MUSICIANS
SAM URSCHELER
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alto and soprano saxophone
arrangements
compositions
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The flexible and immensely curious saxophonist Sam Urscheler has had a multistylistic upbringing: after his schooldays between big band, jazz trio, funk band and wind band, classical and jazz lessons saxophone as well as piano lessons, he decides to study classical music at the HEMU Lausanne with Pierre-Stéphane Meugé. He also studies jazz arrangement with Jérôme Thomas. He had gained first arrangement experience in high school when he arranged a concert with music by Gershwin for small ensemble and symphony orchestra.
A few years later, his bachelor's thesis consists of two arrangements of jazz standards for a mixed ensemble of jazz and classical musicians – a novelty in the institution.
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After a semester at the Conservatorio Superior of Palma de Mallorca with Rodrigo Vila, he graduates from HEMU Lausanne, Switzerland, with a Master’s degree in Pedagogy and in Jazz performance and composition respectively. He studied with Robert Bonisolo, Jeff Baud, Emil Spanyi and Philip Henzi.
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Sam Urscheler is regularly invited as rehearsal leader and jury expert and is active in Switzerland, alongside CROME, in the Big Band Jeunes Jazzistes de Fribourg, in the classical saxophone quartet Chambre de Sax and as conductor of EPFL Big Band.
PAULINE BOULANGER
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violoncello
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Pauline Boulanger was born into a family of musicians and gained orchestra and chamber music experience at a young age. She received her musical training with renowned teachers at the French conservatoires CRC Suresnes and Clamart, at the CRR Boulogne-Billancourt and at the Pôle Supérieur Paris-Boulogne Billancourt.
She obtained certificates in piano, cello, solfège and chamber music in France before beginning her studies at the Lausanne School of Music (HEMU) in the class of François Salque.
In addition to chamber music formations, she participates in various orchestra projects such as the Orchestre Français des Jeunes or the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, and plays under the direction of Denis Russel Davies, Jukka Pekka Saraste, Philippe Jordan or Lorenzo Viotti, among others.
Parallel to her musical career, Pauline has a passion for education. In 2018, she is awarded the Master of Pedagogy at the HEMU Lausanne and is a cello teacher at the conservatoire of St-Priest and Conservatoire de Musique of Geneva. She wants to pass on her instrument in all its facets to her students.
For several years she has been training in improvisation and plays with the hip-hop/jazz band PopWan.
ANNE-SOPHIE OLLIVIER
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violin
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Anne-Sophie Ollivier receives her first violin lessons at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Versailles (F). During her time at school in the Music Sponsorship Programme, she is given the opportunity to play with the Orchestre National de France and to give her first orchestral concerts in Europe and in Chicago. Later she plays with the Orchestre de la Sorbonne in Paris, recently as concertmaster on a tour through China.
After obtaining her diploma in the class of Saskia Lethiec, she begins her studies at the Lausanne School of Music (HEMU) with Gunars Larsens in 2013 and later with Virginie Robilliard, where she receives her master's degree in pedagogy in 2018. During her studies, she plays and tours with youth orchestras such as the Orchestra Animato, the Norwegian Youth Orchestra and the Orchestre Romand des Jeunes Professionnels.
She continues her education in various master classes with Marie-Annick Nicolas, Igor Volochine or Sergiu Schwarz.
Today, Anne-Sophie divides her time between teaching and concert activity with various formations such as CROME, and the Camerata Ataremac, a string orchestra dedicated to the 20th and 21st century repertoire.
ARTHUR TRAELNES
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violin
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Arthur Trælnes was born in 2002 in Lausanne.
He began playing the violin at the age of 6 and is currently studying for his 3rd year of Bachelor's degree at the HauteÉcole de Musique de Lausanne (HEMU) with Gyula Stuller, concertmaster of the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra.
Since the age of 11, he has regularly participated in Swiss and international competitions. Notably: two First Prizes with Congratulations and two First Prizes, including one in quartet, in the Finals of the Swiss Youth Music Competition, from 2014 to 2018, as well as several "Primo Premio" and "Primo Premio Assoluto" in Italy.
In 2018, he won Third Prize of the Jury at the Final of the Tibor Junior International Competition in Sion, as well as the Audience Prize and the Orchestra Prize, inviting him to perform as a soloist in Latvia at the opening concert of the Kremerata Baltica Festival (violinist Gidon Kremer's orchestra).
In 2019, he won First Prize at the Final of the international competition for violin and orchestra "Premio Rotary per la Musica" in Novi Ligure (Italy), and was invited in October to perform as a soloist at the Rustaveli Theater in Tbilisi (Georgia) with the Georgian Sinfonietta, on the occasion of the opening of the new Swiss Embassy in Tbilisi.
In September 2021, he won 4th Prize at the Tibor Varga International Competition in Sion, and was then invited to the Kronberg Academy Festival (Germany) for a masterclass within the academy.
Arthur Trælnes is also passionate about jazz and classical piano. In 2017 he won 1st Prize at the Final of the Swiss Jazz&Pop Competition in Basel; he was also a laureate of the 2017 and 2019 Classical Finals of the Swiss Competition, and received a Special Prize from the Suisa Foundation.
DANIEL MINTEN
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viola
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Daniel Minten was born on 10 January 1989 and received his first violin lessons at the age of 5. At age 12 he is interested in rock and jazz and learns guitar and electric bass.
In 2011, he decides to study violin at the jazz department of the Lausanne School of Music (HEMU). In 2012, he exchanges the violin for the viola as he prefers the darker sound. After his bachelor's degree in 2014, he moves to London with the Geneva band Cotton Mount - in which he plays electric bass and with whom he has recorded two albums. During his stay in England, he has the opportunity to perform in numerous clubs and gets immersed into the London scene of free jazz and improvised contemporary music. This gives him the impetus to improve his viola playing.
Back in Switzerland, he starts a performance degree at HEMU Lausanne with Diemut Poppen and Corinne Contardo in 2016, which he finishes in 2018.
During his classical studies, Daniel continues to explore jazz and improvised music, including the music of John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Ornette Coleman and Charles Mingus. In 2015, he takes part in the Pierre Omer and the Nightcruisers project, plays in a duo with drummer Guillaume Louis and is currently preparing the third album of the band Cotton Mount with singer Yael Miller.