Luis
Naon
Professor of Electroacoustic Composition - Mixed Composition
Born in La Plata, Argentina, in 1961, Luis Naon pursued his musical studies at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Universidad Católica Argentina in Buenos Aires, and later at the CNSM de Paris under the guidance of Guy Reibel, Laurent Cuniot, and Daniel Teruggi. He also studied with Sergio Ortega and Horacio Vaggione. Since 1991, he has been a professor of Composition and New Technologies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. Additionally, he taught composition at ESMUC (Barcelona) from 2003 to 2008 and has been a professor of electroacoustics at the HEM de Genève since 2006.
From what could be considered his first work, "Final del Juego" for septet and magnetic tape (premiered at Studio 105 of Radio France in 1983), Naon has sought to implement this dual relationship (between America and Europe, between instruments and electronics).
He has been awarded the UNESCO International Composers Tribune in 1990 and 1996 (for "Tango del desamparo" and "Speculorum Memoria"), the Fondo Nacional de las Artes (for "Reflets"), the TRINAC Prize from the International Music Council (for "Cinq personnages en quête de hauteur"), the Olympia Composition Prize (for "Ombre de l'ombre"), and the Municipal Prize of the City of Buenos Aires in 1991 and 1995 (for "Speculorum Memoria"). He was nominated for the "3rd Victoires de la Musique Classique" (for Sextuor ". "), "Prix Georges Enesco" from SACEM, and "Luis de Narváez" Prize from Caja de Granada for his String Quartet No. 2.
Naon collaborates with various ensembles and institutions such as the Ministry of Culture and Communication, Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires), Musée d’Art Contemporain du Mexique, Orchestre de la Seine-Saint-Denis, Ensemble TM+, Lémanic Modern Ensemble, Interface, Musique Oblique, Musée d’Histoire de Montreuil, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, INA-GRM, IRCAM, Orchestre de Paris, Ensemble Contrechamps, Ensemble Diagonal, Ukho ensemble de Kiev, and in festivals like Musica Strasbourg, MANCA, Festival d'Aix en Provence, Festival Archipel, and Vivier de Montréal.
In 1989, Naon composed the music for the parade on the Champs-Elysées and Place de la Concorde commemorating the Bicentennial of the French Revolution. This parade was televised worldwide.
The cycle of 25 works "Urbana," initiated in 1991 and completed in 2013, crystallizes under this generic title through "Urbana" (1997). It includes 25 works ranging from acousmatic pieces to symphonic orchestra.
He composed the music for the show "Les Princesses" for the opening of the Théâtre-Auditorium de Poitiers in partnership with choreographer Odile Azagury. Nearly 3 hours of music ranging from solo electroacoustic (for choreographers Anna Ventura, Karine Saporta, or Dominique Boivin) to pieces for 15 instruments and electronics (for choreographers Carolyn Carlson, Héla Fatoumi, Blanca Li, etc.). This entire production is captured on a double CD under the Empreinte Digitale label.
Recent works include "Quebrada/Horizonte" for orchestra, "Pájaro al borde de la noche" for cello, electronics, and ensemble premiered at the recent Présences festivals of Radio France, "Ébano y Metal" for the Lemanic Modern Ensemble (Switzerland/France).
Other notable recent works include "Rastros" for the ensembles Stick & Bow and Paramirabo of Montreal (featured in a monographic concert and video recording) and his "String Quartet III" (premiered at the Evora Festival in 2021, then at Archipel 2022 and projection space of IRCAM in 2023).
His latest piece, "Fueye," concertino for bandoneon and ensemble, was premiered by Juanjo Mosalini and the TM+ ensemble at the Maison de la Musique de Nanterre in October 2022, followed by performances at La Seine Musicale and Gennevilliers in May 2023.
Naon's works are published by Henry Lemoine, Gérard Billaudot, and Babelscores.
Learn more about Luis Naon.
Laurent
Sourisse
Professeur d'improvisation instrumentale - improvisation instrumentale Jaques-Dalcroze - Harmonie au clavier et écriture - Accompagnement de chansons
Né en 1970 dans une famille de musiciens, Laurent Sourisse étudie au CNSM de Paris avec Thierry Escaich (Fugue et Formes), Marc-André Dalbavie (Orchestration), Alain Louvier (Analyse), Jean-Claude Reynaud (Harmonie) et Bernard de Crépy (Contrepoint), il se perfectionne en improvisation au piano auprès de Thierry Escaich, Alain Savouret, et Isabelle Duha.
Il enseigne l’écriture, l’harmonie pratique, et l’improvisation sur Paris, puis sur Genève depuis 2001. Il est fréquemment sollicité pour des masterclasses et congrès à l’étranger (Taïwan, Japon, Canada, Belgique, France, Espagne), et pour des formations continues et postgrades.
