Tuesday 2 July 2024 | 15h30
EMS Les Marronniers
SUMMER SEASON 2024
Concert EMS Les Marronniers
Tuesday 2 July 2024 · 15h30
EMS Les Marronniers
PROGRAMMEARTISTS AND BIOGRAPHIES
For this social concert, the musicians of the Academy will go to the EMS Les Marronniers to play Strauss, Schumann, Rachmaninov and Fauré.
PROGRAMME
Richard Strauss (1864 - 1949)
Cello Sonata in F major, Op. 6
I. Allegro con brio
II. Andante ma non troppo
III. Allegro vivo
Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856)
Märchenbilder (“Fairy Tale Pictures”)
I. Nicht schnell (Not fast)
II. Lebhaft (Lively)
Sergei Rachmaninov (1873 - 1943)
Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 19
I. Lento - Allegro moderato
II. Allegro scherzando
III. Andante - Allegro
Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924)
Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 15
I. Allegro molto moderato
II. Scherzo: Allegro vivo
III. Adagio
IV. Allegro molto
Helene Freytag · violinNoémie Bialobroda · violaAuguste Rahon · celloHunju Sohnn · piano
THE ARTISTS
TEACHERS, GUEST OF HONOR AND ACCOMPANYING PIANISTS
Noemie BialobrodaViola · co-founder and artistic director of GISARead the biography ›
Noémie Bialobroda has been the violist of the Aviv Quartet since 2014, leading an active international career with the ensemble. Their performance of Beethoven’s complete string quartets at the Ansermet Studio in Geneva in 2018-2019 was a great success and strengthened their presence in French-speaking Switzerland.
Noémie Bialobroda, passionate about teaching, is since 2025, viola professor at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon. She is also Chamber Music Professor and Chamber Music Coordinator at the Haute École de Musique de Genève. Previously, she taught at the Conservatoire de Lausanne and the Conservatoire de Genève. During the summer, she teaches at the Flaine International Music Academy. Her students have won prizes in prestigious national and international competitions.
In recognition of her contributions to music, Noémie Bialobroda was awarded the Leenaards Foundation cultural grant in the music category in 2024.
As a performer, she is invited to renowned concert seasons and festivals, including Wigmore Hall (London), the IRCAM Manifeste Festival, and the Cité de la Musique (Paris), among others. She performs with artists such as Abdel Rahman El Bacha, Yovan Markovitch, Luis Claret, Boris Garlitsky, François Guye, Philippe Müller, Tedi Papavrami, Jean Sulem, Jean-Pierre Wallez, and the Rosamonde Quartet, giving concerts across Europe, Israel, and the United States.
Dedicated to contemporary music, Noémie has premiered two solo viola pieces at IRCAM: Caprice for Solo Viola and Electronics by Japanese composer Keita Matsumiya (2012) and Drifting by Pierre Stordeur (2013). She is also regularly invited to perform with the Ensemble Modern in Frankfurt and the Contrechamps ensemble in Geneva.
Noémie Bialobroda studied with Nobuko Imai and Miguel Da Silva at the Haute école de Musique de Genève and later at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, where she completed an Artist Diploma (third cycle) with Professor Jean Sulem.
Noémie Bialobroda is the co-founder and artistic director of the Geneva International String Academy.
Annegret KuttnerCollaborative pianist for cellistsRead the biography ›
“Annegret Kuttner’s playing is characterised by considerable professionalism and perfection, by her contagious electrifying joy in performing music and by the great stylistic sureness of her interpretation.”
Sächsische Zeitung
„...Kuttner's ... light-fingered playing was impressive for its airy clarity..."
Irish Times
Pianist Annegret Kuttner impresses the audience with the naturalness of her interpretation and the lightness and clarity of her playing.
After successfully participating in the Robert Schumann Piano Competition in Zwickau, Annegret has performed already at the age of 16 as a soloist in concerts in Germany and other European countries, including with the European Union Youth Orchestra. She completed her piano studies at the Dresden Academy of Music with Professor Peter Rösel, and received further musical impetus from masterclasses with Karl-Heinz Kämmerling, Pavel Gililov and Amadeus Webersinke. Annegret augmented her training with postgraduate studies on piano accompaniment (as a répétiteur) with Professor Monika Raithel as well as studying harpsichord with the internationally renowned expert on ancient music, Professor Ludger Remy.
Annegret Kuttner now teaches at the Academy of Music and Theatre, Leipzig.
In addition to her teaching post, the highly sought-after pianist regularly performs as a soloist and chamber musician in diverse musical and cultural centres in Germany and abroad.
Concert tours have taken her to the Czech Republic, Poland, Switzerland, Turkey, Latvia, Ireland, South Africa and the USA.
