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.
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
Florence
Jaccottet
Head of the Music and Movement Department - Rhythmician, teacher, movement artist
Born in Lausanne in 1989, Florence Jaccottet is currently Head of the Music and Movement Department at the Geneva University of Music (HEM), where she has been teaching rhythm, movement technique and composition, and creative experimentation workshops since 2019.
A specialist in the Jaques-Dalcroze method, she has over 10 years' experience in teaching rhythm, acquired in particular at the Jaques-Dalcroze Institute, where she taught a variety of audiences for several years. Her teaching has been recognised with several awards, including a prize for excellence in music theory teaching and the Alethéia Foundation Prize for the creation of ‘Entrée en matières’ (2017), in collaboration with percussionist Michael Chapon.
Florence Jaccottet was trained from childhood in Jaques-Dalcroze eurhythmics at the Lausanne Conservatory. She also studied piano there in Helena Maffli's class, obtaining a Prize for Excellence in 2008. At the HEM Geneva, she pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Movement (Marguerite Croptier Lange Teaching Prize, 2011), a Master of Arts in Jaques-Dalcroze Pedagogy (Jaques-Dalcroze Institute Prize, 2013), and then a Higher Diploma, obtained in 2019.
Alongside her teaching, Florence Jaccottet is developing artistic research focused on the musicality of improvised movement.
She has a particular interest in contemporary music repertoire, collaborations with composers, and performative and sound experiments. Placed at the heart of her artistic research, the expression of rhythm and musicality of movement through improvisation makes her dance a unique contemporary language.
Also active internationally, Florence Jaccottet is regularly invited to teach, notably in Seoul, Montreal and Beijing.
Sergey
Ostrovsky
Professor of Violin
Sergey Ostrovsky was born in 1975 in Nizhny Novgorod into a family of musicians. His first violin teacher was David Lapidus. He then studied with Lazar Gantman and Yury Gluchovsky before emigrating to Israel with his family, where he continued his training with Yair Kless and Irina Svetlova. In 1996, he founded the Aviv Quartet, with which he first trained at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne with members of the Alban Berg Quartet, and at the Rotterdam Conservatory with members of the Daniel Quartet. He also participated in master classes with renowned musicians such as Isaac Stern, Herman Krebbers, Dorothy Delay, and Ivry Gitlis.
With the Aviv Quartet, he won the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition (a grand prize and four special prizes), the Bordeaux String Quartet Competition, the Aviv National Competition in Tel Aviv, and the Rodolfo Lipizer Prize. Whether as a chamber musician or soloist, Sergey Ostrovsky has performed in major venues (Carnegie Hall in New York, the Library of Congress in Washington, Wigmore Hall in London, the Louvre Auditorium and Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, and the Sydney Opera House) and in many countries (Israel, Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, China, Canada, and Brazil). His solo repertoire includes works by Bach, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Lalo, Chausson, and Sibelius, among others. He has also played with numerous orchestras conducted by maestros such as Zubin Mehta, Yoel Levi, Philippe Entremont, Maxim Vengerov, and Uriel Segal.
Sergey Ostrovsky has recorded for Naxos and EMI Classics, notably with Maxim Vengerov and the UBS Verbier Chamber Orchestra. He is the first violinist of the Aviv Quartet, performing major classical and romantic quartets, and the concertmaster of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. He plays a Giovanni Grancinno from 1716 and teaches violin at the Haute école de musique de Genève, Neuchâtel site.
Learn more about Sergey Ostrovsky
Gilbert
Nouno
Head of the CIMME - Professor of Electronic Music - Multimedia Composition - Interactive Video Design - Internet Music - Interfaces, Digital Instrument Making & Immersive Systems - Concept & Creation, Open Space
Composer, sound artist, pedagogue, and researcher, Gilbert Nouno creates music that is highly in tune with visual arts and digital technologies. Curious about all forms of expression, he effortlessly crosses the boundaries between composition and improvisation. As a visual artist under the name Til Berg, he combines the synesthesia of sound arts with other media. Using music and sounds, he generates abstract and minimalist visuals with traditional and digital media such as video and lithography.