Au sein du trio Meigmata (avec Marie Mercier, clarinette, et Michael Chapon, batterie), il explore l’improvisation aux multiples influences et la composition collective. Il expérimente également l’association avec d’autres pratiques artistiques : danse (Florence Jaccottet, Luisa Schöfer), marionnettes (Fanfare du Loup, Théâtre de Marionnettes de Genève), matchs d’improvisation (impro.ch et HEM).
Sylviane
Deferne
Professor of piano
Pianist Sylviane Deferne distinguished herself early on in the music world, where the press noted ‘her expressive nobility, intuition, temperament, sense of plasticity and impressive instrumental technique’.
This brilliant performer completed all her musical studies at the Conservatoire de Musique in Geneva, her hometown, where she was unanimously awarded a First Prize for Virtuosity.
Winner of several international competitions and named ‘Soloist of the Year’ by the French-speaking radio community, Sylviane Deferne's career quickly took off. She has performed in Europe, America and Asia and has played as a soloist with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington and the Philharmonia Orchestra in London under the baton of Charles Dutoit.
Pianist Sylviane Deferne has made numerous recordings for the DECCA, Musica Viva, Riche Lieu, DORON music and Aparté labels. She is invited to sit on the jury of international competitions and at music colleges in Switzerland and France, and shares her passion in masterclasses and with her professional students at the Geneva University of Music.
Since 2019, Sylviane Deferne has been artistic director of the Concerts d'Artémont. She brings her artistic vision to an ever-growing audience, developing season after season the highlights and intergenerational sharing.
Her latest albums, recorded at the Salle de Musique in La Chaux-de-Fonds by the Aparté label, are dedicated to Franz Schubert (Der Wanderer, solo piano, 2022), Felix Mendelssohn (complete works for violin and piano with Denitsa Kazakova and the Orchestre des Jeunes de la Suisse Romande, 2024) and Robert Schumann (Zwielicht, solo piano, autumn 2025).
Learn more about Sylviane Deferne.
Louis
Schwizgebel
Professor of Piano
Born in 1987 in Geneva, Louis Schwizgebel studied with Brigitte Meyer in Lausanne and Pascal Devoyon in Berlin. At the age of seventeen, he won the Geneva Competition and two years later, the Young Concert Artists Auditions in New York. He then studied at the Juilliard School in New York with Emanuel Ax and Robert McDonald, and in London at the Royal Academy with Pascal Nemirovski. In 2012, he won the 2nd prize at the Leeds Piano Competition and was named a BBC New Generation Artist.
Louis Schwizgebel performs with orchestras such as the Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony, all the BBC orchestras, all the Swiss symphony orchestras including the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre National de Lyon, Orchestre National du Capitol de Toulouse, hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Wiener Symphoniker, and the Hungarian National Orchestra.
He has worked with conductors such as Charles Dutoit, Fabio Luisi, Marek Janowski, Vasily Petrenko, Lahav Shani, Joshua Weilerstein, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla, Emmanuel Krivine, Robin Ticciati, James Gaffigan, Edward Gardner, Thierry Fischer, Domingo Hindoyan, John Wilson, and Fabien Gabel.
He appears at festivals such as the BBC Proms, Verbier, Lucerne, Gstaad, Progetto Martha Argerich, Festival Septembre Musical Montreux-Vevey, Bergen, Usedom, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Rheingau, and Klavier-Festival Ruhr.
Louis Schwizgebel records for the Aparté label (Harmonia Mundi). In 2013, he released his first solo album "Poems," followed by Beethoven's Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Saint-Saëns' Concertos Nos. 2 & 5 with the BBC Symphony. His latest album is dedicated to composer Franz Schubert, featuring Sonatas D845 & 958.
Learn more about Louis Schwizgebel
François
Dumont
Professor of Piano
François Dumont is a laureate of major international competitions such as the Chopin Competition in Warsaw, the Queen Elisabeth Competition, and the Monte-Carlo Piano Masters. Nominated for the Victoires de la Musique, he received the Prix de la Révélation from the French Musical Criticism.
He performs as a soloist with the Orchestre National de France conducted by François-Xavier Roth, at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, the Philharmonie de Paris, the Musikverein in Vienna, and on tour in Japan. Leonard Slatkin invited him to record Ravel's two concertos with the Orchestre National de Lyon for Naxos.
He participates in major festivals such as La Chaise-Dieu, Radio-France Montpellier, Piano aux Jacobins, La Roque d’Anthéron, Chopin in Nohant, Chopin Societies of Paris and Geneva, and the Palazzetto Bru Zane in Venice.
Born in Lyon, he studied with Pascale Imbert, Chrystel Saussac, and Hervé Billaut, and at fourteen, he joined the CNSMD of Paris in Bruno Rigutto’s class. He furthered his studies at the International Academy of Côme and the Lieven Piano Foundation with Dmitri Bashkirov, Leon Fleisher, William Grant Naboré, Murray Perahia, Menahem Pressler, Andreas Staier, and Fou Ts’ong.
His discography includes over 35 albums, featuring the complete Mozart Sonatas, the complete piano works of Ravel, Beethoven and Schubert trios, as well as recordings of Bach, Chopin, Wagner/Liszt, Fauré, and Mussorgsky, and an ongoing complete series of Mozart concertos with the Orchestre National de Bretagne.
