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Passereau tropical connu pour la richesse de son chant, Shama est en Valais une formation vocale. Le choeur interprète des pièces traditionnelles, spirituelles et grégoriennes, et met l’accent sur l’écoute, la justesse et l’interprétation. L’ensemble est emmené par la main experte de Pierre-Elie Jacquemettaz, son chef et fondateur, et s’attèle à exprimer et partager un message de joie auprès son public.
New Zealander baritone Julien Van Mellaerts graduated with the Tagore Gold Medal from the Royal College of Music Opera Studio. He won numerous prizes at competitions including the 2018 Concours Musical International de Montréal and the 2017 Wigmore Hall / Kohn Foundation International Song Competition, among others. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, he organized and curated Whānau: Voices of Aotearoa, far from home. Devised to highlight the plight of and raise funds for those New Zealand singers unable either to return home or work, the concert was recorded at London’s Royal Albert Hall and broadcast on both YouTube and Radio New Zealand Concert. Earlier this year, he was invited to return to the Royal College of Music to teach English Song. Van Mellaerts is an alumnus of the Verbier Festival Academy.
Bernard Richter’s current engagements include PELLÉAS Pelléas et Mélisande Teatro alla Scala Milan, GRIMALDO Rodelinda De Nationale Opera Amsterdam and BÉNÉDICT Béatrice et Bénédict Oper Köln. His most recent projects were IDOMENEO (title role) Wiener Staatsoper, Teatro alla Scala, DON OTTAVIO Don Giovanni Teatro alla Scala, Opernhaus Zürich, NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo, DES GRIEUX Manon Grand Théâtre de Genève, La Clemenza di Tito (title) Teatro Real Madrid, FIERRABRAS (title role), BELFIORE La Finta Giardiniera Teatro alla Scala. Recent concerts include Die Schöpfung Verbier Festival, L’enfance du Christ Théâtre des Champs-Elysées and Beethoven IX Wiener Symphoniker in China (Philippe Jordan).
Past engagements include BELMONTE Die Entführung aus dem Serail, HYLAS Les Troyens, DON OTTAVIO, TAMINO Die Zauberflöte, and FROH Das Rheingold Opéra Bastille, HYLAS Staatsoper Hamburg, PELLÉAS Wiener Staatsoper, Opéra de Lyon, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Teatr Wielki Warsaw, TAMINO Salzburger Festspiele, DON OTTAVIO and LE CHEVALIER DE LA FORCE Les Dialogues des Carmélites Bayerische Staatsoper München, CASTOR Castor and Pollux Ensemble Pygmalion, ROSSILLON Die Lustige Witwe Grand Théâtre de Genève, TITO (title) Opéra de Nancy, ORPHÉE Orphée aux Enfers Opéra de Lausanne and Lully’s Atys (title) and ALPHONSE Zampa Les Arts Florissants at Opéra Comique. Further highlights have included ERIK Der fliegende Holländer, BÉNÉDICT Béatrice et Bénédict, DON OTTAVIO, ECCLITICO Il Mondo della Luna Theater an der Wien, PARIS La Belle Hélène, FRITZ La Grande Duchesse de Gérolstein Théâtre du Châtelet, DON OTTAVIO, Lucio Silla (title) by J.Ch. Bach Opernhaus Zürich, and FERRANDO Così fan tutte Théâtre des Champs-Élysées.
In concert, he has appeared with Berliner Symphoniker, MDR Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Les Musiciens du Louvre at the Salzburger Pfingsfestspiele and Orchestra Sinfonica della Rai, Salle Gaveau de Paris, Tonhalle Zürich, Mozart Tage Luzern, Styriarte Graz, Gewandhaus Leipzig, L’Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Konzerthaus Wien, Budapest Festival Orchestra on tour to London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Bruges and Baden-Baden. He has worked with Philippe Jordan, William Christie, Adam Fischer, Kent Nagano, Marc Minkowski, Jeffrey Tate, Ivor Bolton, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Fabio Luisi, Sir Neville Marriner, Sylvain Cambreling, Asher Fisch, Peter Schneider, Raphaël Pichon, Laurent Pelly, Christof Loy, Nikolaus Lehnhoff, Keith Warner, and Kasper Holten. Bernard studied in Neuchâtel and was a member of the Opera Studio Bienne.
For nearly 40 years, the Oberwalliser Vokalensemble (Ensemble Vocal du Haut-Valais) has traveled throughout Switzerland and Europe under the direction of its founder, Hansruedi Kämpfen. Numerous awards in international competitions and performances at prestigious concerts quickly brought the ensemble national recognition.
Since an unexpected first victory in 1989 at the International Competition in Gorizia, OVE has regularly received awards in both national and international competitions. In 2013, it won First Prize in the Elite Category at the Swiss Choir Competition. In 2017, it claimed two prestigious awards: first, in Riga, the First Prize in the Vocal Ensemble Category at the European Choir Games, and then Third Prize (Best Western European Choir) at the International Choir Contest in Maassmechelen, Belgium.