Gilbert Nouno's collaborations are marked by aesthetic plurality with many artists such as Pierre Boulez and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, George Benjamin and the London Sinfonietta, Jonathan Harvey and the Arditti Quartet, saxophonist Steve Coleman, and flutist Magic Malik...
A laureate of the Villa Kujoyama in Kyoto in 2007, and the Villa Medici, Académie de France in Rome in 2011-2012, Gilbert Nouno teaches composition and runs the International Center for Experimental Music and Media (CIMME) at the Haute école de musique de Genève, teaches composition at the Royal College of Music in London , and is a visiting professor invited by the DAAD in Detmold (Germany). He teaches digital sound arts at Goldsmiths, University of London, where he is also a guest researcher, and live electronics & computer music design at Ircam.
Learn more about Gilbert Nouno
Axel
Schacher
Professeur de musique de chambre - quatuor à cordes
Born in 1981, Axel Schacher began studying the violin at the age of four. At the age of twelve, he won the Royaume de la Musique competition, organised by Radio France in Paris, and played E. Lalo's Spanish Symphony at the winners' concert, accompanied by the Republican Guard Orchestra. At the age of thirteen, he entered the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris in the class of Boris Garlitski.
In 1998, he was awarded the Prix de la Ville de Paris, and in 2000, he received his first prize with honours from the Conservatoire National de Musique de Paris. He was a prize winner at the Andrea Postacchini International Competition in 1998, then in 2000 he won second prize at the Tibor Varga International Competition, as well as special prizes for the best interpretation of Bach's work and Paganini's caprice. Since 2003, he has held the position of first violin soloist with the Basel Symphony Orchestra.
He taught chamber music at the Guildhall School of London from 2010 to 2015. For more than twelve years, he was a member of the Belcea Quartet, an internationally renowned ensemble that has been performing for almost thirty years in the most prestigious venues (Berlin Philharmonie, Wigmore Hall, Concertgebouw, Carnegie Hall, Boulez Saal,
Helbphilharmonie, Konzerthaus Wien) and with numerous musicians such as Tabea Zimmerman, Piotr Anderszerwski, Matthias Goerne, Jean Guihen Queyras, Antoine Tamestit, Martin Fröst, Elisabeth Leonska, Jorg Widmann and Ian Bostridge. The Belcea Quartet has recorded more than twenty-five albums, which have been acclaimed by the international press.
Clémence
Tilquin
Professor of Voice
After studying cello and singing at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Genève with François Guye and Danielle Borst, earning two Master's degrees with Distinction, Clémence Tilquin embarked on a dual career in Europe and Japan. As a laureate of the prestigious Leenaards Foundation, she decided in 2010 to fully dedicate herself to singing and further honed her skills in London, Oslo, Brussels, and Milan.
Soon, engagements began pouring in. The young soprano made her debut at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie as Papagena and later joined the young troupe of the Grand Théâtre de Genève. In 2012, she performed as Adina in Donizetti's opera in Austria, appeared in "La Fille de Madame Angot" in Liège, and portrayed the Princess in Ravel's opera at the Aix-en-Provence Festival. She also played roles such as Poppea in Monteverdi's works under Leonardo Garcia-Alarcon, Drusilla in Monteverdi's opera and Elettra in Mozart's works at the Opéra de Montpellier, Elvira in Rossini's opera, Gabrielle in Offenbach's opera, Frasquita in Bizet's opera at the Opéra d'Avignon, Brigitte in Offenbach's opera at the Opéra de Nancy, Lucinde in Gounod's opera at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, Lauretta in Puccini's opera, Fiordiligi in Mozart's opera, Fannì in Rossini's opera, and Alcina in Vivaldi's opera at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées.
In concert, Clémence Tilquin has performed Neukomm's Requiem with Jean-Claude Malgoire, Pierrot Lunaire by Schönberg and Dallapiccola at the Musiekgebaw in Amsterdam, Stravinsky with the Ensemble Intercontemporain in Paris, Mendelssohn's Elias and Rossini's Stabat Mater with the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, Sturzenegger's Anakrôn, Gounod at the Palazetto Bru Zane in Venice, Mozart's Comtesse at the Opéra Royal de Versailles, Saint-Saëns's Ascanio at the Grand Théâtre de Genève (recording), and Saint-Saëns's Proserpine with the Bayerischen Rundfunk in Munich.
