Rachel Kolly d'Alba The young violinist Rachel Kolly d'Alba was born in 1981 and received her first violin lesson at the age of five. Three years later, she begins to play the piano with the woman composer Alexandra Cserveny. She studies at the Conservatory in Lausanne where she received, with only 15 years old her "teach diplom". After one year in the "Virtuosity class", she went to the "master class" of Violin by the maestro Igor Ozim at the High school for Music and Drama in Berne. At the same time she studies in the Orchestration class with the swiss composer Jean Balissat in Lausanne, and follows the chamber music class by Bruno Canino for the contemporary music in Berne. She received the diploma of soloist. She takes also master courses with Maestro Franco Gulli (Bloomington), with Thomas Kakuska (Alban Berg Quartet) and Malcolm Bilson (Beethoven's chamber music). But especially with her Professor Igor Ozim in other foreign cities like Weimar, Hannover (Germany), Velenje (Slovenia), Klagenfurt, Salzburg (Austria), with Thomas Brandis (Berlin), György Pauk (London), Ivry Gitlis (Paris). She studied composition with Michael Jarrell and was a student of Jean-Jacques Kantorow. Concerts Rachel Kolly d'Alba appeared as soloist (debut at the age of twelve) with, for exemple, the Bern Symphony Orchestra and the Bern Chamber Orchestra, the Jena Philharmony Orchestra, the Orchestra "della Svizzera Italiana", the national symphony Orchestra of Lituania or the OSUL, and has played for the Radio and the TV (Radio DRS, Radio Espace 2, in Austria, Germany, France, Armenia and Slovenia). She gives Recitals in all Europe (Italy, England, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Poland, France, Slovenia, Croatia etc...) as well as in Canada, and Armenia, or even south America. (at the world famous Teatro colon) She is invited to play in festivals such as the Menuhin Festival (in Gstaad), the "internazionale festival da musica da camera in Este" (Italy), in the Festival de Divonne (France) or at the "festival for contemporary music" in Erevan (Armenia), "37th encuentros Festival" and "Mozarteum" in Argentina, or the "Murten classics" Festival. Rachel plays with the best international artists such as Alfred Brendel, Hanzheinz Schneeberger or Thomas Demenga. Prizes She is the first prize winner of several international competitions such as the "young musicians Competition" in 1994 in Zurich, the Paderewski Prize in 1998, the first Prize with unanimity at the "Execution Musicale Jeunes Talents" in 1998 in Moudon, also finalist at the Eurovision Competition in Lugano 2000, the 1st prize winner 2000 of the well known -in Switzerland- Kiefer Hablitzel Foundation. She received a scholarship from the Friedl-Wald Stiftung in 2002 and won the special award for the culture 2004 from the Leenaards foundation. She received the award and the prize for the best interpretation of the contemporary piece at the 5th international competition "Julio Cardona" in 2005. Since 2003 she plays in a chamber formation, the Ensemble PAUL KLEE who plays the music from Bach to the music of today. Matthias Schranz, cello, Eva Aroutunian, piano and Kaspar Zehnder, flute. Her Chamber music group received in may 2006 the "European culture prize". She has recorded two CD's. Rachel plays an italian violin from 1750. The press has seen her engagement without compromises, her volcanic temperament, her sensitivity, and the cleverness of her interpretations.