Etienne Abelin (Switzerland)

From conducting Bach&Electronics with pianist Francesco Tristano, the Youth Orchestra of Caracas together with the Sistema Europe Youth Orchestra at La Scala Milano to World- and Swiss premieres of orchestra pieces with the Basel Sinfonietta, Indie Rock singer Shara Nova and Belgian DJ Grazzhoppa, performances at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and the Montreux Jazz Festival with his Bach&Electronics ensemble BachSpace or a release with
label ECM with Nik Bärtsch’s Mobile Extended, Swiss conductor and violinist Etienne Abelin follows his passion to explore new ways in classical music and to inspire people. Etienne is co-founder of the Sistema Europe Youth Orchestra and social-musical initiative Superar Suisse, artistic director of the Classical Beat Festival (Germany), co-artistic director of the Apples&Olives Indie Classical Festival (Switzerland) and the Ynight classical-in-club
series (“Best of 2013” Züritipp) . He’s a double time TEDx speaker/performer and was a musical collaborator of Claudio Abbado for many years as a member of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra and the principal second violin of the Orchestra Mozart Bologna with which he recorded for Deutsche Grammophon and Harmonia Mundi.
As a conductor, he has performed with the Basel Sinfonietta, the Orquestra Sinfonica Portuguesa, the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, the Zuger Sinfonietta, the North Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and numerous other ensembles.