Mathis Rochat, viola

Born in 1994 in Geneva, Mathis Rochat is a Franco-Swiss chamber violist and soloist.

An amateur painter, he seeks to give colour to his playing, and his emerging career is distinguished by the quality of his chamber-music projects and new creations for his instrument.

He trained under Antoine Tamestit in Cologne from the age of 15, before continuing his studies with Tatjana Masurenko in Leipzig.

In 2019 Mathis Rochat was one of the international elite of young violists who performed in recital at the “Sommets Musicaux” festival in Gstaad.

He made his solo debut in 2016 with the Norddeutsche Philharmonie in the context of the Festspiele Mecklenburg Vorpommern. He has performed in various chamber-music groups at festivals such as the Deauville Easter Festival and the “Autumn Sonatas” in Loche, the Schwetzinger Festspiele, the “CaFe” Budapest, the Stavanger Chamber Music Festival, the “Krzyzowa Music” and “Chamber Music Connects the World” of the Kronberg Academy where he performs with such maestros as Gidon Kremer, Lynn Harrel, Augustin Dumay, Pinchas Zuckermann, Christian Tetzlaff, Jerôme Pernoo and Antje Weithaas as well as with the new generation of artists such as Adam Laloum, Pierre Fouchenneret, Victor Julien-Lafferière, Nadège Rochat, David Kadouch, Anastasia Kobekina, Yann Levionnois and Will Hagen.

His interest in contemporary music is reflected in his work with composers such as Detlef Glanert, Garth Knox and Christophe Staude, for whom he recorded the piece “Nachbild” for solo viola. He has also participated in the master classes of the Frankfurt-based Ensemble Modern.

With the production of his first CD L’alto parnassien (June 2019), he began a long sound research dedicated to his instrument, with several transcriptions of pieces and songs from French impressionist music.

He plays a viola by Pierre Vidoudez made in Geneva in 1949.

In September 2019 he entered the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel as artist in residence under the direction of Miguel da Silva.

Mathis benefits from a scholarship granted by an anonymous donor