He is an avid chamber musician, performing with Sayaka Shoji, Augustin Dumay, Laurent Korcia, Marc Coppey, Henri Demarquette, Xavier Phillips, the Prazak and Voce quartets, and explores Lied with his wife, soprano Helen Kearns.
He actively collaborates with composers such as Bacri, Dusapin, Finzi, Lacaze, Murail, and Tanguy. Passionate about teaching and pedagogy, he is invited to give masterclasses in Europe and Japan.
Learn more about François Dumont.
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.
Afonso
Venturieri
Professor of Bassoon
Afonso Venturieri was born in Belém, Brazil. With a scholarship from the German government, he studied under Helman Jung at the Hochschule für Musik in Detmold, where he passed the Künstlerische Reifeprüfung exam with high distinction in 1984. He completed his training with Milan Turkovic at the renowned Hochschule für Musik Mozarteum in Salzburg.
In 1989, he won the First Prize at the International Competition for Wind Instruments organized by the Swiss Union of Musicians (USDAM). After serving as a bassoonist with the Ensemble Modern in Frankfurt, Afonso Venturieri became a member of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in 1987, where he holds the position of principal solo bassoon.
He regularly conducts workshops and masterclasses in South America and Europe. He is also dedicated to the training of young musicians, serving as a coach for the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, among others. He performs as a soloist and as part of various chamber music ensembles.
Learn more about Afonso Venturieri.
Pierre
Fouchenneret
Professor of Violin
An insatiable artist with a discography of over twenty albums, Pierre Fouchenneret dedicates several years of his life to the works of a single composer, often surrounding himself with the finest chamber musicians to record a complete set. In 2016, he recorded the complete violin and piano sonatas of Beethoven with Romain Descharmes for Aparte. In 2018, the first volume of a complete set of Gabriel Fauré's chamber music was released, featuring Simon Zaoui and Raphaël Merlin. He also embarked on the ambitious project of performing all of Brahms' chamber music with the Strada Quartet, Eric Lesage, Florent Pujuila, Adrien Boisseau, and others. The complete set was released by B-Records during the 2018 to 2021 seasons. In the spring of 2020, his recording of Schubert and Raphaël Merlin's octets was released, featuring Nicolas Baldeyrou, David Guerrier, and Marc Desmons, among others.
A child prodigy, Pierre Fouchenneret won his first prize in violin and chamber music at the CNSM de Paris at the age of 16 in the classes of Olivier Charlier and Daria Hovora. He later won the Grand Prix at the International Chamber Music Competition of Bordeaux, the Grand Prix Georges Enesco from Sacem, and became a laureate of the Natixis Foundation and an associate artist of the Singer Polignac Foundation.
Invited to stages worldwide, the "extraordinary bow" (Le Figaro) of Pierre Fouchenneret quickly led him to perform with exceptional musicians such as the Fine Arts Quartet, Jean-François Heisser, Jean-Frédéric Neuburger, Zong Xu, Julien Leroy, and Nicolas Angelich. In 2013, he founded the Strada Quartet with Sarah Nemtanu, Lise Berthaud, and François Salque.
Pierre Fouchenneret is highly regarded by French and international orchestras for his boldness and vision of the repertoire. He has been invited by the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre National de Bordeaux, the Brno Philharmonic, the Philharmonics of Nice and Strasbourg, the Baltic of Saint Petersburg, and the Orchestre de Chambre Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
A sought-after teacher, Pierre Fouchenneret is professor at the Haute Ecole de Musique in Geneva.
Learn more about Pierre Fouchenneret.
Sophie
Gent
Professeure de violon baroque
La violoniste australienne Sophie Gent a étudié au Conservatoire royal de La Haye avec Ryo Terakado. Vivant actuellement en France, Sophie se produit régulièrement, comme premier violon, avec les ensembles les plus renommés du moment, comme le Collegium Vocale de Gand (Philippe Herreweghe), le Freiburger Barockorchester, Ricercar Consort (Philippe Pierlot), Pygmalion (Raphaël Pichon), Arcangelo (Jonathan Cohen), entre autres. Elle joue en récital et en musique de chambre, souvent avec Bertrand Cuiller, Kristian Bezuidenhout, Jean Rondeau, Maude Gratton et Pierre Hantaï.
Professeure de violon baroque au Conservatoire d’Amsterdam de 2011 à 2014, elle a également donné des masterclasses au Conservatoire d’Anvers, à l’Atelier de musique ancienne de Jérusalem, à l’Abbaye aux Dames de Saintes. Depuis 2012, elle enseigne à l’Académie de musique ancienne à Vannes et, depuis 2022, au Stage de musique ancienne à Cluny (Ensemble Masque). Elle est actuellement professeure de violon baroque à la Haute école de musique de Genève.
Sophie joue un violon de Jacob Stainer de 1676.
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.
