Since 2017, the Geneva Competition has been organizing, in parallel with the competition itself, formative workshops for the laureates of the previous years as well as for some students of the Haute École de Musique de Genève (HEM-Genève).
These workshops aim to give their participants the keys to the profession of musician, beyond musical practice and the acquisition of repertoires. They explore the numerous and complex angles of this profession weakened by the international crisis and will allow participants to be better prepared for their entry into the professional world
With the help of the ArtMentor Foundation, it was possible to give the Workshop a broader base and a greater impact. In order to meet the challenges of 2020 and 2021, a digital platform was designed and online training courses were provided with great success. Numerous, diverse, and international speakers were called upon to guide the young participants through the difficulties of starting a professional career.
The 2022 Workshop :
In 2022, the Concours de Genève is giving a new impulse to its Workshop. Always with the aim of helping former laureates and a few young talents identified by a network of partners, the 2022 Workshop will have as common theme the building of links: how to work together, how human exchange and building of relationships with future colleagues and partners are essential to the development of a musician's career? Based on the principle of mentoring, where each young musician will be in turn the mentor or mentee of his or her peers, the participants will discover the essential importance of this link of "working together", and of the richness of these interactions.
This "Fil Rouge" will be animated by Benoit Labourdette, pedagogue, writer and videographer, consultant in cultural innovation and digital strategy. Throughout the week they will learn how to "pitch" their project, i.e. to present it to an audience in just a few minutes, often crucial in a musician's career to seduce a programmer or a patron. Participants will also benefit from presentations by prestigious professionals who will come to talk about their work and share their advice and experience.
The Workshop 2022 will provide this group of a dozen participants with a concrete and accurate approach to the musician's profession through participative and concrete tools, thanks to the intervention of prestigious speakers and a program adapted to their needs, in this decisive phase that is the beginning of their career.
The event, initiated for the laureates of Geneva Competition will also welcome students of the Geneva University of Arts (HEM) in Master of Arts in music performance as soloist :
The organization and coordination of the Workshop is handled by Mrs. Françoise Clerc and her consulting firm Music Minded, a renowned professional whose skills are highly praised. Ms Clerc will also have the task of supervising and coordinating the new CROCUS network of workshops for young musicians, to which the Concours de Genève’s Workshop is now affiliated.
This 6th edition of the Prizewinners workshop of the Concours Genève, in association with the Geneva University of Music (Haute École de Musique de Genève - HEM), is supported by the Art Mentor Foundation (Luzern, Switzerland).
Speakers and trainers of the Workshop 2022
- David Christoffel
David Christoffel is a poet and composer, a radio man and a doctor in musicology from the EHESS. Author of spoken operas (recently Échecs opératiques, Opéra de Rouen in 2018 and Consensus partium, Festival d'automne à Paris in 2020) and radio plays for the stage (La Voix de Foucault, ManiFeste, 2014), he reflects on the relationship between poetry and music by publishing numerous articles and by directing the volume Orphée dissipé (RSH, 2018). A former columnist for France Musique, he produces magazines and creative programmes for France Culture and Espace 2 (RTS) and the Métaclassique programme broadcast on several dozen community radio stations. He is also the author of Ouvrez la tête (ma thèse sur Satie) (published by MF, 2017) and the essay La musique vous veut du bien (PUF, 2018). His works are listed on the website http://www.dcdb.fr/
- Eugénie Guibert (Sartory Artists, artists manager)*
A graduate of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon and the Royal College of Music in London, Eugénie Guibert was a violinist with major orchestras before embarking on her professional career on the other side of the stage. After an experience with the Concours International Long Thibaud in Paris, she trained in artist management at CLB Management in London before founding her own agency Sartory Artists in 2011. Without ever losing her sensitivity as a musician, she has built up a solid expertise as an agent over more than 10 years with passion. She represents internationally renowned artists as well as young talents, some of whom have become Instrumental Soloist Revelation at the Victoires de la Musiqu eClassique, or ECHO Rising Stars. Committed to contemporary music, she regularly contributes to the creation of new works alongside her artists. She likes to approach music in a different way by accompanying unexpected projects and by committing herself to the performance of unexplored works. Eugénie is a member of the International Artist Manager's Association, of the Association Française des Agents Artistiques and is on the Editorial Advisory Board of the Classical Music Artists platform. Since May 2022, Sartory Artists is the partner agency of the Geneva International Music Competition in charge of the Prizewinners' Career development program.
