the Cité de la Musique in Paris. In January 2002, he received two Victoires de la Musique Classique awards: “Revelation Foreign Artist of the Year” and the audience award. Starting in the 2011 academic year, Alexei Ogrintchouk succeeded Maurice Bourgue at the Haute école de musique de Genève.
Learn more about Alexei Ogrintchouk
