Biography
Rachel Kolly d'Alba traces her earliest longing to master the violin to childhood outings when her parents regularly escorted her to performances by the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra. She recalls, "I loved the solo sound, the sound of the violin emerging from the orchestra." Today she appears as soloist with numerous prominent orchestras and conductors, and she also performs recitals alongside pianist Christian Chamorel.
Instruction on the instrument commenced at age five, followed by her debut concerto engagement at twelve. Throughout this period she attended both conventional schooling and Lausanne’s conservatory. By fifteen she had secured diplomas in violin performance, chamber music, and violin pedagogy. Further training took her to Bern, where she worked with Igor Ozim and additional mentors, encompassing not only performance but also composition, analysis, and contemporary music. She later drew on those studies when preparing her own orchestration of Ysaÿe’s Rêve d’enfant, Op. 14, for the album French Impressions.
Observers characterize her interpretations as vibrant, expressive, and communicative, even when confronting demanding new scores. She places special value on collaborations with living composers and on continually extending her musical range. At the 2005 Julio Cardona International String Competition she captured both the prize for Best Interpretation of a Contemporary Work and the first prize for violin. Every major Swiss music award has likewise come into her possession.
Her inaugural Warner Classics release, Passion Ysaÿe (2010), bypassed the expected popular concerto format in favor of six virtuosic solo sonatas; critics and the composer’s grandson alike responded with high praise. French Impressions presented concerted works led by Jean-Jacques Kantorow and John Axelrod. Her third album, again under Axelrod’s direction, appeared in 2013 as American Serenade and contained music by Gershwin, Bernstein, and Waxman.
Instruction on the instrument commenced at age five, followed by her debut concerto engagement at twelve. Throughout this period she attended both conventional schooling and Lausanne’s conservatory. By fifteen she had secured diplomas in violin performance, chamber music, and violin pedagogy. Further training took her to Bern, where she worked with Igor Ozim and additional mentors, encompassing not only performance but also composition, analysis, and contemporary music. She later drew on those studies when preparing her own orchestration of Ysaÿe’s Rêve d’enfant, Op. 14, for the album French Impressions.
Observers characterize her interpretations as vibrant, expressive, and communicative, even when confronting demanding new scores. She places special value on collaborations with living composers and on continually extending her musical range. At the 2005 Julio Cardona International String Competition she captured both the prize for Best Interpretation of a Contemporary Work and the first prize for violin. Every major Swiss music award has likewise come into her possession.
Her inaugural Warner Classics release, Passion Ysaÿe (2010), bypassed the expected popular concerto format in favor of six virtuosic solo sonatas; critics and the composer’s grandson alike responded with high praise. French Impressions presented concerted works led by Jean-Jacques Kantorow and John Axelrod. Her third album, again under Axelrod’s direction, appeared in 2013 as American Serenade and contained music by Gershwin, Bernstein, and Waxman.
Albums