- Alexandre Hermadinquer (Director of La Grange au Lac, Evian)
Alexandre HÉMARDINQUER trained as a lawyer, graduating from the Universities of Paris-Dauphine and Nancy in Business Law and Political Science (specializing in public cultural activity as it relates to the law of intellectual property), yet he is also a former student of the Nancy Conservatoire. He began his career in 2006 at the Opéra National de Paris under the directorship of Gerard Mortier, as part of the artistic coordination team of Viktor Schoner and Alexander Neef. In 2008 Alexandre joined the Auditorium of the Louvre Museum with overall responsibility for its productions and programmes. Using his comprehensive experience of the musical ecosystem covering the problems of production, programming and publication as well as those of marketing, management and finance, Alexandre Hémardinquer manages and assists varied projects involving first performances and festivals, in particular the Rencontres Musicales d’Evian, which he relaunched with the Modigliani String Quartet in 2014 at La Grange au Lac, part of the Evian Resort. Since 2013 Alexandre Hémardinquer is Executive Director of the Grange du Lac. In 2018 he launched a season of more than 50 concerts, hosting the Victoires de la Musique Classique to celebrate the joint 25th anniversary of that event and of the hall. Together with Philippe Bernhard they co-founded the Sinfonia Grange au Lac, a body that unites artists from the most prestigious international ensembles under the direction of conductors such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Gustavo Dudamel, Daniel Harding and Lars Vogt. Alexandre Hémardinquer also pursues a parallel activity as an advisor, offering technical support with the creation and construction of new concert halls as well as with festivals and musical seasons, and speaking at educational seminars and workshops as part of his ongoing commitment to help professionalise young musicians for their chosen careers.
- Emmanuel Hondré (Director of the Opéra National de Bordeaux)
Emmanuel Hondré is currently General Director of the Opéra National de Bordeaux. He was previously Director of the Concert and Performance Department of the Philharmonie de Paris - Cité de la musique (2015-2021) and Production Director of the Cité de la musique and Salle Pleyel (2004-2014). He studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (musicology, music history, flute pedagogy, aesthetics) and holds a doctorate in musicology from the University of Tours. Emmanuel Hondré is regularly invited to give lectures and seminars on programming, cultural management and musical life (Paris, Lyon, Geneva, Moscow, St Petersburg, Shanghai, Wuhan). He is a member of several expert committees and is invited to the jury of international competitions (Moscow 2012 & 2016, Saint Petersburg 2015, Shanghai 2016 and 2018). He has published Le Conservatoire de Paris - Regards sur une institution et son histoire (1995), La Marseillaise (2002), François Devienne (2004) and Cent conseils pour un jeune musicien (ed. La Lettre du musicien, 2019).
- Benoît Labourdette (Filmmaker, consultant in innovation, pedagogue)
Benoît LABOURDETTE is a film maker, a consultant in cultural innovation and digital strategies, and an educator. He founded among others the "Pocket Films Festival" with the Forum des images in 2005, the national "Short Film Celebration" with the CNC in 2011 and the collaborative project "By my window" since the first confinement in 2020. He produces, writes and directs fictions, documentaries, experimental and participative works and institutional films with innovative formats. His creative approach is multidisciplinary, he also works in the fields of painting, theater, opera, photography, architecture and music. He accompanies companies, institutions and communities in their strategies of cultural and social innovation, with the support of new technologies and new uses, in the perspective of cultural rights. He shares many resources on his website: www.benoitlabourdette.com
- Antoine Manceau (Director of La Belle Saison, Paris)
Main experience: • Head of the European Baroque Academy of the Ambronay Festival (1997-2000) • Head of the Academy and concert programming at the Festival d'art lyrique d'Aix-en-Provence (2000 2009), under the direction of Stéphane Lissner and Bernard Foccroulle. • Music advisor and concert programmer of the Vila Medici, Académie de France in Rome, under the direction of Richard Peduzzi (2005- 2008) • General Director of the Académie Fratellini (2009-2012) • Conception and pedagogical coordination of the Académie de l'Opéra Comique under the direction of Jérôme Deschamps and Olivier Mantei (2012-2015) In 2012 Antoine launches Blue Head (of whom he becomes President). Areas of expertise: • Programming, production and administration in the performing arts • Consulting and artistic direction, definition and development of cultural projects • Management of educational and pedagogical projects (public awareness and artist masterclasses) • International prospecting of emerging talents and career development. Main current projects: • General management of La Belle Saison (programming and production of chamber music concerts in France and • Europe) - Network of 20 exceptional venues for this repertoire, notably the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris. • Music Advisor and Producer of the music programme of the Fondation Louis Vuitton Today, all of the activities give nearly 200 concerts per year, mainly chamber music, for 60,000 spectators and 9,000 beneficiaries of the educational programmes.
