Aline
Champion
Professor of Violin
Aline Champion was accepted into the Haute Ecole de Musique of Geneva at the age of 12, thus becoming the youngest student admitted, a record which stands to this day. The same year she made her solo debut at the Victoria Hall in Geneva, which marked the start of her career.
She continued her studies with teachers such as Tibor Varga and Pierre Amoyal before joining Philipp Hirschhorn’s class at the Utrecht Conservatory in the Netherlands, finishing her studies with Viktor Libermann. She graduated with distinctions. Throughout her studies, Aline has had the privilege to work with artists such as Yehudi Menuhin, Sandor Vegh, Nathan Milstein and Itzahk Perlmann, all of whom have influenced her notably.
Aline has been invited in some of the most prestigious concert halls, including the Royal Albert Hall in Londres, the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, the Philharmonie in Berlin, the Tonhalle in Zürich as well as the KKL in Lucerne. She has also performed at the Lucerne Festival, at the Mostly Haydn Festival in London and the Easter Festival in Baden-Baden. Passionate about chamber music, she has collaborated with Murray Perahia, Tibor Varga, Katia et Marielle Labèque, Emmanuel Pahud, Marie-Pierre Langlamet, Christian Poltera, Baiba et Lauma Skride, Markus Groh, Wolfram Christ and Peter Ustinov.
Alongside her career as a solo artist, she became the concertmaster of the Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra before joining the 1st violins of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in 2000. Aline graduated as a psychotherapist (HP) in 2017, specializing in Performance Coaching. She developed her own method tailored for musicians, blending her stage experience with knowledge drawn from neuroscience, sports, and the business world. Her close collaboration with Jean-Pierre Egger, coach to numerous world and Olympic champions, has greatly enriched her perspective. Since 2018, she has been regularly leading conferences and seminars for musicians, where she explores key topics such as work organization, stage fright management, concentration, motivational strategies, confidence building, and the development and mastery of stage presence,
providing comprehensive support.
As pedagogue, she has been teaching at the Music University in Geneva since 2018. She was a tutor for several years at the Schleswig Holstein Orchestra Academy Festival, and is regularly invited to give masterclasses in France, Switzerland, the United States, Italy, Singapore and China.
In 2005, she was honored by University of Shanghai with the title of Professor Honoris Causa, and in 2011, she was named Professor of Christchurch University in New-Zealand. Aline was also awarded an honorary citizenship by the municipality of Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva, in Switzerland.
In 2022, she created in 2022 the Villars Music Academy, pioneering a holistic approach to music making, in collaboration with world-class musicians and speakers, where she is the Director.
Learn more about Aline Champion.
Sarah
Verrue
Professeure de harpe
La harpiste belge Sarah Verrue s'est très tôt fait remarquer en tant que lauréate du Dutch International Harp Competition, du Concours Rotary, de l'UFAM et du Concours Martine Geliot. A 24 ans, elle devient harpiste solo de l'Orchestre de la Tonhalle de Zurich sous la direction de Paavo Järvi. Depuis 2019, elle est harpiste invitée au Lucern Festival Orchestra.
Sarah est titulaire d'un Master en musique et musique de chambre du Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris sous la direction d'Isabelle Moretti. Elle a été membre de l´Académie de l'Opéra national de Munich en 2012 et, un an plus tard, elle suivait les cours de Marie-Pierre Langlamet et jouait à l'Académie Karajan du Berliner Philharmoniker.
Sarah s'est produite en tant que chambriste dans des festivals renommés tels que le Festival d'Aix-en Provence, le Festival de Musique Schweslig-Holstein, le Festival de Salzbourg, le MDR Musiksommer, le Festival van Vlaanderen et le Festival de Menton.
En tant que soliste, Sarah s'est produite avec l'Orchestre de Chambre de Munich, la Nieuwe Philharmonie d'Utrecht, l'Orchestre de Chambre des Grisons ou l'Orchestre Symphonique de Cannes.
Sarah a souvent travaillé dans le théâtre musical de la Philharmonie du Luxembourg, dans des productions telles que Cendrillon et Wolkenwanderer. A Zürich, elle s´engage dans des écoles spécialisées pour enfants en situation d´un handicap. L'été, elle est coach au Verbier Festival Orchestra où elle enseigne et soutient de jeunes musiciens.
Patrik Vincent
Dasen
Professor of Ethnomusicology, Master’s Research Seminar, World Music Workshop
Patrik Dasen graduated in ethnomusicology from the Université Paris X Nanterre (Maîtrise, 1999) and the Université de Nice Sophia-Antipolis (Master 2, 2009), where he also completed a doctoral thesis in March 2020 entitled "Becoming and Being a Maker of Irish Bagpipes Uilleann Pipes: Between Deterritorialization and Heritage Preservation," under the supervision of Prof. Luc Charles-Dominique. His research focuses on the processes of transmission and heritage preservation of musical traditions.