She has performed under the baton of conductors such as John Nelson, James Loughran, Wolfgang Rihm, Jean-Claude Malgoire, Emmanuel Krivine, Michail Jurowski, and Gabòr Takacs (Cinderella by Franck Martin, recording).
In 2019, she portrayed Vitellia in Mozart's "La Clémence de Titus," Berenice in Rossini's "L'Occasione fa il ladro" at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées, and upcoming performances include Mozart conducted by François-Xavier Roth, Strauss's "Four Last Songs," the role of Fannì in Rossini's opera, and Beethoven's "Christ on the Mount of Olives" in Montreal.
Learn more about Clémence Tilquin.
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
Bruno
Cocset
Professor of Cello
Born in 1963, Bruno Cocset graduated from the Conservatoire National de Région de Tours. He was admitted to the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon in 1980, where he studied with Alain Meunier, and later with Jean Deplace, leaving his class in March 1983 due to stylistic differences.
He approached the baroque cello and gut string playing as an autodidact and later with Christophe Coin, becoming the first graduate of his class at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et Danse de Paris (First Prize with unanimous distinction in 1986). He also attended masterclasses by cellist Anner Bijlsma and violinist Jaap Schroeder.
Twenty years of rich experiences and musical collaborations followed: Les Arts Florissants, Mosaïques, Fitzwilliam, Ensemble Baroque de Limoges, Le Concert Français, La Petite Bande, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Les Talens Lyriques, Arsys, Ricercar Consort, l’Arpeggiata, Stradivaria, l’Amoroso, Al Ayre Español, Henri Ledroit, Véronique Gens, Maurice Bourgue, Franz Brüggen, Gustav Leonhardt, Jos Van Immerseel, Jean-Claude Malgoire, Philippe Herreweghe…
His most faithful affiliations are with Il Seminario Musicale by Gérard Lesne (1988-2004), and the Concert des Nations and Hesperion XX-XXI by Jordi Savall (1990-2005). In 1996, he founded Les Basses Réunies and self-produced his first solo recording: the sonatas of Antonio Vivaldi. This disc, welcomed by the Alpha label, received the Vivaldi prize from the Cini Foundation in Venice. About ten other recordings, praised by French and international music critics, led to regular invitations to perform in France, Europe, Quebec, and Russia.
Each of these recording projects is linked to a sound and organological research collaboration with luthier Charles Riché. Nine instruments have emerged from this collaboration. As a musician-researcher, he thus offers a "plural" cello. He is now exclusively dedicated to this path and to teaching. In September 2005, he was appointed Professor of Baroque Cello at the Haute école de musique de Genève.
Learn more about Bruno Cocset.
Sarah
Verrue
Professeure of harp - chamber music with harp
Belgian harpist Sarah Verrue made a name for herself early on as a prize winner at the Dutch International Harp Competition, the Rotary Competition, the UFAM and the Martine Geliot Competition. At the age of 24, she became principal harpist of the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra under the baton of Paavo Järvi. Since 2019, she has been guest harpist with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra.
Sarah holds a Master's degree in music and chamber music from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris under the direction of Isabelle Moretti. She was a member of the Munich National Opera Academy in 2012 and, a year later, she took classes with Marie-Pierre Langlamet and played at the Karajan Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Sarah has performed as a chamber musician at renowned festivals such as the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the Salzburg Festival, the MDR Musiksommer, the Festival van Vlaanderen and the Festival de Menton.
As a soloist, Sarah has performed with the Munich Chamber Orchestra, the Nieuwe Philharmonie Utrecht, the Graubünden Chamber Orchestra and the Cannes Symphony Orchestra.
Sarah has often worked in musical theatre at the Philharmonie du Luxembourg, in productions such as Cendrillon and Wolkenwanderer. In Zurich, she is involved in specialised schools for children with disabilities. In the summer, she is a coach at the Verbier Festival Orchestra, where she teaches and supports young musicians.
