Biographies

Musicians selected for the 2025 edition

Alphabetical order per instrument - Last school

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Video presentations
Henriette Knauer

Henriette-Luise Knauer

  • Edition of the Academy: 2025
  • Country: Germany
  • Instrument: Cello
  • Age during Academy: 16
  • Last or current school: Felix Mendelssohn College of Music and Theatre - Leipzig

Henriette-Luise Knauer was born in Dresden in 2009 and began playing the cello at the age of four. From 2015-2021 she received lessons from Daniel Thiele until she switched to Prof. Peter Bruns at the age of twelve. She has been attending the Saxon State High School for Music since the 5th grade. She has also been a junior student at the Leipzig University of Music with Prof. Peter Bruns since 2022.

Henriette-Luise has taken part in masterclasses with Damien Ventula, Hans-Jacob Eschenburg, Jan Vogler and Thomas Grossenbacher. At the invitation of the Dresden Music Festival and the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, she also took part in masterclasses with David Geringas and Steven Isserlis. She is a scholarship holder of the Liechtenstein Music Academy and takes part in the intensive weeks and activities held there.

At the national competition “Jugend musiziert” 2022 she received the highest score in the category cello solo.

In 2023, Henriette was accepted into the National Youth Orchestra of Germany after a successful audition. She gained chamber music experience at the German Chamber Music Course in Trossingen and in Kronberg at “Mit Musik-Miteinander”. In summer 2024, she was a participant at the Moritzburg Festival Academy.

Henriette-Luise was supported by a scholarship from the “Stiftung Frau und Kultur” and since 2023 she has been a scholarship holder of the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben.

As a winner of the 30th competition of the German Musical Instrument Fund, she has since played a cello by Philipp Augustin, Staufen, 2019 and a Pfretzschner cello bow.

Henriette Knauer 

Concert 2021 at the E. Fitzgerald theatre

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Testimonials from academicians

En premier lieu, on voulait vous remercier de nous avoir reçu dans un cadre ideal : la prise en charge du logement (chez des hôtes très accueillants) et des repas (très bons et qui convenaient à tous les régimes alimentaires) décharge des préoccupations matérielles et nous a permi de nous dédier au bon travail et à la musique. Concernant les conditions de travail, elles ont été optimales aussi. 
Le fait d’avoir une salle de travail prioritaire pour le quatuor (dont nous avons pu largement bénéficier) nous a permi d’avancer à notre rythme et avec une acoustique constante durant toute l’académie (c’est agréable de ne pas avoir à changer de repères tous les jours lorsqu’on travaille le son ou les équilibres).
On a également beaucoup apprécié avoir cours avec tous les enseignants et ainsi aborder les œuvres avec un nouveau point de vue à chaque fois ; c’était très enrichissant et nous a donné matière à travailler. Parfois, nous aurions aimé pouvoir continuer le travail plus longtemps lors des cours: 1h passe vite lorsque c’est en quatuor, et l’on se demandait si avoir un cours en moins mais bénéficier d’1h30 de cours en échange ne permettrait pas d’explorer encore plus la piece et/où de pouvoir lire plusieurs mouvements par cours.
De manière générale, la stimulation artistique est incroyable: la rencontre avec Alfred Brendel était magique, avec les masterclasses mais surtout avec sa conférence (magnifique témoignage sur sa vie d’interprète et sur sa compréhension des œuvres !!). 
Les concerts sont nombreux et de grande qualité, et c’est très enthousiasmant d’écouter les ensembles où se mêlent professeurs et académismes. Ça motive! 
Serait-il possible d’imaginer un concert avec le même format où les groupes déjà constitué pourraient aussi prendre part ? Par exemple d’intégrer le quatuor constitué dans un sextuor, septuor, octuor, etc, au côté d’autres étudiants et/ou professeurs ? 
Aussi, l’organisation globale avant et pendant l’académie a été super; on n’avait pas de questions à poser, les choses étaient claires et communiquées en avance! 
Enfin, le fait que l’académie reste “petite”, avec peu d’étudiants, a permi d’installer un climat familial et dépourvu de pression; ça facilite aussi beaucoup plus l’échange entre les étudiants et professeurs, donc l’ambiance était super ! Un bon mélange entre exigence, stimulation et bienveillance. On a adoré notre expérience avec vous!! 
Merci de nous avoir donné cette opportunité !