He worked for ten years at the Ateliers d'ethnomusicologie de Genève as the head of educational activities and public relations. He also led, with a small team, the cataloging and digitization campaign of the Archives Internationales de Musique Populaire (AIMP, 2005-2011) by Constantin Brailoiu, which are now fully accessible at the Musée d'ethnographie de Genève thanks to this preservation effort. He has been teaching ethnomusicology and the sociology of contemporary music at the Haute école de musique de Genève since 2008.
Learn more about Patrik Vincent Dasen
Alberto
Bocini
Professor of Double Bass
Alberto Bocini initially studied guitar before dedicating himself to the double bass. He holds a diploma from the Cherubini Conservatory in Florence, obtained in the class of Alfredo Brandi, and further honed his skills under the guidance of Franco Petrachi. He has won numerous competitions, including a first prize at the Valentino Bucchi Competition, a first prize at the Torneo Internazionale della Musica, and a second prize at the Nicanor Zabaleta String Competition.
As a soloist, he has performed with many ensembles, including the orchestra of the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, I Solisti Veneti, and the Rome and Lazio Orchestra. In chamber music, he has played with Yuri Bashmet, Vadim Repin, Patrick Gallois, Natalia Gutman, and Eric Ruske. The Newport Music Festival honored him by inviting him eleven times, up until 2004.
Alberto Bocini is a member of the Bass Gang, a double bass quartet with an extremely heterogeneous repertoire, which they present with virtuosity and humor. This ensemble has enjoyed great success and has been acclaimed during tours in Japan and Korea. The group recorded a DVD for the independent label NBB Records, a label founded by Alberto Bocini, for which he has recorded extensively.
An eclectic and enthusiastic musician, Alberto Bocini does not hesitate to push the boundaries of his repertoire. He recorded for Denon Braevissimo a concerto for double bass and strings by Ennio Morricone and dedicated an album to the music of the English rock band Genesis with a trio named After Genesis. Currently the principal double bassist of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino under the direction of Zubin Mehta, Alberto Bocini teaches double bass at the Haute école de musique de Genève.
Learn more about Alberto Bocini
Florence
Jaccottet
Head of the Music and Movement Department - Professor of Creative Experimentation Workshop - Jaques-Dalcroze Eurhythmics - Movement Technique and Composition - Coordinator of Physical and Mental Preparation
Born in 1989 in Lausanne, Florence Jaccottet began studying Jaques-Dalcroze eurhythmics at a young age at the Conservatory of her hometown. Simultaneously, she studied piano in the class of Helena Maffli, completing her course in 2008 with a Prize of Excellence.
Driven by her passion for both musical and physical expression, she pursued the Music and Movement program at the Haute école de musique de Genève, earning a Bachelor of Arts in 2011, awarded the Marguerite Croptier Lange Pedagogy Prize. Two years later, she completed her studies with a Master of Arts in Jaques-Dalcroze Pedagogy, which was recognized with the Jaques-Dalcroze Institute Prize. Florence Jaccottet is currently a scholarship recipient working towards a Diplôme Supérieur, during which she received the Prize for Excellence in Teaching Solfège. Her creation "Entrée en matières," presented in 2017 in a duo with percussionist Michael Chapon, was awarded the Alethéia Foundation Prize.
In 2015, Florence Jaccottet was awarded the title of Professor of Jaques-Dalcroze Eurhythmics by the Jaques-Dalcroze Institute. She has been teaching this method to both adults and children in various settings since 2011 and continually deepens her expertise by participating in numerous masterclasses abroad. Since 2015, she has been teaching movement technique, composition, and creation at the Haute école de musique de Genève, and in 2018, she was appointed lecturer in eurhythmics at the institution.
Balancing teaching with artistic expression, Florence Jaccottet's activities also revolve around her passion for dance, which she has explored in various forms for many years. Since 2013, she has focused particularly on contemporary dance and improvisation with Professor Emilio Artessero Quesada. Her artistic research centers on expressing rhythm and musicality through movement, creating a unique contemporary dance language. This distinctive approach has led to invitations to present her performances and the techniques she develops for future eurhythmics practitioners in Switzerland and, more recently, internationally, including in Japan and South Korea.
Laurent
Gay
Professor of Orchestral Conducting - Elements of Orchestral Conducting (for Choral Conductors)
Holder of the orchestral conducting class at the Haute école de musique de Genève, Laurent Gay has conducted a vast number of concerts in Europe, Asia, and South America, covering a wide repertoire.
He has regularly conducted, among others, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble Contrechamps, and the Orchestre de l'Opéra National de Lyon. He has also conducted the Geneva Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, the Lausanne Sinfonietta, the Orchestre de Bretagne, the Orchestre des Pays de Savoie, the Regional Orchestra of Lower Normandy, the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra (Denmark), the State Symphony Orchestra of Bahia (Brazil), the Deajon Philharmonic Orchestra (South Korea), the Ensemble Orchestral de Genève (artistic director from 1986 to 1996), and the Festival Amadeus Orchestra (artistic director from 1999 to 2004).
