Noémie
Bialobroda
Professor of viola - Chamber Music with Strings - Coordinator of Chamber Music (GE)
Noémie Bialobroda will be a viola professor for the 2026–2027 academic year.
Born in Paris, violist Noémie Bialobroda performs worldwide on stages such as Wigmore Hall in London, Victoria Hall in Geneva, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Concertgebouw in Rotterdam, Salle Gaveau, Philharmonie de Paris, Théâtre d’Aix en Provence, and Alte Oper Frankfurt.
Since 2014, she has been the violist of the Quatuor Aviv, with which she leads an international career. In 2021, a recording dedicated to Franz Schubert's last two quartets was released on the Aparté label, receiving unanimous praise from the international press.
A dedicated educator, she is a professor and coordinator of chamber music at the Haute école de musique de Genève (HEM). She is also a professor of viola at the CNSMD de Lyon.
Engaged in the creation and performance of contemporary music, Noémie has forged close relationships with key figures in this repertoire. She regularly collaborates with Ensemble Modern in Frankfurt, Ensemble Contrechamps in Geneva, and IRCAM in Paris. She premiered two pieces for viola and electronics dedicated to her: "Caprice" by composer Keïta Matsumiya and "Drifting [mirages...]" by Pierre Stordeur.
In 2020, alongside violinist Sergey Ostrovsky, she founded and assumed the artistic direction of the Geneva International String Academy, offering promising young musicians the opportunity to study and perform with accomplished musicians over the summer.
Noémie Bialobroda trained with Nobuko Imai at the HEM, before pursuing advanced studies with Jean Sulem at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris.
She plays a viola by Carlo Giuseppe Testore and a bow by Benoît Rolland.
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Axel
Schacher
Professeur de musique de chambre - quatuor à cordes
Born in 1981, Axel Schacher began studying the violin at the age of four. At the age of twelve, he won the Royaume de la Musique competition, organised by Radio France in Paris, and played E. Lalo's Spanish Symphony at the winners' concert, accompanied by the Republican Guard Orchestra. At the age of thirteen, he entered the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris in the class of Boris Garlitski.
In 1998, he was awarded the Prix de la Ville de Paris, and in 2000, he received his first prize with honours from the Conservatoire National de Musique de Paris. He was a prize winner at the Andrea Postacchini International Competition in 1998, then in 2000 he won second prize at the Tibor Varga International Competition, as well as special prizes for the best interpretation of Bach's work and Paganini's caprice. Since 2003, he has held the position of first violin soloist with the Basel Symphony Orchestra.
He taught chamber music at the Guildhall School of London from 2010 to 2015. For more than twelve years, he was a member of the Belcea Quartet, an internationally renowned ensemble that has been performing for almost thirty years in the most prestigious venues (Berlin Philharmonie, Wigmore Hall, Concertgebouw, Carnegie Hall, Boulez Saal,
Helbphilharmonie, Konzerthaus Wien) and with numerous musicians such as Tabea Zimmerman, Piotr Anderszerwski, Matthias Goerne, Jean Guihen Queyras, Antoine Tamestit, Martin Fröst, Elisabeth Leonska, Jorg Widmann and Ian Bostridge. The Belcea Quartet has recorded more than twenty-five albums, which have been acclaimed by the international press.
Gerardo Gustavo
Vila
Professor of Chamber Music – Coordinator of Chamber Music (NE)
Born in Buenos Aires, Gerardo Vila showed remarkable talent from a young age. He developed an intense musical career, earning the diploma of "National Superior Piano Professor" from the National Conservatory of Music and winning six first prizes, including the "Vicente Scaramuzza" competition, which allowed him to perfect his skills in Europe.
He continued his studies at the Conservatoire de Genève with Maria Tipo, where he obtained the first prize in virtuosity with distinction and the Henry Broillet prize. Later, he worked with Karl Engel at the Conservatory of Bern and participated in masterclasses with Louis de Moura Castro, György Sandor, Tatiana Nikolayeva, Vlado Perlemuter, and Maurizio Pollini.
Winner of numerous international piano competitions, he received, among others, the first prize at the "Maria Canals" competition in Barcelona, the second prize at the "Alessandro Casagrande" competition in Terni/Italy, and the "World Piano Competition" in Cincinnati/USA.
Vila has undertaken numerous tours in Europe, Latin America, and the United States, performing in venues such as Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Palau de la Música in Barcelona, Piccolo Teatro di Milano, Teatro Massimo di Palermo, Espace Pierre Cardin in Paris, Théâtre Roma in Warsaw, Kleine Musikhalle in Hamburg, Alte Oper in Frankfurt, Kaufleutensaal in Zurich, University Hall in Helsinki, Omni Hall of Mirrors in Cincinnati, Casino de Berne, Casino Kursaal in Interlaken, Max-Joseph-Saal in the Residenz in Munich, Fondation Pierre Gianadda in Martigny, Salle Métropole in Lausanne, Slovak Philharmonic Hall in Bratislava, Herkulessaal in Munich, and the Sydney Opera House.
He has performed as a soloist with renowned orchestras such as the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Perugia Orchestra, the AMSA World Symphony in Cincinnati, the Barcelona City Orchestra, the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, the Dresden Philharmonic, the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, and the Bern Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of conductors including Arpad Gerecz, Jun Märkl, Albert Rosen, Frank Cramer, Dennis Burkh, Jörg Peter Weigle, Miguel Gómez Martínez, Christian Arming, Laurent Gendre, Carlos Kalmar, Hans Zender, and Michel Tabachnik.
Gerardo Vila has had the privilege of performing in recitals with the prestigious pianist Karl Engel and playing in the Camerata Lysy with Sir Yehudi Menuhin. He possesses extensive experience in chamber music, having played with Ana Chumachenko, Alberto Lysy, Radu Aldulescu, Rachel Harnisch, Alexandru Gavrilovici, Thomas Friedli, Patrick Demenga, Gyula Stuller, Marcio Carneiro, Karl Engel, and Davide Bandieri.
For many years, he has given masterclasses in Switzerland, Romania, and Latin America.
Vila is a member of the ensemble "I Salonisti" and the 676 NuevoTango Quintet. He continues to perform as a soloist and with various chamber music ensembles.
He has made several recordings for VDE-Gallo, Zytglogge, Vox, Naxos, and Brillant Classics.
Since its inception, Vila has been a professor of chamber music at the Haute École de Musique de Genève, Neuchâtel site, where he also serves as the coordinator.
Learn more about Gerardo Gustavo Vila
