Geneva

Trombone

The trombone class at the Haute école de musique de Genève (HEM) benefits from the kind teaching of its professors Andrea Bandini and Justin Clark (bass trombone), with their complementary careers as soloists and chamber musicians. They are not only renowned artists but also proven educators. 

To complement their teaching, internationally renowned trombonists are regularly invited, in the context of Masterclasses.

The students taking the HEM’s trombone classes benefit from a particularly stimulating learning environment, which gets the best out of their cultural diversity. The atmosphere is one that favours human contact and new friendships. Besides the individual classes, there is a large number and variety of opportunities to play in a group: orchestra sessions, chamber music, brass ensembles such as the HEM Red Flag brass band, and multi-disciplinary projects. Simulations of orchestra contests are also regularly held.

Our students are encouraged to broaden their horizons by getting an initiation in Sackbutt, an early ancestor of the modern trombone, or by taking a dual course (trombone and bass trombone). Thanks to the resources at our ‘Centre de musique électroacoustique’ (Centre for electro-acoustic music, CME), they can also experiment with avant-garde styles of music through amplification, the use of effect pedals, etc.

Thanks to the close ties that the HEM maintains with the region’s professional ensembles, our students have numerous opportunities to play in renowned ensembles such as the Orchestre de la Suisse romande (OSR), the Orchestre de Chambre de Genève (OCG) or the Ensemble de musique contemporaine Contrechamps.  The music scene in French-speaking Switzerland, in particular its rich fabric of fanfare ensembles, mean that there are ample opportunities for engagement, to enrich their practice and develop their network. 

Teachers

Andrea Bandini

Professor of Trombone

Andrea Bandini began his music studies in 1973 at the Music School of Siena in Italy and obtained his trombone diploma in 1980 at the Luigi Cherubini Conservatory of Music in Florence. In 1978 he joined the Italian Youth Orchestra under the direction of Franco Ferrara. In 1981, he decided to perfect his skills at the Geneva Conservatory of Music in the class of Roland Schnorhk, where he obtained the 1st prize for virtuosity with distinction in 1985. The same year, he won the 1st prize at the Riddes Competition, the 3rd prize at the Markneuenkirchen Competition and the following year the bronze medal at the Bordeaux International Festival of Young Soloists. Since 1986, Andrea Bandini has been a member of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and has been appointed solo trombone until 2011. From 1984 to 2008 he was a member of the contemporary music ensemble, Contrechamps, an ensemble with which he was fortunate enough to rub shoulders with the greatest contemporary music composers of the 20th and 21st centuries. Invited as a jury member in the most important international trombone competitions, Andrea Bandini has been teaching at the Haute école de musique de Genève since 1999. Andrea Bandini is also regularly invited to participate in masterclasses and brass festivals throughout the world. He is also a consultant for the " Free-flow Valve " system for trombone, invented by Rene Hagmann, owner of the " Servette-Musique " shop in Geneva. Andrea Bandini bought his first slide trombone and his first classical music record in Florence in 1976. It was a recording of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande by Ernest Ansermet. After having listened to it many times, Andrea Bandini announced to his father that he would one day perform with this orchestra.... 10 years later, he joins the OSR. Learn more about Andrea Bandini  

Justin Clark

Professeur de trombone basse

Originaire de Rhode Island (USA), le tromboniste basse Justin Clark a joué en Amérique du Nord, en Europe, au Moyen Orient et en Asie. Il a étudié avec Donald Harwood à la Julliard School (New York), Dave Taylor à la Manhattan School of Music (New York), John Rojak à la Aspen Music Festival and School et William Harris à l’Université de Syracuse. Justin Clark interrompt ses études à la Julliard School de New York en 2006 pour rejoindre l’Orchestre Syphonique de Berne. Depuis lors, il joue avec de nombreux orchestres, en Suisse et à l’étranger, dont depuis 2012 le Budapest Festival Orchestra sous la direction de Ivan Fischer avec lequel il enregistre également lors de nombreuses tournées. Justin Clark a étudié la sacqueboute de 2009 à 2011 avec Charles Toet à la Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (Suisse), et se produit régulièrement dans diverses formations baroques jouant sur instruments anciens. Il est le cofondateur du groupe Concerto dei Fiati, un ensemble de cornets et saqueboutes. Justin Clark a été membre du Tangelwood Festival (USA) en 2006, et il a également joué comme musicien supplémentaire dans le Boston Pops sous la direction de John Williams. En outre, il a été finaliste du concours de trombone basse de l’International Trombone Association à Helsinki en 2003 et à Ithaca (USA) en 2004. En 2004 et 2005, il remporte le premier prix au concours de trombone basse de l’Eastern Trombone Workshop à Washington (USA). A côté de sa carrière orchestrale chargée, Justin Clark est également actif comme soliste, chambriste et professeur. Il a notamment interprété le concerto pour trombone basse Subzero de Daniel Schnyder avec l’Orchestre Symphonique de Berne en juin 2011, ainsi qu’en avril 2012 avec le Georgisches Kammerorchester Ingolstadt (Allemagne) avec Maestro Lavard Skou Larsen, suscitant les critiques les plus enthousiastes. Depuis 2013, Justin Clark est professeur de trombone basse à la Haute école de musique de Genève.

Andrea Bandini
justin clark

Departments and associated courses