Board Member
Etienne Abelin is a Swiss conductor, creative entrepreneur and violinist with a passion for inspiring people and exploring new perspectives on classical music. This approach has led to him being selected as one of the “icons of a new era in classical music” (Page 2, No. 141 (Jan-Fev 2015), Viva Musica Magazine, Brazil).
Etienne’s musical work is wide and varied. To name just a selection of his previous roles, he has conducted Bach&Electronics with pianist Francesco Tristano, the Youth Orchestra of Caracas and the Sistema Europe Youth Orchestra at La Scala Milano and world and Swiss premieres of orchestra pieces with the Basel Sinfonietta, the Indie Rock singer, Shara Nova, and the Belgian DJ, Grazzhoppa. Hs himself has also performed at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and the Montreux Jazz Festival and he has released several tracks with his Bach&Electronics ensemble, BachSpace. During his time as the principal second violin of the Orchestra Mozart Bologna, he also featured on recordings for both Deutsche Grammophon and Harmonia Mundi and, as a member of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, he spent many years as a musical collaborator of Claudio Abbado.
Yet Etienne’s involvement in music doesn’t end when he leaves the stage. He is also a co-founder of the Ycal network, the Sistema Europe Youth Orchestra and of the Sistema-inspired initiative, Superar Suisse. Furthermore, he is the co-artistic director of the Apples&Olives Indie Classical Festival (Switzerland) and of the Ynight classical-in-club series. Etienne has also spoken and performed at TEDx events, passing on his passion for modern perspectives on classical music to audiences across the world.
To see clips of Etienne in action or to find out more about his various projects, you can visit his own website at http://www.etienneabelin.com/.
Information valid as of autumn 2017.