Considered to be one of the most talented Swiss musicians, Lausane born violinist Rachel Kolly d'Alba is recognized for her generous temperament, intense passion in performance, mature musicality, and most of all her left hand vibrato which has been compared by many with the glorious violinists from the past.
In 2010 Rachel Kolly d’Alba’s CD Passion Ysaÿe of the 6 very difficult unaccompanied violin sonatas by Eugène Ysaÿe was released on Warner Classics and received unanimous praise in the international press. Her second CD French Impressions featured her as soloist in works for violin and orchestra by Saint-Saens, Chausson, Ravel and Ysaÿe with the conductors Jean-Jacques Kantorow and John Axelrod and was released in October 2011, winning the ICMA Concerto award in 2012. For release in late 2012, American Serenade continues the collaboration with John Axelrod, featuring Waxman: Carmen Fantasy, Gershwin: Fantasy on Porgy and Bess and Bernstein: Serenade, nominated for the ICMA concerto award in 2013.
Rachel Kolly d'Alba has performed with the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, the Chamber Orchestra of Toulouse, the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, the Orchestre Symphonique de Bienne, the Orchestra of the New Europe, the Bern Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre National of Lithuania, the Orchestre de chambre Fribourgeois and the Philharmonie of Jena. She has performed all over the world, having been invited to such festivals such as the Menuhin Festival in Gstaad, the Festival internazionale da musica da camera in Este, the Schleswig Holstein Musik Festival , the Festival de Poitiers, the Encuentros Festival and Mozarteum at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires and Sigall in Chile or the International Festival of Flanders and Murten Classics.
Rachel received her first violin and piano lessons at the age of five. She made her debut as a soloist with orchestra at the early age of 12 and studied at the Conservatory in Lausanne where she received the diploma for teaching the violin as well as the final diploma in violin and chamber music at the exceptional age of 15. She went on with her studies at the University for Music and Drama in Bern with the renowned Slovenian violinist and pedagogue Igor Ozim, also receiving her soloist’s diploma. She has also studied with Franco Gulli, Ivry Gitlis, Boris Kushnir, Hansheinz Schneeberger, Jean-Jacques Kantorow and Thomas Kakuska (Alban Berg Quartett).
Her interest in the contemporary world of orchestration, analysis and composition led her also to pursue studies in these areas. She has premiered and commissioned many contemporary works for her instrument and has collaborated with composers such as Tristan Murail, Eric Gaudibert and Jürg Wyttenbach.
Rachel is a first prize winner in several international competitions. Her awards include all the main prizes from her native country. From 1994 she won first prize at the Jeunesses Musicales Competition in Zurich, followed by prizes such as the 1997 Paderewski prize, 1st prize at "Young Talents" competition in Moudon in 1998, the Hablitzel Kiefer in 2000, Fridl-Wald in 2002 and Leenards Foundation in 2004. In 2005 she won the Fifth International Competition "Julio Cardona" and also received the award for the best interpretation of a contemporary work.
Highlights of Rachel Kolly d’Alba’s 2012-2013 season include concerts in Japan, USA, Netherlands, Italy, Germany and Spain. From April 2011 Rachel Kolly d'Alba has been playing a magnificent 1732 Stradivarius violin.
April 2012