Marius
Brenciu
Professeur de chant
Marius Brenciu obtained his bachelor's degree (1997) and a master's degree in vocal art (1998) from the University of Music in Bucharest. He taught singing at the same institution between 1997 and 2000.
He participated in numerous competitions and won many prizes, including the George Enescu First Prize in 1999, Queen Elisabeth Competition (2nd Prize and Prize for Best Opera Performance) in 2000, 1st Prize and 4 special prizes at the YCA Competition in New York and the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition (the Lied Prize and the Singer of the World Prize) in 2001.
He has worked under the direction of prestigious conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Seiji Ozawa, Lorin Maazel and Zubin Mehta, to name but a few, and has performed with major international ensembles. He has worked with directors such as Franco Zeffirelli, Peter Stein, Nicolas Joel, Giancarlo del Monaco, Karl and Ursel Hermann, among others.
Marius Brenciu has been a member of the Artistic Committee of the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition - singing section (since 2004) and a member of the Jury (2011, 2014 and 2018 editions). He is regularly invited to give masterclasses in Belgium, France and the United States.
Heidi
Brunner
Professor of Singing - Audition and Competition Preparation
Native of Lucerne (CH), Heidi Brunner studied singing, organ, and conducting in Lucerne, Basel, and Zurich.
At the age of 17, she was already an organist and choir director before beginning her singing career at the age of 28.
Her first engagements as an opera singer led her to Biel, where she debuted in the title role in Rossini's "La Cenerentola." She then took engagements in Basel, Innsbruck, and Dessau. She performed at the Komische Oper in Berlin (La Cenerentola and Charlotte in Werther, among others) before being engaged as a resident artist at the Staatsoper and the Volksoper and Theater an der Wien in Vienna from 1996 to 2008 (where she performed roles such as La Cenerentola, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, Idamante in Idomeneo, Die Sekretärin in Der Konsul by G.C. Menotti, Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, Second Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Zerlina and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Nicklausse in Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Sesto, Anio and Vitellia in La Clemenza di Tito, Adalgisa in Norma, and the title role in La Périchole).
In 1998, she made her debut in Monteverdi's "L'Orfeo" at the Opernfestspiele in Munich and the Wiener Festwochen. She reprised the role of Idamante at the Klangbogen Festival at the Theater an der Wien and performed at venues such as the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, the Bayerische Staatsoper, the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, the Grand Théâtre de Genève, and the Salzburg Festival.
She has appeared in recitals and concerts at venues such as the Musikverein and Konzerthaus in Vienna, Berlin, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Santiago de Compostela, Milan, Pesaro, Lyon, Paris, Lucerne, Zurich, Basel, Bern, Lisbon, Frankfurt, Bergen, Helsingborg, Turin, and Munich.
Her repertoire expanded with roles in Schreker's "Irrelohe" and Schmidt's "Notre Dame" at the Volksoper in Vienna, Hindemith's "Mathis der Maler" at the Konzerthaus in Vienna, Schoenberg's "Erwartung" at the Komische Oper Berlin and at the Musikverein in Vienna.
She made her debut in the roles of Brangäne in "Tristan und Isolde" at the Amsterdam Opera and the Liceu in Barcelona, Marie (Wozzeck) at the Staatsoper Hamburg, Vitellia (La Clemenza di Tito) and Marta (Tiefland) in Vienna, Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) and Madame Lidoine (Dialogues des Carmélites) at the Theater an der Wien, Kundry (Parsifal) at the Teatro Regio Turin, Giulietta (Les Contes d'Hoffmann) and the Mother in "Kullervo" by Aulis Sallinen at the Frankfurt Opera, and Sieglinde (Die Walküre) at the Staatsoper Hamburg. In 2015, she made her debut as Mère Marie (Dialogues des Carmélites). That same year, she sang the mezzo-soprano part in Verdi's Requiem in Vienna and performed "The Seven Deadly Sins" by Kurt Weill in the Forbidden City in Beijing.
She has worked with renowned conductors such as Marco Armiliato, Ivor Bolton, Thüring Bräm, Bertrand de Billy, Alfred Eschwé, Lawrence Foster, Gabriele Ferro, Leopold Hager, Friedrich Haider, Thomas Hengelbrock, René Jacobs, Philippe Jordan, Alois Koch, Ingo Metzmacher, Franz Welser-Möst, Hervé Niquet, Arnold Oestmann, Kirill Petrenko, Markus Poschner, Helmuth Rilling, Peter Schneider, Marcello Viotti, Sebastian Weigle, Simone Young, and Alberto Zedda.
Heidi Brunner has recorded numerous CDs, including "Jubilate Deo," "Te Deum" by De Lalande (ERATO), "Così fan tutte," "Don Giovanni," and "Le Nozze di Figaro" (SONY/BMG), excerpts from "Tristan und Isolde," and a solo album with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Since 2020, Heidi Brunner has been a Professor of Singing at the Haute école de musique de Genève, where she regularly gives masterclasses.
Learn more about Heidi Brunner
Marcin
Habela
Professor of Voice
Dr. Marcin Habela, a baritone, vocal professor, and researcher, is particularly renowned for his versatility in repertoire, innovative pedagogy aligned with the latest voice science advancements, and his extensive international professional networks.
Trained at the Conservatoire de Paris, he won several international prizes that paved the way for a prestigious career. He has performed over 80 roles spanning a vast repertoire (including Ford, Figaro, Sharpless, Oneguine...) on major stages such as Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Geneva, Warsaw, Athens, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Bremen, Frankfurt, Lausanne, Almaty, and Krakow.
He has sung alongside notable artists like R. Alagna, J. van Dam, T. Hampson, K. Mattila, L. Oropesa, P. Petibon, K. Deshayes in productions conducted by S. Rattle, Ch. von Dohnanyi, J. Tate, E. Krivine, A. Pappano, and directed by A. Arias, S. Braunschweig, M. Hampe, A. Serban, Ph. Himmelman, and S. Poda.
Passionate about contemporary music, he has premiered numerous works by 20th and 21st-century composers in prestigious settings such as Warsaw Autumn, Sacrum Profanum, and the Malta Festival with ensembles like 2E2M and Contrechamps. His concert repertoire ranges from Monteverdi to Britten, with recordings for Radio France, TSR, SBB, EMI, RAI, Espace 2, Virgin, RTS, and SevenStarsSystems.
Critically acclaimed for his creation of Raoul Wallenberg in Kingsley and Kunze's opera "Raoul," he received the Grand Prix du Public for best performer at the Mezzo TV International Opera Competition in November 2008.
In addition to his operatic career, since 2014, he has gained solid experience in musical and experimental theater, and performs concerts with jazz, musical comedy, and symphonic cabaret repertoires.
A vocal professor at the Haute école de musique de Genève (HEM) since 2005, he was head of the vocal department from 2011 to 2022. He initiated the European Opera Academy (EOA) and established numerous institutional collaborations at the cantonal, national, and international levels. Active in professional circles, he serves on the juries of international singing competitions (Ada Sari, Szymanowski Competition, Mahler Competition, ARMEL, Geneva Competition...) and is a member of various artistic commissions (Tibor Varga Academy, Geneva International Competition, European Opera Academy, MAAKSS).
A renowned vocal professor, he is regularly invited to give masterclasses across Europe (Tibor Varga Academy in Sion, Lugano, Stockholm, Warsaw, Porto, Gdansk, Frankfurt, Oslo, Antwerp, Bucharest, Krakow, Paris, Hamburg, Athens...) and internationally (Japan, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Australia, Russia, China...).
With a PhD in arts, specializing in contemporary vocalities, he leads numerous research projects, including in vocal pedagogy (improvisation, national singing schools). He fosters prestigious international collaborations with institutions such as the University of the Arts Oslo, Kapodistrias University of Athens, CNSMDP, Kazakh National Conservatory in Almaty, Astana University of the Arts, UFCM Warsaw, the neuroscience faculty of UNIGE, the medical faculty of Lyon 2 University, and Maastricht Conservatory.
Particularly attentive to his students' professional integration, he maintains a vast international network (opera studios, casting directors, artistic agencies...), with former students like Julien Behr, Marion Grange, Mélody Louledjian, and Diana Lamar performing on prestigious stages such as the MET in New York, Opéra de Paris, and Deutsche Oper in Berlin. He has also trained a generation of pedagogues (Anna Maske, Gabriella Cavasino, Fabrice Farina, Davide Autieri, Magali Pérol-Dumora...) currently teaching at prestigious Swiss institutions.
Learn more about Marcin Habela
Stephan
Macleod
Professor of Voice
Stephan MacLeod is a singer and conductor. Born in Geneva, he is the founder and artistic director of Gli Angeli Genève, a vocal and instrumental ensemble specializing in 16th to 19th-century repertoires on period instruments. He conducts between 40 and 50 concerts annually worldwide, with an increasing number as a guest conductor with modern orchestras, particularly in the repertoire of J.S. Bach and his contemporaries. Concurrently, he continues his singing career and has been teaching at the Haute école de musique de Genève since 2023, after ten years of teaching at the Haute école de musique de Lausanne from 2013 to 2023.
During the 2023/24 season, he leads Gli Angeli Genève in numerous projects, where he also sings the bass solo parts: Bach's St. Matthew Passion at the Basilica of Vézelay, Bach's B minor Mass at the Victoria Hall and on a Swiss tour, Bach's Magnificat at the Bruges Festival, as well as at Musiques en été in Geneva, the Besançon Festival, and in Alsace, numerous Bach cantatas as part of Gli Angeli Genève's complete cantata concert series, Handel's Messiah at the Victoria Hall and on tour, and Mozart's Requiem, alongside concertos and symphonies by Mozart and Haydn during the ensemble's annual Mozart-Haydn Festival, where he also sings the title role in Mendelssohn's Paulus under the baton of Leonardo Garcia Alarcón. He will conduct the OSR in March in a program blending Stravinsky with Machaut and Gesualdo, the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra in a symphonic program where he also sings two Mozart concert arias, the Oslo Baroque Orchestra in a Telemann-Bach program, and perform as a soloist at the Festival de la Chaise-Dieu, the Berlin Staatsoper Baroque Festival, and in Leipzig with the Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Thomanerchor. He will tour with Bach's Magnificat and the Nederlandse Bachvereniging in December and Bach's St. Matthew Passion with Philippe Herreweghe's Collegium Vocale Gent in March. He will sing Bach's other Passion in March in Hungary and continue recording the complete Wind Concertos by Mozart with Gli Angeli Genève.
Recent highlights include performing and recording the previously unpublished symphonie concertante for two cellos and orchestra by Anton Reicha with Gli Angeli Genève and cellists Christophe Coin and Davit Melkonyan, conducting the Philharmonie Zuidnederland in Bach's St. Matthew Passion, another St. Matthew Passion at the KKL in Lucerne with Gli Angeli Genève, a recital of Mozart arias at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, several Lieder recitals with Kristian Bezuidenhout, performing and recording the complete flute concertos by Mozart (released in 2022), acclaimed recordings of Bach's St. Matthew Passion (2020), B minor Mass (2021), Cantatas for Bass (2022), and St. John Passion (2023), as well as a Josquin disc in 2023.
In 2019, he received an ICMA award with Gli Angeli Genève in the category "Best Vocal Baroque Recording of the Year" for the CD Sacred Music of the 17th Century in Wroclaw (Claves).
Stephan MacLeod studied violin and piano before turning to singing, initially studying at the Conservatoire de Genève, then with Kurt Moll at the Musikhochschule in Cologne, and finally with Gary Magby at the Haute École de Musique de Lausanne. His singing career began during his studies in Germany with a fruitful collaboration with Reinhard Goebel and Musica Antiqua Köln. This opened the doors to the world of oratorio for him. Since then, he has sung on the world's most prestigious stages, under conductors such as Philippe Herreweghe, Jordi Savall, Frieder Bernius, Franz Brüggen, Masaaki Suzuki, Michel Corboz, Gustav Leonhardt, Christophe Coin, Konrad Junghänel, Hans-Christoph Rademann, Sigiswald Kuijken, Vaclav Luks, Philippe Pierlot, Helmut Rilling, Rudolf Lutz, Raphaël Pichon, Paul Van Nevel, and Jos Van Immerseel, as well as with Daniel Harding and Jesús López Cobos. He has also sung in opera productions at La Monnaie in Brussels, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Opéra National de Toulouse, Opéra de Nîmes, Opéra National de Bordeaux, and Cologne.
Since 2005, alongside his singing career, he has also devoted himself to conducting, founding Gli Angeli Genève, with which he records one or two albums a year. Stephan MacLeod's discography as a singer and conductor includes over 100 CDs, many of which have been critically acclaimed. From 2013 to 2023, he was a singing professor at the Haute école de musique de Lausanne, and since 2023, he has been at the Haute école de musique de Genève. He balances his career between teaching, his singing engagements, his ensemble, and the growing demand for him as a conductor, particularly for conducting Bach and Mozart. He regularly conducts musicians from the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Philharmonie Zuidnederland, Nederlandse Bachvereniging, Pacific Baroque Orchestra, Purcell Choir, and Orfeo Orchestra, among others.
Learn more about Stephan Macleod
Susanne
Schimmack
Professor of Voice
« A triumph... Schimmack shows herself to be absolutely up to Richard Strauss’s murderous Elektra. This is first class! » — Die Deutsche Bühne
The « Rolls Royce » of Voices - BBC
« The luxurious-sounding German singer Susanne Schimmack... dominates the performance through her noble phrasing, her intelligent role portrayal and her excellent French diction. » — Opéra
« A voice of luxury and power. » — The London Times
From the prestigious stage of the ‚Cardiff Singer of the World‘ to her distinguished faculty position at the Haute École de Musique de Genève, Susanne Schimmacks career is a masterclass in vocal evolution. Transitioning from alto to a powerhouse dramatic soprano, she has performed with the world’s leading companies, including Théatre Royal de La Monnaie, Brussels, Royal Danish Opera Copenhagen, Nationaltheater Mannheim, Frankfurt Opera, Arizona Opera, Opera Pacific, USA as well as the Budapest Spring Festival, Musikfestspiele Dresden, and more. Her artistry has taken her across the globe, collaborating with masters like Antonio Pappano and Sir Peter Hall. Likewise, Susanne has established a reputation for excellence in the intimate world of Lied and Oratorio.
With a repertoire spanning the great works of Wagner, Strauss, and Verdi, Susanne Schimmack has brought nearly 90 operatic roles to life. Signature roles include Turandot, Kundry, Carmen, Strauss’ Marschallin, Berlioz Cassandre. Her operatic journey reached a pinnacle with the portrayal of Richard Strauss’s Elektra, a performance hailed for its "darkly brooding soprano" and "bravura" execution of one of the most vocally grueling roles in the repertoire.
As Professeure de Chant at the Haute école de musique de Genève (HEM), Susanne Schimmack offers a rare pedagogical approach: Active Mentorship. Drawing from her own remarkable vocal journey, Susanne Schimmack offers students a unique technical, anatomically informed perspective on vocal training and artistic development. Remaining an active force on stage, Susanne frequently performs alongside her students in HEM productions and concerts. This immersive mentorship serves as a professional anchor, ensuring the highest standard of artistic integrity and stagecraft and creating opportunity for organic transition from studio to spotlight.
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Clémence
Tilquin
Professor of Voice
After studying cello and singing at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Genève with François Guye and Danielle Borst, earning two Master's degrees with Distinction, Clémence Tilquin embarked on a dual career in Europe and Japan. As a laureate of the prestigious Leenaards Foundation, she decided in 2010 to fully dedicate herself to singing and further honed her skills in London, Oslo, Brussels, and Milan.