OVE is frequently invited to perform at renowned festivals in Switzerland and abroad. Highlights include performances at the Luzern Festival alongside the Hilliard Ensemble, the Zermatt Festival under the direction of Marcus Creed and Ton Koopman, and the Verbier Festival conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, Zubin Mehta, Jesus Lopez Cobos, and Fabio Luisi.
Since its inception, OVE has explored a vast repertoire, receiving excellent reviews for its performances of Bach in smaller formations as well as Romantic repertoire. Over the past two decades, the ensemble has often premiered contemporary works, notably by Valais composers such as Eugen Meier and Andreas Zurbriggen. In 2016, OVE accepted an invitation from renowned Swiss composer Carl Rütti and premiered Mysterium Montis, a Vespers project for six alphorns, double choir, and soloists. The concerts, held in Köniz, Arlesheim, Einsiedeln, and Brig, were met with great success, each receiving a standing ovation from the audience. These performances were followed by the release of a CD and DVD. In 2018, the Oberwalliser Vokalensemble played a major role in the BrigerMusikNächte.
During his studies, Kämpfen’s performances of Bach’s Passions with the Oberwalliser Vokalensemble, in chamber formation, accompanied by the Camerata de Berne, already brought him initial success.
His international career began in 1989, when he won the Gorizia International Choral Competition. He was also awarded the Special Prize for Best Director in the Renaissance and Romantic categories. He went on to win several national and international competitions with the Oberwalliser Vokalensemble, which he has conducted since its foundation in 1981.
In 1994, Hansruedi Kämpfen founded the Swiss Youth Choir, which, under his artistic direction and in collaboration with André Ducret, became one of Europe’s leading youth choirs over 24 years. In 2007, he won the Grand Prix for choirs awarded by the Steiger Foundation.
Hansruedi Kämpfen’s intense teaching activity, particularly at the AMO music school, has led him to train a generation of choirmasters (CH I Certificate) and, as a singing teacher and choirmaster, to launch several young singers on professional solo careers.
For six years, Hansruedi Kämpfen chaired the Music Commission of Europa Cantat (EC), and for three years he was Vice-Chairman of the Steering Committee of this European choral association.
For many years, Hansruedi Kämpfen was Chairman of the Music Commission of the Swiss Choral Association (USC) and President of the Swiss Federation Europa Cantat. He is actively involved in choral singing, both nationally and internationally.
Since 2013, he has been Artistic Director of the Montreux Choral Festival, Switzerland’s only international choral competition.
As director of various vocal ensembles, Hansruedi Kämpfen has worked with internationally renowned conductors such as Charles Dutoit, Zubin Mehta and Ton Koopman, notably at the Verbier Festival and the Zermatt Festival.
Since its founding in 1987, the Namur Chamber Choir has been committed to promoting the musical heritage of its region of origin (Lassus, Arcadelt, Rogier, Du Mont, Gossec, Grétry…) while also embracing major works from the choral repertoire.
A regular guest at Europe’s most prestigious festivals, the choir has worked under the baton of conductors such as Christophe Rousset, René Jacobs, Alexis Kossenko, Julien Chauvin, Reinoud Van Mechelen, Gergely Madaras, among others.
Its discography includes numerous recordings highly praised by critics (nominations for the Victoires de la Musique Classique, Choc by Classica, Diapason d’Or, Joker from Crescendo, 4F from Télérama, Editor’s Choice from Gramophone, ICMA, Prix Caecilia from the Belgian press…). The Namur Chamber Choir was also awarded the Grand Prix from the Académie Charles Cros in 2003, the Prize of the Académie Française in 2006, and the Octave de la Musique in 2007 and 2012 in the categories “Classical Music” and “Show of the Year.”
In 2010, the choir’s artistic direction was entrusted to Argentine conductor Leonardo García-Alarcón. In 2016, it took part in its first staged production at the Paris Opera (Eliogabalo by Cavalli). In 2017, it appeared in Dido and Aeneas by Purcell at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie in Liège, under the direction of Guy Van Waas.
The 2017–2018 season marked the choir’s 30th anniversary. L’Orfeo by Monteverdi, in 2017, was the first highlight of these celebrations, performed across Europe and South America. In 2018, productions of Grands Motets by Lully, Passio del Venerdi Santo by Veneziano, masses and motets by Jacques Arcadelt, and the oratorio Samson by Handel were key events, with several TV broadcasts and CD recordings, all conducted by Leonardo García Alarcón.
In 2019, the Namur Chamber Choir added to its repertoire Saul by Handel (Namur and Beaune), Isis by Lully (Beaune, Paris, and Versailles), and Les Indes Galantes by Rameau (Paris Opera). It also premiered a new work by Belgian composer Michel Fourgon, Goethes-Fragmente.
