Amaury
Coeytaux
Professor of violin
- Amaury Coeytaux to join the HEM at the start of the 2025-2026 academic year. --
Over the last few years, Amaury Coeytaux has established himself as one of the most outstanding violinists of his generation.
As The Strad Magazine points out, it is “his great musical sensitivity, impeccable technique and warm sound” that have won him the affection of audiences in the world's greatest concert halls.
A student of Micheline Lefebvre, Jean-Jacques Kantorow and Pinchas Zukerman, he gave his first recital at the age of 9 and made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2004. Since then, he has performed as soloist and chamber musician with Pinchas Zukerman, Yefim Bronfman, Frank Braley, Nicholas Angelich, Gérard Caussé and Myung-Whun Chung at major festivals including La Roque d'Anthéron, Menton, Colmar, Lugano, Salzburg, Rheingau, Bucharest Festival Enescu and Amsterdam.
Now concertmaster of the Modigliani Quartet, he can be heard in the most prestigious concert halls, including the Philharmonie de Paris, the Hamburg Philharmonie, the Berlin Konzerthaus, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Bilbao Philharmonie, the Prinzregententheater in Munich...
With the Modigliani Quartet, he has also been artistic director of the Saint Paul de Vence Festival and the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition since 2020.
Passionate about the orchestral repertoire, he collaborates with conductors such as Myung-whun Chung, Gustavo Dudamel, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Tugan Sokhiev. He regularly conducts and performs as soloist with the Radio France Philharmonic, the Strasbourg Philharmonic, the Toulouse Capitole, the Spanish Radio Orchestra, the Navarre Symphony Orchestra, the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra...
Following the release of his latest disc devoted to the Brahms sonatas, he received unanimous praise from international critics, as well as the highest distinctions from Diapason, Classica and Télérama. His discography highlights the richness of his different musical horizons, with concertante works by Ysaye, Brahms trios and numerous quartet recordings, including the complete Schubert quartets released by Mirare in 2022.
Amaury Coeytaux plays a 1715 Stradivarius violin.
Gerardo Gustavo
Vila
Professor of Chamber Music – Coordinator of Chamber Music (NE)
Born in Buenos Aires, Gerardo Vila showed remarkable talent from a young age. He developed an intense musical career, earning the diploma of "National Superior Piano Professor" from the National Conservatory of Music and winning six first prizes, including the "Vicente Scaramuzza" competition, which allowed him to perfect his skills in Europe.
He continued his studies at the Conservatoire de Genève with Maria Tipo, where he obtained the first prize in virtuosity with distinction and the Henry Broillet prize. Later, he worked with Karl Engel at the Conservatory of Bern and participated in masterclasses with Louis de Moura Castro, György Sandor, Tatiana Nikolayeva, Vlado Perlemuter, and Maurizio Pollini.
Winner of numerous international piano competitions, he received, among others, the first prize at the "Maria Canals" competition in Barcelona, the second prize at the "Alessandro Casagrande" competition in Terni/Italy, and the "World Piano Competition" in Cincinnati/USA.
Vila has undertaken numerous tours in Europe, Latin America, and the United States, performing in venues such as Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Palau de la Música in Barcelona, Piccolo Teatro di Milano, Teatro Massimo di Palermo, Espace Pierre Cardin in Paris, Théâtre Roma in Warsaw, Kleine Musikhalle in Hamburg, Alte Oper in Frankfurt, Kaufleutensaal in Zurich, University Hall in Helsinki, Omni Hall of Mirrors in Cincinnati, Casino de Berne, Casino Kursaal in Interlaken, Max-Joseph-Saal in the Residenz in Munich, Fondation Pierre Gianadda in Martigny, Salle Métropole in Lausanne, Slovak Philharmonic Hall in Bratislava, Herkulessaal in Munich, and the Sydney Opera House.
He has performed as a soloist with renowned orchestras such as the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Perugia Orchestra, the AMSA World Symphony in Cincinnati, the Barcelona City Orchestra, the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, the Dresden Philharmonic, the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, and the Bern Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of conductors including Arpad Gerecz, Jun Märkl, Albert Rosen, Frank Cramer, Dennis Burkh, Jörg Peter Weigle, Miguel Gómez Martínez, Christian Arming, Laurent Gendre, Carlos Kalmar, Hans Zender, and Michel Tabachnik.
Gerardo Vila has had the privilege of performing in recitals with the prestigious pianist Karl Engel and playing in the Camerata Lysy with Sir Yehudi Menuhin. He possesses extensive experience in chamber music, having played with Ana Chumachenko, Alberto Lysy, Radu Aldulescu, Rachel Harnisch, Alexandru Gavrilovici, Thomas Friedli, Patrick Demenga, Gyula Stuller, Marcio Carneiro, Karl Engel, and Davide Bandieri.
For many years, he has given masterclasses in Switzerland, Romania, and Latin America.
Vila is a member of the ensemble "I Salonisti" and the 676 NuevoTango Quintet. He continues to perform as a soloist and with various chamber music ensembles.