- Nicole Thiebaud (Specialist in Eutonie, pianist)
Eutony is a sensitive body approach, which is based on listening to sensations. It offers new possibilities for relaxation and toning. The term "Eutony" is formed from the Greek roots eu - good, right, harmonious - and tonos - tone, tension; it expresses the idea of a harmonious adjustment of tensions. Gerda Alexander Eutony is bodywork. Simple and varied exercises in rest or in movement lead to the development of the perception of the body. The body then becomes more present in its entirety. Postures and movements are more in line with anatomical possibilities and are freer. Muscle tensions are harmonised. Respectful attention to the body also promotes greater well-being and greater physical and mental flexibility in everyday life. The individual sessions allow for a more individualised support and offer the possibility to respond to more specific requests and needs. In addition to verbal instructions, the Eutonist can use the treatment methods of Gerda Alexander Eutony: touching the person and mobilising different parts of the body, for example. The exchange and verbal support can also play an important role in this process of self-awareness. here is no set programme of exercises. Each Gerda Alexander Eutony session is unique. The suggestions are adapted to the needs and experiences of the participants. The Eutonist gives verbal instructions and accompanies the participants' search by directing their attention to the different parts of the body, the effects of movement and rest, and the various sensations. Each person experiments at their own pace with their own possibilities, without any model or desire for performance. The exercises are simple and varied, for example:
- Feeling the body's touching surfaces with the ground.
- Move and stretch.
- Rolling a tennis ball under one foot.
- Putting a bag of chestnuts under one shoulder, releasing and feeling the chestnuts.
- Explore the possibilities of movement of a joint
- Press the feet against the floor, push off and walk. This is a creative and at the same time systematic exploration of one's body at rest and in movement. The body is perceived in its reality and in its relationship to the environment. Following a bodily experience, verbal exchanges may emerge. The experience varies from one person to another and allows each person to discover his or her own particularities, without judgement or interpretation.
- Andreas Vierziger (Consultant, project manager, curator)
Andreas Vierziger has been working as an independent strategist, innovation consultant and curator for various international classical music institutions and classical music related projects after having worked as an artist manager for large scale classical music artists including GRAMMY winners. Clients and project partners include David Lynch’s Silencio Club in Paris (classical music curator), classical music video streaming platform takt1 (Head of Artistic Cooperations), Camerata Salzburg (board of directors), Thomastik-Infeld, Austrian National Tourist Office, Welsh National Opera, Vivienne Westwood, productions of Netflix and many others. He has been on more than 25 juries of music competitions and has been lecturing at many international universities such as University of Music and performing Arts Vienna, Tokyo University of the Arts, Zurich University of the Arts, Liszt Academy Budapest, Royal Danish Academy of Music, Bilkent University Ankara, Sibelius Academy Helsinki and Paris-Sorbonne.
- Olivia Brown (WildKat Managing Director) and Mathilde Rouxel (WildKat Senior PR Manager)
Olivia Brown was appointed as Managing Director at WildKat in 2020 and now manages the agency's five offices internationally. Olivia has worked across several roles at WildKat since 2014, including PR and Marketing for clients such as the Verbier Festival, Gstaad Menuhin Festival, Concours de Genève, VOCES8, Kathleen Ferrier Awards; she also oversaw the creation of the company's Paris office in 2019. Olivia maintains a strong connection with music and arts education; holding a position on the University of Leeds School of Music’s Industrial Advisory Board, mentoring students and alumna on careers in the arts and giving lectures and seminars, most notably at the Royal College of Music. She has been featured in press such as Music Week, International Arts Manager, The Opera Pod, and PR Week.
Mathilde joined WildKat in January 2020. Passionate about culture and music, she studied at ESCP Business School and at the University of Ca’Foscari of Venice, Italy where she had the opportunity to work as a student for the Palazzetto Bru Zane. After graduating, she interned at Les Arts Florissants and then joined the French label harmonia mundi as marketing coordinator. There, she gained valuable experience in marketing and communication especially in classical music working on releases of renown artists.
Executive producer :
- Françoise Clerc (Music Minded)
The 2022 Concours de Genève’s Career Development Programme is programmed and coordinated by Françoise CLERC. Founder of MusicMinded, an independent consultancy firm specialising in strategic development and international project and career support. With 30 years of 360° experience in France and around the world, Françoise Clerc has worked for the Centre National de la Musique, the Bureau Export, the Institut français and the French Embassy in London where she was head of Classical and contemporary music, IMG Artists, Les Arts Florissants, Théâtre du Châtelet and the Aix-en-Provence Festival. She has launched and managed several festivals (Festival de Valloires, All About Piano, En Blanc et Noir) and several international programmes including Diaphonique, the Franco-British contemporary music fund. She has accompanied the careers of Yuja Wang, Dame Imogen Cooper, Sonia Wieder-Atherton and Mark Padmore among many others. Today, she devotes her activity to international development projects including the baroque ensemble Les Epopées.
Concours de Genève / Geneva International Music Competition
- Didier Schnorhk (Secretary General)
- Sandy Kasper (Asst. to the Director)
- Lisa Elias (Communication)
- Bastien Ferraris (Production)
- Marc Racordon (Accounting)