The Academy searches the world for the most promising pianists, violinists, violists, cellists and chamber music ensembles of trios and quartets to become students of its Soloists & Ensembles Programme.
Eight from each solo discipline and two ensembles are selected for three weeks of mentorship and coaching by a faculty that is second to none. A select number of promising junior students, aged 13 to 15, are also invited to soak up the Festival experience with the aim of inspiring them to apply for full Academy positions in the future. The study and performance of chamber music is fundamental at Verbier. In addition to classes and coachings offered to two pre-formed trios or quartets, all soloists, including junior students, are assigned to chamber music groups and take part in chamber music masterclasses in addition to those in their respective disciplines.
with generous support from
Aspect Foundation
Anders and Mia Bergendahl
François and Caroline Reyl
The Tabor Foundation
programme dates
14 July – 5 August 2024
includes arrival and departure dates
eligibility
Age & Nationality
Musicians of all nationalities may apply.
Only ensembles in trio and quartet formations may apply (strings, winds or either with piano).
Soloists aged 16 to 26 as of 1 July 2024 (13 to 15 for Junior Students)
Ensembles aged 22 to 30 as of 1 July 2024 (average age of members)
costs for successful candidates
All musicians accepted to the Soloists & Ensembles Programme receive a tuition scholarship, complimentary housing in Verbier (hosted in with a family or independent living), daily lunch and Festival tickets (subject to availability). Musicians are responsible for the cost of travel to and from Verbier and the cost of all other meals and spending money. The Academy will contribute up to CHF 400 to assist with air travel for cellists travelling with their instruments.
Junior Students may come to Verbier with one parent or guardian. Housing will be provided for both student and guardian. Students aged 16 or older are not allowed to live with their own parent or guardian.
apply
Applications open 10 October 2023
Deadline: 18 January 2024 / Applications closed
Application Fee: USD 100 | USD 50 for Junior Students
Please note: Applicants of Romanian, Russian or Ukrainian nationality are eligible for an application fee waiver thanks to the generosity of donors to the Festival. To obtain a fee waiver, please email a scan of your passport proving your nationality to academy@verbierfestival.com.
| guidelines |
masterclasses
Soloists normally perform in at least six masterclasses in their solo disciplines and four masterclasses in their assigned chamber music groups. Junior Students normally perform in at least three masterclasses or private coaching sessions in their respective disciplines and four masterclasses in their assigned chamber music groups.
Ensembles normally perform in between eight and 12 masterclasses.
Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified when the 2024 masterclass schedule is published. All classes are led in English.
mentors
The mentors for the 2024 Verbier Festival Academy will be announced in September.
Piano
Richard Goode
Klaus Hellwig
Rena Shereshevskaya
Violin
Kristóf Baráti
Augustin Dumay
Mihaela Martin
Viola
Isabel Charisius
Lawrence Power
Antoine Tamestit
Cello
Nicolas Altstaedt
Frans Helmerson
Steven Isserlis
Chamber Music
Nicolas Altstaedt
Kirill Gerstein
Amihai Grosz
Klaus Hellwig
I Giardini
Mihaela Martin
Quatuor Ébène
Gábor Takács-Nagy
21C Artist Training
All Academy musicians learn to navigate the business of music through exposure to concepts they don’t learn in school: interactive concert programming to address changing audience tastes and demographics, effective marketing and social media, media training, financial management, sound and video recording, and mental and physical wellness practices. Musicians meet with artists, educators and businesspeople who are living proof that there is no single career path for a young artist.
Mary Javian
Patrick Jeanneret
Gary Leboff
Pedja Muzijevic
Alexis Milligan
Ruth Phillips
Karen Zorn
alumni mentors
In its quest for excellence, the Academy has developed collaborations with some of the greatest mentors and coaches. Returning 2023 mentors are marked with an asterisk.
Piano
Joaquín Achúcarro
Sergei Babayan
Dmitri Bashkirov †
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet
Michel Béroff
Bella Davidovich
Leon Fleisher
Claude Frank †
Richard Goode*
Gary Graffman
Klaus Hellwig*
Joseph Kalichstein
Stephen Kovacevich
Menahem Pressler
Ferenc Rados
András Schiff
Rena Shereshevskaya
Violin
Kristóf Baráti
Guy Braunstein*
Zakhar Bron
Ana Chumachenco
Augustin Dumay
Pamela Frank*
Ivry Gitlis
Ida Haendel
András Keller
Young-Uck Kim
Boris Kuschnir
Mihaela Martin*
Igor Oistrakh
György Pauk
Dora Schwarzberg
Joseph Silverstein
Dmitry Sitkovetsky
Isaac Stern †
Viktor Tretiakov
Donald Weilerstein
Eduard Wulfson
Pinchas Zukerman
Viola
Yuri Bashmet
Isabel Charisius
Gerard Caussé
Roberto Diaz
Yuri Gandelsman
Nobuko Imai*
Kim Kashkashian
Paul Neubauer
Lawrence Power*
Antoine Tamestit*
Lars Anders Tomter
Tabea Zimmermann
Cello
Nicolas Altstaedt*
Alban Gerhardt
Lynn Harrell †
Frans Helmerson*
Gary Hoffman
Steven Isserlis*
Ralph Kirshbaum
Laurence Lesser
Julian Lloyd Webber
Miklós Perényi
Ferenc Rados
Torleif Thedéen
Jian Wang
Chamber Music
Nicolas Altstaedt
Alfred Brendel
Pamela Frank
Kirill Gerstein*
Amihai Grosz
Klaus Hellwig*
Mathieu Herzog
I Giardini
András Keller
Mihaela Martin*
Menahem Pressler
Ferenc Rados
Quatuor Ébène*
András Schiff
Alasdair Tait
Gábor Takács-Nagy*
Pinchas Zukerman
students 2023
Piano
Jonas Aumiller Germany
Roman Borisov Russian Federation
Justus Friedrich Eichhorn Germany Junior Student
Henry From Canada / United States
Ethan Loch United Kingdom
Mikkel Myer Lee Singapore Junior Student of Promise
Kiron Atom Tellian Austria
Elizaveta Ukrainskaia Russian Federation
Tony Yike Yang Canada
Vsevolod Zavidov Russian Federation
Violin
Hans Christian Aavik Estonia
Ayaan Ahmad United States
Joshua Brown United States
Hana Chang Japan / Singapore / United States
Gabrielle Després Canada / United States
Ilva Eigus Switzerland / Latvia Junior Student
Mira Foron Germany / Italy
Oliver Neubauer United States
Claire Wells United States
Viola
Isabella Bignasca Australia
Soyoung Cho South Korea
Brian Isaacs United States
Sumin Kim South Korea
Katie Liu United States
Matthew McDowell United States
Weiyi Zeng China
Jaren Ziegler United Kingdom
Cello
Luka Coetzee Canada
Clara Yuna Friedensburg Germany / South Korea Junior Student
Maxime Grizard France / Germany
Anouchka Hack Germany
Jaemin Han South Korea
Deokyong (Claire) Kim South Korea
Petar Pejčić Serbia
Benett Tsai Australia
Alejandro Viana Spain
Ensembles
Kandinsky Quartet
_Hannah Kandinsky Austria violin
_Evgenii Artemenkov Russian Federation violin
_Ignazio Alayza Italy viola
_Antonio Gervilla Spain cello
Trio Incendio
_Karolína Františová Czechia piano
_Filip Zaykov Czechia violin
_Vilém Petras Czechia cello