Kâla Quartet - 2022

Merci infiniment pour cette expérience fabuleuse que vous m'avez offerte ! J'ai appris beaucoup de nouvelles choses, notamment à travers les projets avec Kati Debretzeni et Garth Knox, que j'ai trouvés extrêmement intéressants.
Pour moi tout s'est très bien passé, la famille d'accueil était adorable, mes cours individuels étaient géniaux, ceux de musique de chambre également. 
Cet été j'ai également fait un stage à l'académie du festival de Verbier. Une chose que j'ai beaucoup appréciée à Verbier était les Workshops sur la méditation, sur la présence sur scène et le stress. L'anxiété sur scène est un grand problème chez les jeunes musiciens (j'en ai parlé avec plusieurs autres étudiants), donc je pense qu'il serait très important d'organiser des workshops pour apprendre aux étudiants des exercices à faire avant un concert, par exemple. 
Merci beaucoup pour tout, et peut-être à l'année prochaine !

Maxime - 2023

Actually all I have to say about the academy is very positive. Incredibly well organised, appropriate spaces for study and exceptional teachers. Also, for us students it is a real privilege to be able to play alongside the teachers. It is a wonderful course where you learn and enjoy yourself enormously. I can only thank you and congratulate you for all the work and the beautiful project you have created which is without a doubt great.

Juan - 2025

The first word that comes to my mind to describe the Geneva International String Academy is exceptional. Everything involved was exceptional: not only the quality of the lessons, the great time during the rehearsals together with the professors or the daily concerts in outstanding places, but also the amazing organization, the staying with the host families (in my case, a real pleasure!), and the food provided.

After one week, I can say with perspective that from all those years of summer courses and masterclass, for me the Geneva International String Academy has been a highlight and I only have deep feelings of gratitude for everything. So, a BIG thank you to all of you. Hopefully if you raise the age limit next year I would love to be with you again!

Guillermo - 2021

I had an amazing time at the academy, everything was extremely well run and a great experience.  My host family was great, the chamber music was good, and the lessons with Noemi were amazing!  I have no complaints, excepting perhaps that towards the end the concerts began lasting rather a long time, but if the audience didn't mind, who I am to? If I would have maybe one thing I think would improve the overall experience even more, it would be to have maybe one large ensemble piece to play so the students could really meet and interact with each other on a musical level, the concerts with Kati and Garth Knox were great for this, I really enjoyed those times especially. Also Mr. Garcia did an amazing job with the photos! Such a great thing to have!

Matthew - 2024

Ces 10 jours ont été mémorables, très équilibrés, et la mentalité vraiment très agréable, c’est pour moi tellement important, et c’est pour cela que je serai, qu’on serait (je pense pouvoir parler au nom de mes collègues et amies) vraiment ravi d’y reparticiper.

Loris - 2022

Because GISA was such an incredible experience, this email - while technically for feedback - is just to express my gratitude. Thank you all for organizing such a successful series and being so welcoming. I loved how many concert opportunities we were given. We had the perfect number of solo lessons and rehearsals/coachings with our chamber groups, and I absolutely loved my lessons with Noemie. The schedule was easy to navigate and constructed remarkably well. There was plenty of opportunity to practice and I never felt like I had to sacrifice that time to participate in festival activities.
And possibly most important, you all have cultivated such a warm and inviting environment that is seldom found in masterclasses.

Alessandra - 2025

Geneva International String Academy was such an amazing experience. I learnt so much both from teachers and students! What Noémie and Sergey have created is a very special community, where you feel safe to experiment, learn and connect with people. The fact that we are a small group makes really a difference. You get the chance to meet the people close and get inspired by everyone, as well as being able to know the teachers in a more personal level. I also found the balance between Solo and Chamber music very enriching. There are few places where both have such importance and where you get the chance to develop and learn so much from both. And that the groups are combined between teachers and students makes it very interesting! Finally, the organization was also impeccable! Everything so well thought and organized, which makes the week go super smoothly. Also that it is economically free is amazing and so helpful!! I feel really lucky that I got the chance to be there. I can only recommend it!

Mar - 2025

I had an amazing experience in GISA. I loved every moment! The chamber music was for me the best part of the week, especially the Brahms sextet where I played with all 3 professors. I learned a lot and enjoyed working with such great musicians. The lessons with dear Professor Ostrovsky were simply fantastic. I want to note that the violin class pianist Lukas was the best pianist I have ever played with in courses. It was a very good experience to work with him.
My hosts were very kind and helped me a lot. I LOVED the beautiful locations though it was very hot :) lunches were also perfect (I am vegan and I got exactly what I needed!). In the first 2 days before concerts started we had some problems with finding dinner because it was Sunday, but we managed to get it finally. Bringing Sandrine Osman to the academy was a bless. We worked on my violin and she is really great.
I enjoyed playing in the concerts, solo and chamber. It was a first opportunity for me to play in concerts that were held with such nice atmosphere !
The high level of participants and the extremely professional teachers made the academy a perfect place to learn, practice and love music.
I really hope to come again and I am grateful from the bottom of my heart.