Laurent Gay has also conducted numerous opera productions, notably at the Opéra de Lausanne, the Opéra National de Lyon, and the Royal Opera of Versailles.
Many of the productions he has conducted have been broadcast on several Swiss and French national radio and television channels. He is also featured in several discographic productions, leading the Festival Amadeus Orchestra, Ensemble Contrechamps, and the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra.
Deeply committed to contemporary music, he has led the premieres of around thirty works, including Xavier Dayer's opera "Le Marin."
As an invited jury member of several international competitions, Laurent Gay has always been interested in teaching and has consistently been involved in this field. He has given masterclasses and conducted conducting workshops in several European countries, as well as in Brazil as part of the NEOJIBA program and in China at the Shanghai Conservatory.
A recognized pedagogue, he now dedicates a significant portion of his activities to teaching orchestral conducting.
Nurit
Stark
Professor of Violin
Born in Israel, violinist and violist Nurit Stark received her musical education in Tel Aviv, Berlin and Cologne with Ilan Gronich, Haim Taub and the Alban Berg Quartet. Following her first appearance as a soloist at the age of 16 in Paganini's First Violin Concerto with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, she continued to perfect her skills, performing all over the world.
As a chamber musician, she collaborates with pianist Cédric Pescia and soprano Caroline Melzer, with whom she performs at the Lockenhaus Kammermusikfest, Schleswig Holstein, Rheingau, Wien Modern and Donaueschinger Musiktage festivals.
Her passion for contemporary music has led her to give world premieres and collaborate with composers such as Sofia Gubaidulina, György Kurtág, Viktor Suslin, Peter Eötvös, Carola Bauckholt, Jennifer Walsh, Younghi Pagh-Paan, Isabel Mundry and Georg Nussbaumer.
She is also involved in avant-garde stage projects combining music and theater, and with visual artists Isabel Robson & Susanne Vincenz created Roundhouse Reverb, a video installation based on the music of György Kurtág.
Nurit Stark is a prizewinner in the George Enescu, Leopold Mozart and Ibolyka Gyarf international competitions.
Her first solo recording will be released in spring 2022 and includes solo works for violin/viola by Béla Bártok, György Ligeti, Sándor Veress and the world premiere ofAdventures of the dominant seventh chord dedicated to Nurit Stark by Peter Eötvös.
In 2019, she is appointed Professor of Violin at Stuttgart State University for Music and Performing Arts. Nurit Stark plays a P. Guarneri di Mantova violin, 1710.
Learn more about Nurit Stark
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
Stéphane
Orlando
Professeur d'Ateliers d'improvisation (coordinateur) - Harmonie au clavier et écriture Jaques-Dalcroze - Improvisation instrumentale
Lauréat du prix SABAM for culture pour la musique contemporaine en 2020, le pianiste et compositeur Stéphane Orlando collabore régulièrement avec plusieurs musicien-ne-s, ensembles et orchestres.
Depuis 2022, il est devenu compositeur en résidence à l'Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège.
Stéphane Orlando puise son inspiration dans la musique classique, traditionnelle et le jazz, mais aussi dans sa propre pratique de l'improvisation au piano.
Il aime aussi bien composer pour un seul instrument ou en musique de chambre, avec ou sans électronique, que pour orchestre, mais il aime surtout inscrire sa musique dans un contexte narratif riche, avec une forte sensibilité pour les images, les mots et les mouvements.
Stéphane Orlando enseigne l’improvisation instrumentale à la Haute école de musique de Genève (HEM).
En savoir plus sur Stéphane Orlando
Quatuor Belcea
Quatuor en résidence
Composé de Corina Belcea (violon), Suyeon Kang (violon), Krzysztof Chorzelski (alto) et Antoine Lederlin (violoncelle), le Quatuor Belcea bénéficie d’une solide réputation sur la scène musicale internationale et affiche déjà une discographie impressionnante. L’éventail de son répertoire embrasse toute la musique écrite pour quatuor de Haydn, Mozart, et Beethoven, jusqu’à Bartok, Janacek, Britten et Szymanowski. En outre, il présente régulièrement au public des œuvres de compositeurs actuels.
La présence du Quatuor Belcea au sein de la HEM représente une opportunité unique pour les étudiant-e-s de bénéficier d’une formation pratique et théorique complète dispensé par un ensemble expérimenté connaissant parfaitement toutes les facettes du métier de musicien-ne. Nul doute que le professionnalisme, la curiosité et l’éclectisme du Quatuor Belcea seront des sources d’inspiration pour nos étudiant-e-s tant dans le répertoire classique que contemporain.
Site internet du Quatuor Belcea
