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.
Up to seven from each solo discipline and one ensemble are selected for three weeks of mentorship and coaching by a faculty that is second to none. Up to four Junior Students, aged 13 to 15, may also be 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. Soloists take part in chamber music masterclasses in addition to those in their respective solo disciplines.
programme dates
includes arrival and departure dates
2025
13 July – 4 August 2025
2026
12 July – 3 August 2026
how to apply
Applications to the 2025 edition of the Academy’s Soloists & Ensembles Programme are now closed.
apply
Application Deadline: 16.01.2025
masterclasses
Information for students
Soloists normally perform in at least six masterclasses in their solo disciplines and four masterclasses in their assigned chamber music groups. When possible, Junior Students will perform in at least two masterclasses or private coaching sessions; they may also be assigned to a chamber music group at the Academy’s discretion.
Ensembles perform in approximately ten masterclasses.
Information for the public
The masterclass schedule will be announced in November 2024.
mentors 2025
Piano
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet
Rena Shereshevskaya
Minsoo Sohn
Violin
Ilya Gringolts
Boris Kuschnir
Mihaela Martin
Gerhard Schulz
Viola
Isabel Charisius
Nobuko Imai
Lawrence Power
Antoine Tamestit
Cello
Nicolas Altstaedt
Frans Helmerson
Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt
Chamber Music
Isabel Charisius
Pierre Colombet (Quatuor Ébène)
Ilya Gringolts
Gabriel Le Magadure (Quatuor Ébène)
Mihaela Martin
Gerhard Schulz
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.
alumni mentors
In its quest for excellence, the Academy has developed collaborations with some of the greatest mentors and coaches. Returning 2025 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
Kolja Blacher
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*
Máté Szücs
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
Alisa Weilerstein
Jian Wang
Chamber Music
Nicolas Altstaedt
Alfred Brendel
Pierre Colombet*
Pamela Frank
Kirill Gerstein
Amihai Grosz
Klaus Hellwig
Mathieu Herzog
I Giardini
András Keller
Gabriel Le Magadure*
Mihaela Martin*
Raphaël Merlin
Menahem Pressler
Ferenc Rados
Quatuor Ébène*
András Schiff
Alasdair Tait
Gábor Takács-Nagy*
Pinchas Zukerman
Improvisation
Yilian Cañizares