Naama - 2023

I really enjoyed the atmosphere that was created there. There was just so much mutual empathy and respect at all levels and it really puts into perspective what the purpose of our music is for. I can truly say that my voice and confidence as an artist was truly found here. I really could not have found my confidence without the faculty's help and the encouragement of the other Academicians. I did really enjoy using the time at home to get to know my host family! I have only the fondest of memories at the Academy and I hope to see you again soon!

David - 2025

First of all, I want to thank you very much for the whole masterclass. I have only great things to say about - all organisation, people, quality was incredibly nice. It was a perfect balance in schedule with lessons, chamber music and practicing time - enough of rooms, well chosen program and amount of rehearsals. It was great we could play with mentors and also that we could perform as much as we wanted in at least two concerts. The fact that it is all recorded is also very nice. I am grateful that we could stay at host families. The lunch and dinner were great too! 
And of course, to work with Noemie and Sergey and the pianists was a great pleasure, I learned a lot and got inspiration for whole next year. I don’t have any improvement offers, keep doing what you are!!!

Barbora - 2025

Je tiens à vous remercier chaleureusement pour cette belle semaine passée à vos côtés. Les cours étaient très constructifs et enrichissants, et j’ai beaucoup appris tout au long de l’Academy. L’emploi du temps était très bien organisé, avec un bon équilibre entre les cours, les répétitions et le repos – jamais trop chargé. Ce temps de pause laissait également suffisamment de place pour travailler son instrument de manière approfondie. Les salles de travail étaient toujours disponibles ce qui a grandement facilité la préparation individuelle et les répétitions. Les hôtes étaient très sympathiques et accueillants, tout comme l’équipe organisatrice, toujours disponible et bienveillante. Je tiens également à souligner la qualité des repas Et la Petite touche sans vinaigre pour moi Toujours bien respecté !! 
Je recommande vivement cette Academy à tous ceux qui souhaitent progresser dans un cadre à la fois exigeant, bienveillant et inspirant. Encore un grand merci pour cette belle expérience !

Eva - 2025

Je trouve que l'académie est d'une rare qualité: les enseignants sont top, les nombreuses opportunités de se produire sont précieuses, les artistes invités de cette année ont été pour moi très inspirants et pour finir, l'académie est portée par une équipe super compétente et chaleureuse!
J'ai beau me creuser la tête, je ne trouve rien à redire...

Sarah - 2023

I had such a wonderful time at the Academy! There’s something so special about hosting such an organized and small scale festival in this beautiful city. I formed some amazing friendships and learned a lot through the lessons/rehearsals. I felt very inspired by the faculty and colleagues, and for me it was a great cultural exchange as well because we came from vastly different countries and continents. I also loved how it felt like a true learning experience- the performances never felt like a “do-or-die” situation; I was learning how to handle myself with a healthy amount of nerves to experiment with repertoire that I was not thoroughly comfortable with on stage yet.
Thank you for always taking care of us by providing endless snacks/refreshments, keeping things organized from months before the festival, and keeping records via photographs/videos of our busy lives while we were there so that we can remember it for the future.

Cheng - 2025

Nous tenions à vous remercier pour cette académie qui a été pour nous très riches en apprentissages et bons moments. Nous avons particulièrement apprécié le fait de pouvoir se produire en concerts et masterclasses de nombreuses fois tout au long de l'académie (nous avons vu une réelle amélioration !) ainsi que les conseils des quatre professeurs que nous avons eu la chance d'avoir en cours et qui nous ont vraiment beaucoup aidé à ouvrir nos oreilles et à aller plus loin. Nous avons trouvé très agréable d'avoir une salle dédiée au quatuor, ce qui a fortement simplifié l'organisation de nos répétitions malgré l'emploi du temps de Baptiste qui était bien chargé !
Nous avons également beaucoup aimé le fait de travailler avec Noémie Bialobroda au sein du quintette à deux altos, ce qui nous a apporté une perspective, et un élan nouveau au travail de musique de chambre. 
Merci encore pour tous ces bons moments humains et musicaux et nous espérons avoir la chance de vous recroiser un jour !

