Fanny Monnet
Pianist
Born in the Swiss canton of Valais in 1996, Fanny started playing piano at an early age and soon entered the local conservatory. She then went on to study with Sergueï Milstein at the Geneva School of Music, where she completed her studies in the pre-college department in June 2015. She subsequently won the “Louis Hiltbrand” prize for the best piano diploma . The same year she was admitted at the Geneva High School of Music, in the class of Nelson Goerner. She obtained her Bachelor degree with the highest marks, accordingly winning the “Prix Maurice d’Espine” for the best Bachelor diploma, then pursuing with a Master in specialized performance from which she graduated in September 2020.
In 2011 she wins the “Grand Prix Bach” of the Sion Conservatory and in addition a scholarship for a week of master classes at the Tibor Varga Summer Academy.
During the 2013-2014 season she received first prizes at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Geneva competition and the Swiss youth music competition. She was hence invited to a masterclass at the prestigious Weidenkam Castle in Germany, under the direction of Hans-Jürg Strub. The same year she performed Beethoven 3rd Piano Concerto in the Metropole Hall in Lausanne.
Selected by the Ilya and Emilia Kabakov Foundation she had the chance to take part in the “Ship of Tolerance” project, an international multicultural project connecting young artists around the world. This led her to perform in Moscow and New York in the company of other young musicians.
In 2014 and 2015, she was invited to the Ruza International Piano Festival, where she studied and performed under the direction of legendary pianist and pedagogue Maria Gambarian. She won the 2015 musical contest run by the Giuliana and Giorgio Stefanini Foundation in Geneva, giving an important impulse to her career.
The following year she got an invitation from the “Les folles Journées J.S.Bach” festival, performing F.Mendelssohn Double Concerto, and J.S.Bach F-minor Piano Concerto.
She took part in the International Holland Music Session, giving a recital in the Dutch city of Bergen.
The year 2017 saw her in the finals of the International Piano Competition Adilia Alieva, and of the Concours d’Interprétation Musicale de Lausanne. She was then accepted to the International Summer Academy in Vienna.
Fanny was invited to the 2019 edition of the «Beaulieu Festival» performing Schumann Piano Quintet along with the renowned Debussy String Quartet. She also participated in the Second International Piano Competition in Tucuman, Argentine, where she received a honorable mention.
A regular guest of the Verbier Festival, she gave in 2015 a recital in the famous Salle des Combins. She also took part in the «Reaching out» project as well as the Amateur Chamber Music Week for the 20th edition of the festival.
She appeared on several radio programs, most notably during the broadcast “Génération Jeunes Interprètes” by Gaëlle Legallic on the French channel France Musique.
In recent years, she attended masterclasses from many internationally recognized musicians such as Lylia Zilberstein, Gabor Takács-Nagy, Mikhail Voskresensky. Kirill Gerstein, Clifton Matthews, Hans-Jürg Strub, Vladimir Tropp, Willem Brons, Joaquin Achucarro, Krzystof Jablonski and Michiko Tsuda among others.
An association, “Les amis de Fanny”, was created in 2010 to support her studies and musical career.
Besides piano, Fanny is also a keen amateur violinist, playing in chamber music projects and orchestras like the “Orchestre de Saint-Maurice”.