Viviane Chassot
born in Zurich, sets new standards with her interpretations on the accordion. She appears in solo and chamber music performances throughout the world, in concert halls including the Philharmonie Berlin, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Guggenheim Museum New York, Konzerthaus Wien, Wigmore Hall, and Tonhalle Zurich. She works with such conductors as Sir Simon Rattle, David Zinman, Riccardo Chailly, and Heinz Holliger and makes guest appearances at international festivals. In August 2014 she was Artist in Residence at the Murten Classics Festival.

A versatile musician, she crosses stylistic boundaries and combines the genres of classical music, jazz, new music, and improvisation.

In recent years Viviane Chassot has performed many world premieres and was the winner of a Kranichstein Music Prize. She was also honored with the Swiss Ambassador’s Award London in 2015.

Her GENUIN debut CD featuring piano sonatas by Joseph Haydn (2009) and re- cording of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Pièces de Clavecin earned wide praise and attracted international interest. Her playing has drawn the admiration and enthusiasm of famous musical personalities. Alfred Brendel praised her interpretation as being one of the best recordings of Joseph Haydn’s piano sonatas: “The interpretation is perfect in its kind. Freshness, control, and sensitivity combine together in the most beautiful way.” Her portrait CD New Horizons (2014) with original works for accordion was nominated for the German Record Critics’ Award.

Viviane Chassot lives as a freelance musician in Basel.

Martin Mallaun
“is without a doubt one of the most versatile artists in this country currently working in the eld of experimental music. Whether in improvisation, electronics, baroque lute music, alpine folk music, or contemporary music, the Tyrol-born performer is always searching for new forms of sonic and stylistic expression on the zith- er.”

In addition to zither studies at the Tyrolean State Conservatory, Martin Mallaun studied botany at the University of Innsbruck. For several years he has been working intensively to expand the zither repertoire. A large number of new pieces, ranging from solo to orchestral works, have been composed for and premiered by him. On this path he has been fortunate to have such companions as the GREIFER Zither Trio, violinist Barbara Lueneburg, and the Tricky Bridges improvisation trio.

Martin Mallaun performs concerts internationally and makes guest appearances at such renowned festivals as the Edinburgh International Festival (UK), Munich Biennale (Germany), and Klangspuren Schwaz (Austria). In addition to his work as a freelance musician, he teaches at the Tyrol Music School Association. As a botanist he has also been researching the effects of climate change on the vegetation of alpine ecosystems, as part of the GLORIA research project, since 2001.