Annegret performs regularly with Benjamin Schmid, Antje Weithaas, Natalia Prishepenko, Pauline Sachse, Ivan Zenaty and Robert Oberaigner. In New York, she played Beethoven’s complete works for cello and piano together with cellist Peter Bruns. This concert was extremely well received by the public and press alike (New York Sun). Various internationally acclaimed CD recordings are released, including works for cello and piano by Louis Vierne and Charles-Marie Widor, by Robert Schumann and Robert Volkmann as well as for the Beethoven anniversary in 2020 together with Peter Bruns/cello the cycle "Beethoven – Most Complete 1-3“, expanding his known repertoire of five cello sonatas and three sets of variations with another three sonatas and arrangements by Beethoven himself and by composers from his context, for instance the sonata op. 64 (!) and the "Kreutzer“- sonata arrangement for cello by Carl Czerny.
HunJu SohnnCollaborative pianist for violistsRead the biography ›
HunJu Sohnn, Korean born pianist, has been performing both solo and chamber music concerts in Switzerland, England, Germany, France, South Korea, Thailand, Costa Rica, as well as throughout the United States.
Highly appreciated for her qualities in collaborative work, HunJu has been invited to appear with various instrumentalists and performed with the wind ensemble Ensemble Five ±, as well as the European-based Varias Ensemble at the New Year’s Music Festival in Gstaad, Switzerland. HunJu has collaborated in masterclasses for world-famous artists such as Pinkas Zukerman, Nobuko Imai, Kyung-Wha Chung, Tabea Zimmermann, Yuri Bashmet, as well as Yo-Yo Ma, Franz Helmerson, and Ralph Kirshbaum. She has been the pianist/coordinator of the viola masterclass at the Verbier Music Festival and Academy. HunJu has participated in a television documentary featuring Nobuko Imai, which was distributed worldwide and performed with Ms. Imai for France Musique Radio program during the Verbier Festival.
HunJu Sohnn continues to perform in Europe and the US, while holding a teaching position at the Conservatoire Populaire de Musique Danse et Théâtre in Geneva. She also participated in studio recordings, most recently in a project of complete works for piano and winds by Francis Poulenc released by Kleos Classics. HunJu Sohnn received her Master's degree from New England Conservatory and holds a Doctoral degree for Piano Performance from Rice University.
THE YOUNG ARTISTS 2024
Helene FREYTAGViolinRead the biography ›
Helene Freytag was born into a family of musicians in Leipzig (Germany) in 2005. She received her first violin lessons at the age of five. In 2013, she passed the entrance exam at the Dresden Carl Maria von Weber Academy of Music in the class of Prof. Uta-Maria Frenzel. Currently, she is in the class of Hellen Weiß. Since 2019, she has also been at the Julius-Stern-Institute of the Berlin University of the Arts. There she is taught by Prof. Latica Honda-Rosenberg.From the winter semester 2024/25, she will continue her Bachelor's degree at the MUK in Vienna with Julian Rachlin.
Helene attended master classes with Prof. Mihaela Martin, Prof. Natalia Prishepenko, Prof. Zakhar Bron, Prof. Pawel Vernikov and Prof. Boris Brovtsyn. In addition she is a scholarship holder at the "International Music Academy Liechtenstein" and takes part in the "Intensive Weeks" with Prof. Ana Chumachenco, Prof. Ingolf Turban and Marc Bouchkov.
Helene is multiple first prize winner in the national competition "Jugend musiziert” with highest number of points. In this connection, she received spezial prizes as as soloist, as well as a chamber musician, including a prize of the "Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben", the concert series "Freunde Junger Musiker" and the "WDR3-Klassik radio prize". Together with her sister at the piano she was awarded the 2nd prize at the "Carl-Bechstein-Wettbewerb" in Berlin (2021).
At international level Helene won the 3rd prize at the "International Kocian Competition" in Usti nad Orlici (2019) as well as at the "15th International Violin Competition in Honour of K. Lipinski and H. Wieniawski" in Lublin (2021).
As a soloist Helene performed with the "Staatskapelle Halle", the "Sion Festival Orchestra" and the "Elblandphilharmonie Sachsen", among others. In addition, Helene has a great passion for chamber music. Together with her siblings, she successfully plays piano trio, since 2023 in the class of Prof. Boris Kusnezov at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Leipzig. Additionally, Helene was a participant in the chamber music projects, such as "Meister von heute und morgen” in Dresden, the "China Youth Music Academy" in Dresden, "Mit Musik-Miteinander” of the Kronberg Academy and the "Geneva international String Academy". There she got inspiration from Prof. Marie-Elisabeth Hecker, Anastasia Kobekina, Prof. Walter Küssner and Sergey Ostrovsky. Since 2019 Helene is a member of the "National Youth Orchestra of Germany".
