Nadège Rochat

Nadège Rochat is one of the most expressive voices of the new generation of cellists. Alongside the core repertoire, she shows a particular interest in rediscovering forgotten composers, exploring world music traditions and engaging with contemporary creations.

She has performed in prestigious venues such as Zurich’s Tonhalle, Vienna’s Musikverein, the Konzerthaus Berlin, New York’s Carnegie Hall, the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg and Lucerne’s KKL, among others. She has collaborated with ensembles including the Scottish National Orchestra, the BBC Concert Orchestra, the Staatskapelle Weimar, the NDR, the Orchestre de Chambre de Genève and the Orchestre de Chambre de Toulouse.

She has appeared at festivals such as the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival and London’s Cello Unwrapped. In duo with guitarist Rafael Aguirre, she performs Spanish and Latin American repertoire, featured on the album La vida breve (2012).

Her discography includes the cello concertos by Lalo and Milhaud, as well as the acclaimed Cello Abbey (2017), featuring works by Walton and Elgar and the premiere of a piece by Ina Boyle.

Born in Geneva into a family of musicians, she holds both French and Swiss nationality. She studied in Cologne with Maria Kliegel and later at the Royal Academy of Music in London with Robert Cohen, where she is currently a professor.

Several contemporary composers have written works for her, and her artistic vision is also shaped by dance, particularly oriental dance and flamenco. This influence brings a distinctive physical and expressive dimension to her approach to music.

She performs on a 1620 Amati cello “Ex-Vatican”, on loan from the Academy of Art of Florence.