HEM - Genève

Studies

Alessio Corti

Professor of Organ - Improvisation (for Organists) - Chamber Music with Organ - Organ as a Secondary Instrument

Born in Milan in 1967, the son of a renowned organist and pedagogue, Alessio Corti received his first music lessons at an early age. In 1985, he obtained his piano diploma "cum laude," followed by diplomas in organ and harpsichord. He pursued further studies with internationally renowned organists and was a student of Lionel Rogg at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Genève for three years. In 1992, he won a "Premier Prix de Virtuosité with distinction" and the special "Otto Barblan" prize. He subsequently won First Prizes at the International Competitions of Geneva (C.I.E.M. 1993), Carouge (Switzerland), and the "Froberger Prize" for early music at the International Competition of Kaltern-SüdTyrol. He is also a laureate of several competitions in Italy, notably in Milan. In 1983, he was appointed titular organist of the Grands-Orgues at the Church of Santa Maria Segreta in Milan, where at the age of 18, he performed the Complete Works of D. Buxtehude, and the following year, the Complete Works of J.S. Bach. From 1991 to 2016, he was also the titular organist at the Chiesa Cristiana Protestante in Milan. In his brilliant career, he is regularly invited to major international organ festivals. Alessio Corti plays a wide repertoire of early, romantic, and contemporary music, and his discography comprises around thirty CDs, including a complete recording of J.S. Bach’s organ works and "The Art of Fugue," monographs of W.A. Mozart and Mendelssohn, and several anthologies on historic organs. For the Fugatto label, he recorded a DVD of J.S. Bach's Six Trio Sonatas on the historic (1738) organ of the Kreuzkirche in Suhl, Thuringia. His recordings and recitals have received attention and favorable reviews from international critics. He is often invited as a jury member for major international competitions and to give masterclasses. From 1994 to 2001, he was a professor of organ in Italy at the Conservatories of Udine and Verona, having placed first in the national competition of the Ministry of Public Education. Alessio Corti has been a Professor of Organ and Improvisation at the Haute école de musique de Genève since 2001, succeeding Lionel Rogg. Many of his students have obtained diplomas and master's degrees (concert, soloist, pedagogy), and some have distinguished themselves in international competitions. Learn more about Alessio Corti.

Hélène Escriva

Professor of Chamber Music for Brass

A brilliant and bold performer, Hélène Escriva is a free-spirited, enthusiastic, and ever-evolving artist. She strengthened her classical musician's DNA by joining the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris in the euphonium class, also taking courses in instrumental theater, drama, opera singing, and chamber music. She earned her Master of Interpretation with honors from the jury in 2017. Her love of travel has taken her across Europe (and to Colombia, the United States, South Korea, Taiwan,...) for recitals, solo concerts, masterclasses, and international academies, making her a prominent figure in the brass world. A sought-after orchestral musician, she has performed with some of the finest French orchestras (Opéra de Paris, Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre les Dissonances, national orchestras of Lyon, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lille, etc.). Hélène brings new visibility to the euphonium, bass trumpet, and baritone saxhorn by developing original chamber music projects (founding member of the bass trumpet/accordion duo with Pierre Cussac, the Saxback wind sextet, and active member of Nicolas Simon’s Symphonie de Poche) and actively contributes to the creation of new euphonium repertoire with composers Nicolas Worms, Robinson Khoury, and Gabriel Philippot. In 2017, she recorded a live CD of the creation "Libertalia" by Maxime Aulio with the TWO Orchestra. In 2019, she joined the prestigious Hanneton company of James Thierrée. This transformative troupe, an energizing carousel, combines music and body movements with chaotic sets. Hélène trained in live performance with actors, circus artists, dancers, and technicians for the shows MO’S and ROOM and embarked on an international tour from 2022 to 2024. Inspired by this stage experience, and surrounded by a team of generous and committed artists, she developed the CL-ASH! Project in 2023, aiming to create creative, alternative concert-performances, driven by the desire to contribute to a vibrant cultural world, with a fierce determination to open new worlds and break codes. Hélène is a Yamaha artist and plays the Euphonium Custom YEP-842S. She has taught bass trumpet at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris since 2021 and chamber music at the Haute école de musique de Genève since 2022. Learn more about Hélène Escriva

Jean-Pierre Berry

Professeur de cor a.i.

Christophe Delannoy

Professor of Percussion - Sight-Reading (Percussion) - Orchestral Excerpts in Section or Tutti (Percussion)

Christophe Delannoy studied in Paris at the Conservatoire de Bourg-la-Reine, where he obtained a Gold Medal and a First Prize in percussion. He then attended the Conservatoire de Créteil, where he was awarded the First Prize in percussion. Finally, at the Conservatoire de Genève, he trained in acoustic and musical management. He began his career as a percussionist with numerous ensembles, including the Orchestre Philharmonique des Pays de Loire, the Orchestre de Picardie, the Orchestre de Chambre d'Ile de France, and the Orchestre Erwartung d'Ile-de-France. In 1996, he joined the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande as the first percussionist and snare drum soloist. He has participated in numerous musical projects with the International Percussion Center, the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, and the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, among others. Christophe Delannoy teaches percussion at the Haute école de musique de Genève. Learn more about Christophe Delannoy.

Nina Uhari

Head of Vocal Department - Professor of Piano Accompaniment - Chamber Music with Piano

Born in Finland, Nina Uhari pursued professional piano studies at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki under the guidance of Matti Raekallio and Eero Heinonen. She furthered her training in Baltimore, USA, with Julian Martin, and later in Paris with Bernard Ringeissen. Additionally, she studied accompaniment at the Conservatoire National de Région in Rueil-Malmaison. Following her studies, Nina Uhari worked as a conductor at CNIPAL (Centre National d'Insertion pour des Artistes Lyriques) in Marseille from 2003 to 2012, where she became the principal conductor in 2008. Concurrently, she was a member of the opera role class at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris. In September 2012, Nina Uhari joined the HEM (Haute Ecole de Musique) in Geneva as a vocal coach for the singing classes at the Neuchâtel and Geneva sites. She has performed in recitals and opera productions in Finland and France, including at the MIDEM Festival, Chorégies d'Orange, Théâtre du Châtelet, Festival de Radio France et Montpellier, Festival d'Aix en Provence, and various French opera houses. Her international performances have taken her to Germany, Austria, Spain, Colombia, Togo, and the United States. She has been invited to accompany master classes with renowned artists such as Tom Krause, Yvonne Minton, Mady Mesplé, Regina Werner, and Janine Reiss. Learn more about Nina Uhari.

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      

Chouchane Siranossian

Professor of Baroque Violin

Chouchane Siranossian, a violinist with an audacious career, has made a name for herself both in the international baroque scene and alongside numerous prestigious orchestras. Her exceptional virtuosity, enriched by her musicological research, opens up a new dimension of interpretation, making her a highly sought-after musician. Born in Lyon in 1984, she studied music and violin at the Conservatoire de musique de Romans and at the École supérieure de cordes in Sion. Admitted to the CNSM de Lyon in the class of Pavel Vernikov, she then joined Zakhar Bron at the Musikhochschule in Zurich, where she obtained her soloist diploma with the highest distinctions in 2007. Shortly after, she won the position of concertmaster with the St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra, a role she held until the end of the 2008/2009 season. That same year, after meeting Reinhard Goebel, she decided to dedicate herself to the study of early music at the Mozarteum in Salzburg under his guidance, and has since regularly collaborated as a concertmaster under his direction. Drawing from this rich knowledge, her performances on period instruments and her cadenzas in major concertos from the repertoire, such as those by Mozart, Vivaldi, Beethoven, and Paganini, have been acclaimed by both the public and critics alike. Chouchane Siranossian regularly performs as a soloist with various orchestras on both modern and baroque violins. She has collaborated with musicians such as Bertrand Chamayou, Philippe Bianconi, Benjamin Engeli, Michel Béroff, Daniel Ottensamer, and others. In early music, she has worked alongside Jos van Immerseel, Dorothee Oberlinger, Kristin Von der Goltz, Rudolf Lutz, Rüdiger Lotter, Roy Goodman, and Vaclav Luks, among many others. Exploring a wide repertoire, Chouchane Siranossian places great importance on rediscovering and recording lesser-known works from the 18th and 19th centuries, regularly participates in the creation of new works, and collaborates with renowned composers. Learn more about Chouchane Siranossian

Luis Naon

Professor of Electroacoustic Composition - Mixed Composition

Born in La Plata, Argentina, in 1961, Luis Naon pursued his musical studies at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Universidad Católica Argentina in Buenos Aires, and later at the CNSM de Paris under the guidance of Guy Reibel, Laurent Cuniot, and Daniel Teruggi. He also studied with Sergio Ortega and Horacio Vaggione. Since 1991, he has been a professor of Composition and New Technologies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. Additionally, he taught composition at ESMUC (Barcelona) from 2003 to 2008 and has been a professor of electroacoustics at the HEM de Genève since 2006. From what could be considered his first work, "Final del Juego" for septet and magnetic tape (premiered at Studio 105 of Radio France in 1983), Naon has sought to implement this dual relationship (between America and Europe, between instruments and electronics). He has been awarded the UNESCO International Composers Tribune in 1990 and 1996 (for "Tango del desamparo" and "Speculorum Memoria"), the Fondo Nacional de las Artes (for "Reflets"), the TRINAC Prize from the International Music Council (for "Cinq personnages en quête de hauteur"), the Olympia Composition Prize (for "Ombre de l'ombre"), and the Municipal Prize of the City of Buenos Aires in 1991 and 1995 (for "Speculorum Memoria"). He was nominated for the "3rd Victoires de la Musique Classique" (for Sextuor ". "), "Prix Georges Enesco" from SACEM, and "Luis de Narváez" Prize from Caja de Granada for his String Quartet No. 2. Naon collaborates with various ensembles and institutions such as the Ministry of Culture and Communication, Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires), Musée d’Art Contemporain du Mexique, Orchestre de la Seine-Saint-Denis, Ensemble TM+, Lémanic Modern Ensemble, Interface, Musique Oblique, Musée d’Histoire de Montreuil, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, INA-GRM, IRCAM, Orchestre de Paris, Ensemble Contrechamps, Ensemble Diagonal, Ukho ensemble de Kiev, and in festivals like Musica Strasbourg, MANCA, Festival d'Aix en Provence, Festival Archipel, and Vivier de Montréal. In 1989, Naon composed the music for the parade on the Champs-Elysées and Place de la Concorde commemorating the Bicentennial of the French Revolution. This parade was televised worldwide. The cycle of 25 works "Urbana," initiated in 1991 and completed in 2013, crystallizes under this generic title through "Urbana" (1997). It includes 25 works ranging from acousmatic pieces to symphonic orchestra. He composed the music for the show "Les Princesses" for the opening of the Théâtre-Auditorium de Poitiers in partnership with choreographer Odile Azagury. Nearly 3 hours of music ranging from solo electroacoustic (for choreographers Anna Ventura, Karine Saporta, or Dominique Boivin) to pieces for 15 instruments and electronics (for choreographers Carolyn Carlson, Héla Fatoumi, Blanca Li, etc.). This entire production is captured on a double CD under the Empreinte Digitale label. Recent works include "Quebrada/Horizonte" for orchestra, "Pájaro al borde de la noche" for cello, electronics, and ensemble premiered at the recent Présences festivals of Radio France, "Ébano y Metal" for the Lemanic Modern Ensemble (Switzerland/France). Other notable recent works include "Rastros" for the ensembles Stick & Bow and Paramirabo of Montreal (featured in a monographic concert and video recording) and his "String Quartet III" (premiered at the Evora Festival in 2021, then at Archipel 2022 and projection space of IRCAM in 2023). His latest piece, "Fueye," concertino for bandoneon and ensemble, was premiered by Juanjo Mosalini and the TM+ ensemble at the Maison de la Musique de Nanterre in October 2022, followed by performances at La Seine Musicale and Gennevilliers in May 2023. Naon's works are published by Henry Lemoine, Gérard Billaudot, and Babelscores. Learn more about Luis Naon.

Bertrand Chatenet

Professor of Horn

Born in 1990 in Paris, Bertrand Chatenet began learning the horn with Patrice Petitdidier at the Conservatoire de Gennevilliers, then with Jérome Rouillard (horn), Paul Meyer, and Eric Lesage (wind quintet). In 2009, he studied alongside Erich Penzel, Christian Lampert, and Christoph Ess at the Musikhochschule in Stuttgart, and in 2013 with Christian-Friedrich Dallmann and Sebastian Posch at the Berlin University of the Arts. Since 2010, he has mainly performed as a soloist with major orchestras such as the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra (SWR), the Bavarian State Opera Orchestra, and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. He is currently the principal horn of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra and an assistant professor at the UDK in Berlin. Learn more about Bertrand Chatenet.

Guido Balestracci

Professor of Viola da Gamba - Ornamentation

Guido Balestracci was born in Turin in 1971. He discovered the viola da gamba at the age of five within his family environment. After completing his studies at the Schola Cantorum in Basel, he began a faithful collaboration with musical personalities such as Paolo Pandolfo and Jordi Savall, performing alongside them and contributing to numerous recordings. In 1997, he founded the ensemble L’Amoroso to explore the viola da gamba repertoire more personally and to highlight the different instruments of this family. The recording programs "Consonanze Stravaganti," followed by "Seconde Stravaganze" and the transcription of Corelli's Opus V for viola da gamba, are considered pioneering works in the revival of the Italian repertoire for viols and have been awarded by international critics (Diapason d’or, 10 de Répertoire, Prix Goldberg, Premio Vivaldi della Fondazione Cini, Eccezionale de Scherzo, Choc du Monde de la Musique...). Passionate about research, Guido Balestracci is interested in rare instruments, such as the baryton, as evidenced by a CD dedicated to Haydn's trio Divertimenti, released in 2011. His interest in the Classical and Romantic periods, particularly for the arpeggione, of which he is one of the few current performers, also falls within this domain. He performs in concerts featuring a program dedicated to the transcription of the Romantic repertoire around Schubert's "Arpeggione" Sonata, which he recorded in 2019. Since the end of 2021, Guido Balestracci has also been responsible for the research project "Le Vibrato entre 1770 et 1820: un agrément à redécouvrir," which he conducts at the HEM of Geneva in collaboration with Elizabeth Dobbin and Paolo Corsi and in partnership with the CRR of Paris. He holds the position of professor of viola da gamba and 18th-century ornamentation at the HEM of Geneva and at the CRR of Paris in collaboration with PSPBB and Sorbonne University. Learn more about Guido Balestracci  

Alessio Corti
Helene Escriva
Le corniste Jean-Pierre Berry
Christophe Delannoy
Nina Uhari
Heidi Brunner
Portrait de Chouchane Siranossian
Naon
Bertrand chatenet
Balestracci

Student testimonials

Ce que j'aime à la HEM, c'est la possibilité de jouer aux côtés des musiciens professionnels de l'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR)

Florence Laurain Master of Arts en interprétation musicale orientation concert

Quand j'ai découvert le département Musique et mouvement de la HEM, ça a été un vrai coup de foudre !

Laurence Monbaron Etudiante en 3e année du Bachelor of Arts en Musique et mouvement

La réputation internationale de la classe de percussion de la HEM permet d’attirer beaucoup d’étudiant-e-s de grand talent !

Antonin Jaccard Etudiant en 3e année du Bachelor of Arts en Musique

Le double cursus Master proposé par la HEM me permet de concrétiser mes deux ambitions professionnelles : jouer et enseigner

Hristeia Markova Etudiante en Master en interprétation musicale spécialisée et en pédagogie

La HEM est réputée jusqu'en Amérique latine pour l'expertise de son département de musique ancienne, tant au niveau instrumental que théorique.

Pablo Agudo Etudiant en 2e année du Bachelor of Arts en Musique / instruments historiques (Violon baroque)

La HEM propose un cursus en adéquation avec les attentes du monde professionnel et m'y prépare en mettant en discussion mes aspirations et la réalité du métier de musicien

Mattia Bornati Etudiant en 2e année de Master de direction d'orchestre

J’ai choisi la HEM pour la renommée de son équipe pédagogique et l’importance des moyens qu’elle met à la disposition de ses étudiant-e-s dans le domaine de la musique électro-acoustique

Nicolas Roulive Etudiant en Master de composition

Le département vocal de HEM propose à ses étudiant-e-s de nombreuses Masterclasses avec des personnalités artistiques incroyables

Mariana Silva Etudiante en Master en interprétation musicale, orientation concert (chant)

Ce que j’aime à la HEM sur le site de Neuchâtel, c’est la belle cohésion entre les étudiant-e-s au sein de la classe de chant

Oscar Esmerode Etudiant en 3e année de Bachelor en chant sur le site de Neuchâtel

Ce que j’aime à la HEM, c’est la grande diversité des étudiant-e-s et la variété des projets proposés pendant le cursus.

Elena Haira Étudiante en 3e année de Bachelor of Arts instrumentistes (alto)

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Student life

  • Living in Geneva
  • Living in Neuchatel
  • Budget & bursary
  • Housing

Living in Geneva

A multicultural city par excellence, Geneva is known throughout the world for its quality of life and spirit of openness. Situated between the Alps and the Jura mountains, beside Lake Geneva, Geneva revels in its wonderful geographical location at the heart of Europe.

Living in Neuchatel

Neuchatel is a dynamic and attractive city on the shores of the lake of the same name.

Budget & bursary

The cost of living in Geneva is fairly high. It is advisable to find out before you come what your budget will be. There are also many opportunities to obtain a grant.

Housing

Residences, shared accommodation, hostels - there are many ways to find affordable accommodation in Geneva or neighbouring France.

Campus

  • Geneva site
  • Neuchâtel site

Geneva site

The various buildings that make up the Geneva site are located in the city centre. Shops, services, leisure and cultural facilities are all within quick and easy reach.

Neuchâtel site

The HEM site in Neuchatel is located 5 minutes from the SBB station and 15 minutes from the city centre and the lake. It houses classrooms, two auditoriums, a library and a cafeteria.

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La HEM se présente

Lu 28 août 2023

Le département des instruments à clavier de la HEM

Ma 29 août 2023

Florence Laurain - Un coup de foudre pour l'Europe

Ve 25 août 2023