Cornett
“A ray of sunlight breaking through the clouds.” That was how Mersenne described the sound of the cornett. It is indeed the instrument’s sound and extraordinary flexibility that made it famous and continue to fascinate those who listen to it today.
A range of more than two octaves and impressive dynamic capabilities have enabled the cornett to shine in every field of music for almost 300 years.
Under the guidance of its professor Lambert Colson, a renowned soloist and chamber musician, the cornett class at the Haute école de musique de Genève (HEM) prepares its students for a multifaceted career in music, ranging from the interpretation of the soloist repertoire to that of polyphonic and orchestral works, but also to the teaching and passing on of knowledge.
The class makes a sizable inventory of instruments available to its students, enabling them to experiment with historical practices in terms of transpositions and the tenor cornet.
Moreover, the students are encouraged to take part in numerous activities arranged by the HEM’s department of early music, which regularly invites eminent performers and researchers from all over the world to give Masterclasses and seminars. In particular, the class pursues a research project based around the creation of a database about the repertoire and the instruments kept at the HEM. This project thereby enables the students to be in the know when it comes to discovering the repertoire, and to use modern tools to get the best out of the instrument.
Finally, the cornett class regularly collaborates with the HEM’s other departments, and with internationally acclaimed Swiss ensembles, on ‘side-by-side’ artistic projects, which constitute real gateways to the professional world.
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Teachers