From 2020 to 2025, the Namur Chamber Choir continues its journey through Handel’s major choral works (The Messiahand Jephtha with Christophe Rousset, Semele, Solomon, Theodora with Leonardo García Alarcón), explores a wide-ranging repertoire with its artistic director (St Matthew Passion, St John Passion in collaboration with choreographer Sasha Waltz, secular cantatas by Bach, Vespro and Orfeo by Monteverdi, La Jérusalem délivrée by Philippe d’Orléans, etc.) and expands its scope to include operetta (La Vie Parisienne by Jacques Offenbach at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées). It also continues special collaborations with Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques (Thésée, Atys, and Proserpine by Lully, St Matthew Passion by Bach), Julien Chauvin and Le Concert de la Loge (Requiem by Mozart, The Creation by Haydn), Reinoud Van Mechelen and A Nocte Temporis (Acis and Galatea by Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, St John Passion by Bach, Pygmalion by Rameau), and launches new ones with Alexis Kossenko and Les Ambassadeurs (Zoroastre by Rameau, Carnaval du Parnasse by Mondonville, Mass in C minor by Mozart, Die Erste Walpurgisnacht by Mendelssohn, Dardanus by Rameau), as well as with René Jacobs and B’Rock Orchestra (Carmen by Bizet).
The choir’s repertoire spans a vast range, from the Middle Ages to contemporary music.
The Namur Chamber Choir is supported by the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (Music and Dance Department) and the City of Namur.
Caroline Dowdle has performed widely in Britain and in Europe, giving recitals with singers and instrumentalists at the Southbank Centre and the Wigmore Hall, in Paris for Radio France, and in Vienna and Moscow. She has appeared regularly in recital with baritone Sir Thomas Allen. Caroline works with the singers on the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House and is a member of faculty at the Royal College of Music. She is also a guest coach at the National Opera of Estonia in Tallinn and at the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Programme in New York, and head the Opera Programme of the Verbier Festival Academy’s Atelier Lyrique.
American violist Blythe Teh Engstroem studied violin with Nelli Shkolnikova and viola with Atar Arad at Indiana University Bloomington. She subsequently studied with Andrés Cárdenes in Pittsburgh. A passionate chamber musician, she has collaborated with Menahem Pressler, Yuja Wang, Lisa Batiashvili, Joshua Bell, Renaud Capuçon, Leonidas Kavakos, Pinchas Zukerman, Lawrence Power, Nobuko Imai, Gautier Capuçon and the Quatuor Ébène. She was a member of the Quatuor Terpsycordes (Switzerland). Blythe has performed at numerous festivals in Europe and the Far East and is a regular soloist at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland. She is a founding member of the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra which, under Gábor Takács-Nagy, tours regularly with artists including Martha Argerich, Joshua Bell and Maxim Vengerov. She has been the Chamber Orchestra’s concertmaster and currently leads the viola section. Blythe plays on a beautiful Maggini viola, on generous loan from a private benefactor.
Recipient of the 2010 Avery Fisher Career Grant, and First Prize Winner of the Walter E. Naumburg Viola Competition, David Aaron Carpenter has emerged as one of the world’s leading young artists. He has been acclaimed by Die Welt as “A New Star at the Forefront of Violists”; by The Philadelphia Inquirer as “an overnight-star violist”; and by The Strad Magazine as a violist whose “soulful sound, committed playing and dazzling technique leaves little to desire.” Since making his debut of the Walton Viola Concerto in 2005 with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Christoph Eschenbach, David has performed with leading musicians and orchestras in the United States and Europe. This past November, he made his debut in Germany with the Dresden Staatskapelle performing the Schnittke Viola Concerto. In 2008, he was Maxim Vengerov’s last-minute replacement for performances of Benjamin Yusupov’s Viola, Tango, Rock Concerto with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra in Switzerland. He has performed in the United States at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Chicago’s Krannert Center, and San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre, among other venues. In September, David released his first recording on the Ondine label of the Elgar Cello Concerto (arr. Lionel Tertis/Carpenter) and the Schnittke Viola Concerto with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Maestro Christoph Eschenbach. The disc received international acclaim and received numerous awards such as the Editor’s Choice Award by Gramophone Magazine and Disc of the Month by The New Yorker. As a chamber musician, David has collaborated with renowned artists Emanuel Ax, Sarah Chang, Sol Gabetta, Leonidas Kavakos, Julian Rachlin, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and Yuja Wang and performs regularly at the Schleswig-Holstein and Verbier Music Festivals.
David was born in New York in 1986 into a family of musical siblings. He began his musical studies on the violin at age six with Nicole DiCecco and later on the viola at the age of 11. He pursued both instruments at the pre-college divisions of the Juilliard and Manhattan Schools of Music in New York under the tutelage of Toby Appel, Lewis Kaplan, Isaac Malkin, and Christina Khimm. He continued his studies with world-renowned viola pedagogues Yuri Bashmet, Roberto Diaz, Nobuko Imai, Robert Mann, Pinchas Zukerman. In 2005, David was the First Prize winner of the Greenfield Young Artists Competition and in 2006 he won the highly coveted First Prize at the Walter E. Naumburg Viola Competition. David was presented with the Presidential Gold Medal at a performance in Washington’s Kennedy Center subsequent to his winning the first ever Gold Award from the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts (NFAA). In June 2007, he became the first American protégé for the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative with mentor Pinchas Zukerman. In addition to his musical accomplishments, David received his A.B. degree in Political Science and International Relations from Princeton University in 2008.