Soon, engagements began pouring in. The young soprano made her debut at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie as Papagena and later joined the young troupe of the Grand Théâtre de Genève. In 2012, she performed as Adina in Donizetti's opera in Austria, appeared in "La Fille de Madame Angot" in Liège, and portrayed the Princess in Ravel's opera at the Aix-en-Provence Festival. She also played roles such as Poppea in Monteverdi's works under Leonardo Garcia-Alarcon, Drusilla in Monteverdi's opera and Elettra in Mozart's works at the Opéra de Montpellier, Elvira in Rossini's opera, Gabrielle in Offenbach's opera, Frasquita in Bizet's opera at the Opéra d'Avignon, Brigitte in Offenbach's opera at the Opéra de Nancy, Lucinde in Gounod's opera at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, Lauretta in Puccini's opera, Fiordiligi in Mozart's opera, Fannì in Rossini's opera, and Alcina in Vivaldi's opera at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées.
In concert, Clémence Tilquin has performed Neukomm's Requiem with Jean-Claude Malgoire, Pierrot Lunaire by Schönberg and Dallapiccola at the Musiekgebaw in Amsterdam, Stravinsky with the Ensemble Intercontemporain in Paris, Mendelssohn's Elias and Rossini's Stabat Mater with the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, Sturzenegger's Anakrôn, Gounod at the Palazetto Bru Zane in Venice, Mozart's Comtesse at the Opéra Royal de Versailles, Saint-Saëns's Ascanio at the Grand Théâtre de Genève (recording), and Saint-Saëns's Proserpine with the Bayerischen Rundfunk in Munich.
She has performed under the baton of conductors such as John Nelson, James Loughran, Wolfgang Rihm, Jean-Claude Malgoire, Emmanuel Krivine, Michail Jurowski, and Gabòr Takacs (Cinderella by Franck Martin, recording).
In 2019, she portrayed Vitellia in Mozart's "La Clémence de Titus," Berenice in Rossini's "L'Occasione fa il ladro" at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées, and upcoming performances include Mozart conducted by François-Xavier Roth, Strauss's "Four Last Songs," the role of Fannì in Rossini's opera, and Beethoven's "Christ on the Mount of Olives" in Montreal.
Learn more about Clémence Tilquin.
Andreas
Wolf
Professor of Voice
A young baritone with a confident voice and clear diction, Andreas Wolf maintains a steady career, primarily in Europe. His voice flourishes in the 18th-century repertoire but also makes some beautiful forays into the Romantic and contemporary periods.
He began his musical journey in 1994 at the music school in Wernigerode, where he also joined the Rundfunk-Jugendchor (Radio Youth Choir). In 2002, he received a scholarship to study at the University of Music in Detmold under Heiner Eckels. He attended masterclasses with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Andras Schiff, Christoph Prégardien, and Thomas Quasthoff, eager to understand the respective methods these great singers used to achieve such a high degree of excellence. In 2006, Andreas Wolf joined the European Academy of Aix-en-Provence, which allowed him to grow artistically and gain wider recognition. Since his debut at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in 2007 in Monteverdi's Orfeo (conducted by René Jacobs), Andreas Wolf has been regularly invited by operas and major concert halls, working with renowned conductors such as William Christie, Raphaël Pichon, Jean-Christophe Spinosi, Bertrand de Billy, and Sylvain Cambreling.
Although Andreas Wolf excels in the baroque repertoire, he also performs Romantic works by Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, and Hugo Wolf; he also sang in Schoenberg's Moses and Aaron at the Berlin Philharmonic under the direction of Sylvain Cambreling. In 2017, he participated in the creation of the Requiem by Dutch composer Willem Jeths at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Andreas Wolf travels across Europe on tours, such as a recent one with Il Pomo d'Oro, accompanied by Franco Fagioli.
His growing discography includes Handel's Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, conducted by Marcus Creed, which was a choice of France Musique.
Learn more about Andreas Wolf
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