He has made several recordings for VDE-Gallo, Zytglogge, Vox, Naxos, and Brillant Classics.
Since its inception, Vila has been a professor of chamber music at the Haute École de Musique de Genève, Neuchâtel site, where he also serves as the coordinator.
Learn more about Gerardo Gustavo Vila
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.
Hélène
Clément
Professeure d'alto
Hélène Clément joins the HEM as viola professor for the 2026–2027 academic year
Born in 1988, Hélène Clément studied under Jean Sulem at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris, then under Hariolf Schlichtig at the Musikhochschule in Munich, and finally under Tabea Zimmermann at the Musikhochschule Hanns Eisler in Berlin.
Her fierce enthusiasm for chamber music and the viola repertoire has led her to constantly broaden her musical horizons by performing in a wide variety of collaborations, playing in the most prestigious concert halls in Europe and around the world.
Pursuing her passion as a chamber musician, she has performed on international stages such as the Musikverein in Vienna, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall in New York, the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia and the Cité de la Musique in Paris. She has performed chamber music with Mitsuko Uchida, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Brett Dean, Nicolas Altstaedt, Benjamin Grosvenor, Alexander Melnikov, Peter Wispelwey, the Brentano String Quartet, the Quatuor Ébène and the Nash Ensemble.
Hélène Clément was the violist of the Doric Quartet for twelve years, with whom she nurtured her appetite for in-depth exploration of the string quartet repertoire, from Haydn's quartets to commissions of contemporary pieces.
She has recorded Benjamin Britten and Frank Bridge's works for viola with pianist Alasdair Beatson and singer Dame Sarah Connolly for Chandos Records. This recording was played on an Italian viola from 1843 that belonged to Britten and Bridge. The viola is generously loaned to her by the Britten Pears Arts Foundation. She is Professor of Viola and Chamber Music at the Royal Academy of Music in London until the end of the 2025–2026 academic year and will join the HEM in September 2026.
Lambert
Colson
Professor of Cornetto
Lambert Colson studied with Françoise Defours, Pedro Memelsdorff, Bart Coen, Marleen Leicher, Bruce Dickey, and Gebhard David at institutions including the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel, ESMUC in Barcelona, the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, and the HFK in Bremen.
His collaborations include working with ensembles and conductors such as Scherzi Musicali, Le Poème Harmonique (Vincent Dumestre), Holland Baroque, La Fenice (Jean Tubéry), Pygmalion (Raphaël Pichon), B’rock, Collegium Vocale (Philippe Herreweghe), Correspondances (Sébastien Daucé), Cappella Mediterranea (Leonardo Garcia Alarcon), and Continuum.
He leads his own musical projects, directly derived from research undertaken in recent years with his ensemble InAlto. InAlto's most recent recordings have been critically acclaimed by the European press: Diapason d’Or & Diapason d’Or of the Year 2017, Choc de Classica, 5 stars Rondo Magazin, Joker Crescendo, Clé d’Or Res Musica, and selections of the year for Libération and Le Monde.
He currently teaches cornetto, ensemble music, and ornamentation at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel and the Haute école de musique de Genève.
In his continuous exploration of his instrument, he is pursuing a doctoral program focused on the mute cornett and its use in 17th-century Germany, in a joint project between the Koninklijk Conservatorium and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. The thesis will be publicly presented in 2024.
He has had several pieces dedicated to him by contemporary composers such as Zad Moultaka, Fabrice Fitch, and Bernard Foccroulle.
Eager for unusual collaborations, he works with choreographer Catherine Contour and explores the practice of hypnosis. He increasingly explores the possibilities offered by his instruments in contemporary music, collaborating with artists like Liesa van der Aa, Shara Nova (My Brightest Diamond), Petur Ben, Mugison, and Efterklang. He is also involved in several jazz and improvisation projects with artists such as Emmanuel Baily, Xavier Rogé, Franck Vagané, Adam Woolf, Jon Birdsong, and Eric Vloeimans.
Learn more about Lambert Colson.
Laura Monica
Pustilnik
Professor of Lute - Basso Continuo on the Instrument (for Lutenists)
After studying guitar and piano at the Conservatorio Nacional Lopez Buchardo in Argentina, Mónica Pustilnik completed her training in 2010 with a Master of Arts at the Schola Cantorum in Basel under Hopkinson Smith. She specializes in the baroque and renaissance repertoire for lute and completed her training with Jesper Christensen for basso continuo on the lute and harpsichord, Rolf Lislevand at the Musikhochschule in Trossingen, Germany, Michel Corboz in choral conducting at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique de Genève, and Jordi Mora in orchestral conducting in Barcelona.
Mónica Pustilnik is very active as a soloist, chamber musician, and in opera or oratorio productions. She regularly performs and records with renowned ensembles such as Le Concert d’Astrée (dir. Emmanuelle Haïm), La Cappella Mediterranea (dir. Leonardo García Alarcón), Les Musiciens du Louvre (dir. Marc Minkowski), Les Talens Lyriques (dir. Christophe Rousset), Concerto Vocale (dir. René Jacobs), Ensemble Elyma (dir. Gabriel Garrido), Les Arts Florissants (W. Christie), and many others.