As a laureat of the 28th competition of "Deutscher Musikinstrumentenfond", she has the honour of playing an Italian violin by L. Ventapane (1806) and being additionally supported by a scholarship as well as concerts of the foundation "Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben". In September of 2022, she was also accepted into the "Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes" and the "Hans und Eugenia Jütting Stiftung".
Theresa HOŘEJŠÍViolaRead the biography ›
Theresa Horejsi was born into a family of musicians in 1999. Starting with the violin, she often took part in the "Jugend Musiziert" competition and gained experience in orchestras and chamber music ensembles from an early age. She discovered the viola through her family.
She studied from 2018 at the Cologne University of Music and Dance in the class of Matthias Buchholz and is currently studying at the haute ecole de Musique de Lausanne with Tatjana Masurenko.
She has worked as a chamber musician with Jörg Widmann, the Minguett Quartet, Harald Schoneweg, Gregor Schwellenbach, Robert Kulek and Daniel Haefliger. She has participated in recordings for the Arte Film "TRANS - I Got Life", which was broadcast on television in September 2023.
In September 2023, she took part in the prestigious ARD Music Competition. In March 2024, she takes up a 3. Soloposition in the St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra.
Matthew McDOWELLViolaRead the biography ›
American violist Matthew McDowell has been a laureate of many competitions nationally and internationally. An avid chamber musician, Matthew is a member of the Amnis Piano Quartet, who won bronze medal at the 50th Annual Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, third prize at the Premio Renzo Giubergia Competition, the Oneppo Chamber Competition, a fellowship at the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, prizes at the Yellow Spring Chamber Music Competition, and the Yale Society of Chamber Music. In addition, Amnis was announced as semi-finalists for the 2024 Concert Artists Guild Competition, and were finalists at the recent Coltman competition.
Matthew was also named a finalist in the recent Barbash J.S. Bach competition, as well as a quarter-finalist in the 2024 Primrose International Viola Competition.
Matthew’s travels have taken him to major festivals throughout the United States, Europe, and Mexico, concertizing at places like the Verbier Festival Soloist Academy, Festival Pablo Casals, Moritzburg Festival, Zwischentöne Kammermusik Festival, Festival Santa Pietra, Geneva International String Academy, and many others.
He has performed with world renown artists such as Yura Lee, Martha Argerich, Sir András Schiff, Xenia Jankovic, Gabor Takacs- Nagy, Renaud Capucon, David Gaillard, and Oleg Kaskiv.
Matthew is currently pursing an MMA with Ettore Causa at the Yale School of Music, and will begin the next academic year as an artist-in-residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium.
Auguste RAHONCelloRead the biography ›
Originally from Reims, Auguste Rahon began his cello studies at the age of five at the municipal music school of La Loupe in Eure-et-Loir before entering the Conservatoire à rayonnement départemental de Chartres in 2009, then the Conservatoire à rayonnement départemental du Puy-en-Velay. In 2012, he enters the class of Augustin Lefebvre at the Conservatoire à rayonnement régional de Lyon where he obtains in 2015 his Diploma of musical studies with honors.
Since 2016, he has been studying with Denis Severin at the Haute École de Musique de Genève until the bachelor’s degree, and then joined David Pia’s class for a master’s degree in interpretation, with a concert orientation. He also worked in masterclasses and summer courses with David Harlé, Philippe Bary, Marcel Bardon, Raphaël Pidoux, Frédéric Dutheil, the Penderecki quartet, Edgar Gredler, Denis Severin, Rafael Rosenfeld, Truels Svane, Wen-Sin Yang, David Pia, Thomas Grossenbacher, Wolfgang Emmanuel Schmidt, Ophélie Gaillard, Danjulo Ishizaka, Yi-Bing Chu, Roel Dieltens, Gary Hoffman or François Guye...
Auguste Rahon joined the Académie de l’Opéra national de Paris in September 2022.
THE CONCERTS
TUESDAY 2 JULY · 14H30
Société de Lecture
Masterclass Valentin Erben, cellist Alban Berg Quartet
TUESDAY 2 JULY · 15H30
EMS Les Marronniers
Concert EMS Les Marronniers
This concert
WEDNESDAY 3 JULY · 14H30
Société de Lecture
Masterclass Valentin Erben, cellist Alban Berg Quartet
WEDNESDAY 3 JULY · 20H00
Museum Barbier-Mueller
Bach · Dallapiccola · Reger · Haydn · Kodály · Penderecki · Ysaÿe · Beethoven
THURSDAY 4 JULY · 14H30
Société de Lecture
Rehearsal with Valentin Erben, cellist Alban Berg Quartet

