Music is the greatest mean of travel! Thirty year old Swiss cellist Fabien Genthialon lived in six different countries and performed in many more, including some far away, like Japan, some sunny ones like Greece or Portugal, and some smaller ones like Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein. Some wonderful orchestras took him to some of the musicians’ holiest venues, the Vienna Musikverein (eleven times!), Carnegie Hall, and also the Scala di Milano.

But even more precious to him is music’s ability to connect people, and share amazing life experiences. Fabien had plenty of time to do that while serving as principal cellist of both the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester during four incredible years, and the Verbier Festival Orchestra. The collaboration he enjoyed with conductors like Sir Colin Davis, Valery Gergiev, or Sir Antonio Pappano, Daniel Harding, and most of all with his fellow musicians, was a priceless experience, and provided him with lifelong friendships, and inspiration for the years to come.

Opera holds a special place in his heart. Having lived nearby the Metropolitan Opera whilst he was studying in New York, he discovered a new artistic world, combining exciting dramas, incredible productions and of course amazing music! After his American journey, he joined the Zurich Opera Academy in Switzerland for two years, to complete his studies. As of today, he’s played thirty-four different operas.

Serving as principal cello of the Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa during the 2015/2016 season, he discovered the Basque country and its amazing food. He then moved to Germany, unable to resist the temptation to serve in the Badische Staatskapelle in Karlsruhe, once more as principal cello, and to learn more about the longstanding German musical tradition. He played his first Tosca as solo in 2016, a milestone for every cellist. Since then, he’s served as principal cello in the Royal Copenhagen Opera and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

His deep commitment to always look for composers’ intentions and his respect for the text have been deeply influenced by his mentor, Marcio Carneiro, with whom he’s been working since he was 15. A keen writer, his reflexion and research lead to an article published in La Revue Musicale OICRM in 2015, in which he tries to explain his reading of the score and his interpretation process.
 
A mountain and food lover, Fabien spends most of his free time cooking for friends, skiing during winter, cycling or hiking in the summer. It seems only natural for him to try to mix his passions: Fabien is now working on creating a series of open air concerts in the mountains!

Thanks to the support of a generous patron, Fabien plays a beautiful cello made in Paris by Jean-François Aldric in 1824, year of the premiere of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy.