Geneva

Flute

The HEM's flute classe offers a particularly stimulating learning environment.

In addition to the teaching provided by the permanent professors, renowned soloists and chamber musicians as well as experienced teachers, students in the HEM's flute class benefit from the input of internationally renowned artists, who are regularly invited to give masterclasses.

The HEM’s flute classes offers a particularly stimulating learning environment, which emphasizes 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, multi-disciplinary projects. Once a month, the class organises recitals with accompaniment on the piano or harpsichord. Simulations of orchestra contests are also regularly held.

Our students are encouraged to broaden their horizons by taking classes in a second instrument, such as the traverso or the piccolo. The school makes a high-quality set of instruments available to them, ranging from the piccolo to the bass flute. 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.

The close ties that the HEM maintains with the region’s professional ensembles offer our students 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 richness of the music scene in French-speaking Switzerland, the music-loving public and the numerous patrons mean that there are ample opportunities for engagement, to enrich their practice and develop their network of contacts. 

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Teachers

Michel Bellavance

Professor of Flute - Woodwind Chamber Music

Miyazawa artist, the Canadian-Swiss flutist Michel Bellavance has been a soloist in concertos by Nielsen, Ibert, Reinecke, Bernstein, Kabalevski, Liebermann, Mozart, Bach, and Vivaldi with orchestras in Europe and Latin America, including the Gulbenkian Orchestra in Lisbon, the Geneva Chamber Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of Peru, the Mendoza Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bahia State Symphony Orchestra, and the Maracaibo Symphony Orchestra. Michel Bellavance has performed at festivals in Switzerland, the United States, Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Chile, Colombia, and Ecuador. He has been featured on radio broadcasts by CBC, Radio Suisse Romande, and National Public Radio, and has given recitals in cities such as Prague, Barcelona, Geneva, Madrid, Basel, London, Zurich, Paris, Montreal, Ottawa, Washington DC, New York (Carnegie Hall), Hong Kong, Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, Lima, São Paulo, Brasilia, Buenos Aires, and Bogotá. His recordings for Meridian Records, Atma Classique, Brioso Recordings, and SNE have been praised by international critics and reflect his keen interest in new repertoire and lesser-known works. Alongside his performing career, Michel Bellavance is a flute professor at the HEM – Geneva, and he regularly gives masterclasses in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, notably at the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, the Beijing and Shanghai Conservatories, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, as well as at the International Flute Festivals of San Jose and Lima. Learn more about Michel Bellavance

Jacques Zoon

Professor of flute

Jacques Zoon studied at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam with Koos Verheul and Harrie Starreveld, and later at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada with Geoffrey Gilbert and András Adorján. He won second prize at the Willem Pijper Competition in 1981 and was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the Jean-Pierre Rampal Competition in 1987. He began his career as a member of the National Youth Orchestra of the Netherlands (Nationaal Jeugd Orkest) and the European Union Youth Orchestra, before being appointed Principal Flute of the Amsterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hague Philharmonic Orchestra, and subsequently the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, where he served from 1988 to 1994. Between 1989 and 1997, he was Principal Flute in the Royal Concertgebouw orchestra  and Chamber Orchestra of Europe.  In 1997, he became Principal Flute of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the following year was named Musician of the Year by the Boston Globe. He is currently Principal Flute of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra and the Orchestra Mozart, both under the direction of Claudio Abbado. Today, Jacques Zoon performs worldwide as a soloist and chamber musician, collaborating with leading orchestras across the globe. He has recorded extensively for Deutsche Grammophon, Philips, Decca, Chandos, Boston Records, Vanguard Classics, Schwann-Koch, and Pony Canyon, among others. In 1991, he received the Edison Award with pianist Bernd Backman for their recording of contemporary Dutch music for flute and piano. Alongside his performing career, he has held numerous teaching positions: at the Rotterdam Conservatory (1988–1994), Indiana University (1994–1997), Boston University and the New England Conservatory (1997–2001). He also teaches chamber music at the Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid, and since 2002 has been Professor at the Haute école de musique de Genève. Learn more about Jacques Zoon.

Michel Bellavance
jacques zoon

Associated studies

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Bachelor of Arts in music
ORCHESTRE - MUSICIEN D'ORCHESTRE

Master of Arts in Music Performance
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Master of Arts in Specialised Music Performance
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Master of Arts in Music Pedagogy

Departments and associated courses

orchestre

Orchestral instruments department