Mónica Pustilnik has assisted in the musical direction of Cavalli’s Eliogabalo at the Opéra Garnier in Paris, Cavalli’s Elena at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo at the Opéra de Lille, Cavalli’s Hipermestra at the Utrecht Early Music Festival, and L’Incoronazione di Poppea at the Haute école de musique de Genève. She has performed in recitals at the Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Poznan Festival (Poland), Ravello (Italy), Freunde Alter Musik Basel, and has developed numerous chamber music programs at the Opéra de Lille. In 2014, she directed performances of Cavalli’s Elena at the Opéra de Nantes and Angers.
Mónica Pustilnik records for the labels Harmonia Mundi, Naïve, Virgin, Arcana, Glossa, and K617. Her solo recording, featuring works by Alessandro Piccinini for the Accent label in 2014, was highly praised by critics.
Her pedagogical activities have led her to teach lute, basso continuo, and chamber music at the Escuela Superior de Música de Cataluña in Barcelona, the Conservatorio A. Scontrino in Trapani (Italy), and the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. Mónica Pustilnik has been teaching lute at the Haute école de musique de Genève since September 2017.
Learn more about Laura Monica Pustilnik
Emmanuel
Olivier
Professeur d'accompagnement au piano instrumental et vocal
Emmanuel Olivier performs as a soloist and with numerous singers and instrumentalists at the Auditorium du Musée d'Orsay, the BNF and the Cité de la Musique in Paris, at the Montpellier and Aix festivals, at the opera houses of Lille, Toulouse and Tours, as well as throughout Europe and Asia.
At the same time, his collaboration with great conductors such as Altinoglu, De Billy, Eschenbach, Eötvös, Gardiner, Haïm, Harding, Nelson and Roth naturally led him to conduct operas (Mozart, Strasnoy, Puccini, Hahn, Vaughan Williams, etc.).
A long and fruitful partnership with Jean-Claude Malgoire led him to conduct La Grande Écurie et la Chambre du Roy on numerous occasions, in works by Gluck (with Philippe Jarrousky), Mozart, Rossini and Poulenc (La Voix humaine with Véronique Gens).
After studying at the Paris Conservatoire, he became an assistant professor of vocal accompaniment there. He has given several masterclasses on the French repertoire at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and at the Musikhochschule in Karlsruhe. He has also taught at Royaumont, the CNSM in Lyon, the Universität für Musik in Vienna, the Opéra Studio de l'Opéra du Rhin and the OperAvenir studio in Basel, as well as at the Académie Européenne du Festival d'Aix-en-Provence.
His discography includes ‘J'aurai voulu être une chanteuse’, ‘Le cœur en forme de fraise’ and ‘Qu'as-tu fait de ta jeunesse’ with Carl Ghazarossian (Hortus), ‘Soir païen’ with Alexis Kossenko and Anna Reinhold (Aparté), and ‘French songs’ by Lou Koster with Vincent Lièvre-Picard (AR RE-SE).
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.
Moudja
Cugno
Coordinateur Master musique à l'école / Maître d'enseignement en Transcréations
Moudja Cugno est musicien, auteur, compositeur, interprète, ingénieur du son et pédagogue. Pianiste, guitariste et chanteur, il développe une pratique artistique plurielle, nourrie par la création, la production musicale et la scène.
Cette expérience artistique et technique constitue le socle de son engagement pédagogique. Titulaire d’un Bachelor et de deux Masters en pédagogie musicale, il enseigne depuis plus de vingt-cinq ans, dont douze années au sein du Département de l’Instruction publique à Genève.
En 2025, il est nommé maître d’enseignement en transcréation à la Haute école de musique de Genève et devient coordinateur de la filière Master Musique à l’école. Il y conduit une réflexion de fond sur la formation des futur·e·s enseignant·e·s, articulant pratique artistique, ingénierie du son, outils numériques, pédagogie et réalités du terrain scolaire.
Son travail s’inscrit dans une perspective plus large de défense de la place de la musique dans l’école et dans la société, et accorde une importance centrale à la construction de l’identité professionnelle de l’enseignant·e de musique, dans ses dimensions artistique, pédagogique, éthique et humaine.
Il est également mandaté pour une mission de concertation avec l’IUFE, visant à aligner les référentiels de compétences et les contenus de formation entre les deux institutions.
Il mène actuellement un travail de recherche sur les dimensions sensibles et transformatrices de l’éducation musicale, à la croisée des pratiques artistiques, des sciences de l’éducation et des enjeux contemporains. Il a été publié dans une revue universitaire, nommé pour un prix de pédagogie à la HEP Vaud, et participe au groupe de travail sur l’intelligence artificielle en éducation mandaté par la DGEO.
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.