Quatuor Solveig - 2025

I was very glad to participate this year in the Geneva International String Academy !!! It inspired me a lot…
Everything was at the highest possible level - organization, food, concerts, audience. I was extremely happy to meet very talented and kind guys, as well as to play with them and share the stage.
This is an incredible experience for all of us that will remain in my memory for many years. Thank you very much and hope to see you next year!

Elizaveta - 2023

J’ai passé une très belle académie vraiment très complète entre la musique de chambre et les cours individuels. Le fait de jouer avec les professeurs est vraiment un aspect qui m’a beaucoup plu et apporté. Je trouve que dans cette académie tout est mis en place pour professionnaliser au maximum les étudiants dans une ambiance très agréable. Je pense que je n’ai aucune suggestion pour améliorer son fonctionnement. Un grand merci de nous avoir accompagné comme vous l’avez fait.
J’espère à l’année prochaine.

Baptiste - 2025

Thank you very much! And a big thank you to Frederic for all his work. I really enjoyed the academy and learned a lot, thank you for the opportunity to participate in it!

Sophi - 2021

Thanks so much for a fantastic edition of GISA!! I had a really great time: working with Noemie, playing with Sergey and Michelle, the workshops with Garth and Kati, really everything! 
My host was very nice, although it was a bit difficult being around her due to her personal family issues… obviously no fault of the Academy for this. The only other thing I would comment on is the length of the concerts: I attended all of them and felt that I was just a bit too exhausted by the end of some of them (mainly the ~3 hour ones)... It was of course so enjoyable to hear everyone, but perhaps the concerts could be just slightly condensed. 

Brian - 2023

I am feel very grateful to have been part of the Geneva string academy! I benefited a lot from the individual lessons and really enjoyed the chamber music I played. Thank you all for the wonderful experience!!

Eliane - 2023

I wanted to thank you for everything that you did for me/us it was such a wonderful experience to be part of such an amazing academy! The concerts, chamber music, lessons were all so amazing and were so much fun!

Ania - 2022

At first I want to thank all the academy staff for the huge preparation works. I am really impressed by the quality level of GISA. I really appreciate that you care about the hosting and the practice rooms. Having enough practicing possibility was always a problematic point in all academies I attended. I really can not say anything negative about GISA, I am sure we all enjoyed it. I enjoyed also the tight schedule.

Feliks - 2021

Tout d'abord, je suis extrêmement reconnaissant pour toute l'organisation qui nous permet de passer 10 jours des plus inspirants que j'aie vécu avec mon violoncelle. J'ai écrit quelques mots dans le livre d'or pour étayer mes remerciements :) J'ai beaucoup appris avec les cours de Peter Bruns, d'écouter jouer les étudiants et les profs - et beaucoup aimé aussi la visite à l'hôpital très touchante et très réelle. Et avant tout les échanges positifs, constructifs, inspirants et l'ambiance amicale tout le long. Rien de négatif me vient à l'esprit, je peux juste transmettre quelques points des discussions qu'on avait eues avec d'autres gens: 1) c'était tellement bien que tout semblait finir trop tôt (snif), 2) les familles d'hôtes c'est un concept génial et j'ai beaucoup aimé vivre chez les miens! Quelqu'un avait mentionné que du coup c'était peut-être plus dur de connecter avec les autres, qu'on pourrait avoir un endroit central où on pourrait passer la soirée et connecter avec les autres (en même temps pour moi c'était super comme ça, et on a tout de même beaucoup pu parler), 3) les repas de midi étaient super bons! Je me demandais juste s'il y avait moyen de le faire avec des assiettes ou des lunchbox réutilisables, par souci d'écologie/durabilité?
C'est tout qui me vient à l'esprit :) Un grand merci encore une fois pour tout! 

Jonathan - 2025

My experience at the Geneva String Academy was very positive! I was quite ill for the first few days, but I was helped immediately by being bought medicine and a lot of understanding was shown. I am very grateful for that!
The chamber music and solo lessons were incredibly enriching. The participants and the whole team were super open and I immediately felt included and welcome.
I found having a violin maker on site a very special and great aspect of the academy. I was very happy about my new strings.
I was also impressed by the Academy's good social media work and organisation! All the photos that were taken, were outstanding.
By the way, I particularly enjoyed the lunch! I also felt immediately welcome by my obliging host family.
Thank you for the wonderful time at the Geneva String Academy, which I will always remember fondly!

Henriette - 2025
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