Faculty 2025
Violin
Viola
Violoncello
Violin
Prof. Nora Chastain
Violin masterclass SIMA 2025
California-born violinist Nora Chastain is violin professor at the Universität der Künste (UdK) in Berlin and has taught for 30 years at the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste. As one of Europe’s most sought after teachers, Nora Chastain has amongst her students international prize winners, concertmasters of
major European orchestras, members of well-known chamber ensembles and faculty members of universities of music. She regularly gives masterclasses and serves on juries of international competitions. A main focus of her teaching is the
integration of the American and European traditions of violin playing of the last 50 years. www.norachastain.com
Prof. Philip A. Draganov
Violin masterclass and Artistic Director SIMA 2025
Philip A.Draganov is professor of violin at the Bern Academy of the Arts (HKB), teaches the violin class at the PreCollege Music of the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) and regularly gives masterclasses in Europe and Asia. Among his current
and former students are winners and prizewinners of international competitions (Marschner, Spohr, Kreisler, Michael Hill, Menuhin, Tibor Varga, Postacchini, etc.) as well as concertmasters and members of various European orchestras. He serves on juries of international competitions and also conducts various orchestras.
www.draganov.ch
Prof. Andreas Janke
Violin masterclass 2025
Andreas Janke is the first concertmaster at the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and professor of violin at the Zurich University of the Arts. He is an esteemed prizewinner
at prestigious international competitions (Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, Fritz Kreisler Competition in Vienna, the Prague Spring competition a.o.). Together with pianist Oliver Schnyder and cellist Benjamin Nyffenegger, Janke is part of the Schnyder Trio, whose debut release with RCA Sony featuring the Schubert piano trios was named «reference recording»by «Die Bühne»and selected as the «Best Swiss Classical Album of the Year» by the Aargauer Zeitung. www.oliverschnydertrio.ch
Prof. Mihaela Martin
Violin masterclass SIMA 2025
Mihaela Martin has performed with leading orchestras such as the BBC Symphony, the Royal Philharmonic as well as the Mozarteum Orchestra of Salzburg andthe Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. Since 2017, she is artistic director of the
Rolandseck/Bad Honnef Chamber Music Festival and frequently collaborates with musicians Daniel Barenboim, Sergei Babayan, Lera Auerbach a.o.. Mihaela Martin is a professor at University of Music in Cologne, at the Barenboim-Said Academy in Berlin and at the Kronberg Academy. She gives masterclasses throughout the world and is a regular jury member at international competitions such as the Queen Elisabeth (Belgium), Enescu (Romania) and Tchaikovsky (Russia).
Prof. Jose G. Flores
Assistant Prof. Philip A. Draganov (application not possible)
José G. Flores has an extensive career as a violin soloist, chamber musician and conductor. In the USA he has performed in New York, Texas, Arizona and Pennsylvania. Internationally his career expands to countries such as South Korea, China, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Mexico, Venezuela and Puerto Rico. Flores has been a professor of violin and viola at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi since 2006 and director of orchestral studies since 2012.
Viola
Prof. Hartmut Rohde
Viola masterclass SIMA 2025
Violist and conductor Hartmut Rohde delights the audience with his tone and musical language as well as his special commitment to the respective style. Rohde is one of the
leading European violists and a founding member of the Mozart Piano Quartet, with which he received the OPUS Klassik Award in 2018. Chamber music partners include D. Geringas, J. Jansen, J. Widmann, L. Vogt and E. Bashkirowa. Performances on tours take him as a conductor to music centers such as the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Tonhalle Düsseldorf, the Hamburg Laeiszhalle a.o.. Hartmut Rohde has been a professor at the UdK Berlin since 1993 and is an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music London.
www.hartmut-rohde.de
Prof. Thomas Selditz
Viola masterclass and chamber music teacher
Violist Thomas Selditz comes from a family of musicians. He was principal violist under Daniel Barenboim at the Staatskapelle Berlin. Later he taught as a professor in Hannover and Hamburg until 2010, when he was appointed
professor for viola at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna.
As a chamber musician, he has been invited to many renowned international music festivals and has released more than 20 CD recordings for numerous labels including Sony, Largo Records, Phoenix a.o.. His CD with works for viola and piano by Henri Vieuxtemps was awarded with the Diapason d´Or/France and the German Record Critics’ Award in 2003.
Violoncello
Prof. Thomas Grossenbacher
Cello masterclass SIMA 2025
Thomas Grossenbacher was the solo cellist of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich until 2020. After studies at the Zurich Academy, he studied with David Geringas at the Lübeck Academy. Menahem Pressler, Robert Mann, György Ligeti and Alfred Schnittke have as well had a great influence on
his artistic development. His recordings, particularly Richard Strauss’s Don Quixote (Arte Nova) with the Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, conducted by David Zinman, where highly acclaimed. Besides of his career as a cellist, Grossenbacher is a professor at the Zurich University of the Arts. Many of his students have won prizes at international competitions or have leading positions with renowned orchestras and chamber
music ensembles.
Prof. Frans Helmerson
Cello masterclass SIMA 2025
Swedish cellist Frans Helmerson began his musical training with Guido Vecchi before moving on to study with Giuseppe Selmi and William Pleeth. Sergiu Celibidache and his mentor Mstislav Rostropovich also played a very influential role in his artistic development. In 1971, he won the renowned
Cassado Competition in Florence – the first of many distinctions. In addition to his career as a soloist, chamber musician and conductor, Frans Helmerson taught for several years as a professor at the conservatories in Cologne and
in Madrid. 2011 - 2016, he has been teaching as a guest professor at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin. 2016 saw him gain an additional professorship at the Barenboim-Said Akademie in Berlin.Frans Helmerson has been teaching on the Kronberg Academy Study Programmes as a principal professor since 2006
Prof. Troels Svane
Cello masterclass SIMA 2025
Troels Svane studied with David Geringas at the Musikhochschule Lübeck and became second solo cellist of the Copenhagen Philharmonic at the age of 18. He was the assistant to David Geringas for 11 years before he was appointed professor for violoncello at the Musikhochschule
Lübeck in 2004. Furthermore he has a cello class at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin. His students are prize winners at prestigious international competitions (ARD, Feuermann, Geneva, Isang Yun, Rostropovich, Tchaikovsky) and members of renowed chamber music ensembles and orchestras such as the Armida Quartet, the Berlin Philharmonic and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks.