The musicians
Mathieu Schmaltz, violin
Student at the CNSMD in Lyon, Mathieu Schmaltz obtained his Master's degree in 2000 under the guidance of Roland Daugareil. He continued his study at the Cologne Hochschule with Mihaela Martin and then at the Guildhall School in London with Yfrah Neaman, where he received his Master of Interpretation in June 2002. He returned to France, and to the CNSMD, undertaking the "Perfectionnement" program with Annick Roussin. He also received lessons from Jean-Jacques Kantarow at the Hogeschool in Rotterdam.
Recipient of the "Mécénat Musical Société Générale", he has been a prize-winner of the international competition A. Postacchini in Fermo and invited to participate at the Geneva competition in 2004.
Mathieu was a member for six years of the Toulouse chamber orchestra and currently plays with the Camerata in Lyon and is one of the rotating leaders of the SyLF ensemble. He is regularly invited to play with the major national orchestras.
Always musically curious, he has joined a number of projects mixing musical styles : Koum Tara (Algerian Chaâbi and Jazz), Karim project (Jazz)... In the same spirit, he chose to study historical performance practice by participating in sessions at the Abbaye aux Dames in Saintes and by obtaining his DEM diploma in baroque violin with Simon Heyerick at the ENM in Villeurbanne. He performs with a variety of early music ensembles (Unisoni, Les Siècles…).
Passionate about chamber music, he created a violin-piano duo with Emmanuelle Bouillot in 2015 and the triOxalis with this same pianist and the cellist Virginie Millour.
He has performed in a number of festivals (Folles Journées de Nantes, la Chaise Dieu, Festival Berlioz...) as well as frequently overseas : Europe, Argentina, Brazil, Japan, USA, Algeria…
He is currently the violin teacher at the Brignais Music School (69).
Aurélie Métivier, viola
Student of Jean-Phillippe Vasseur at the CNSMD in Lyon and then of Florence Malgloire at the HEM in Geneva, Aurélie Métivier has obtained two performance Master's degrees : one on viola and the other on period instrument.
She has also taken lessons from Bruno Pasquier, Gérard Caussé, Antoine Tamestit and Jutta Pucchammer. She has a musicology Bachelor degree from the Paris IV-Sorbonne University in Paris.
As an artist, she refuses any stylistic confinement or systematic approaches. Comfortable playing on period instruments (she began specialising when she undertook the classic and romantic orchestral training in Saintes from 2009 - 2011), she is interested in both early and modern repertoire, classical or popular music, and is a member of many ensembles of different styles and sizes, from chamber groups to symphony orchestras (Le Concert de l’Hostel Dieu, Orchestre des Champs-Elysées, Ensemble SyLF, Ensemble Orchestral Contemporain, Orchestre des Pays de Savoie, Orchestre Symphonique de Saint-Etienne…). She has played for projects conducted by famous musicians (such as Philippe Herreweghe, Gabriel Garrido, Louis Langrée, Leonardo Garcia Alarcon, David Reiland, Marc Minkowski, Hervé Niquet...) and has participated in a number of festivals (Ambronnay, Saintes, Avignon, Vochora, Toulouse les orgues, La Chaise-Dieu, Nuits de Fourvière, Les Arts Franchis…)
Chamber music is a big part of her artistic activity. She has benefited from advice from Pascal Robault, the Manfred and Debussy quartets; she frequently performs with her current groups (Ensemble Alla Prima, Quatuor Arta Balarta…) and as an invited musician (Bergamasque, Hermès...).
She is a versatile musician, and finds it also very important to devote energy to string pedagogy. After having received the DE and CA teaching diplomas, she is currently employed by the Conservatoire de Rive-de-Gier (42).
Jean-Baptiste Valfré, cello
After studying modern cello at the Lyon CRR with Patrick Gabard, Jean-Baptiste Valfré soon discovered his love for early music.
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He was accepted into Claire Giardelli's class at the CNSMD de Lyon and obtained a Master's degree with first-class honours in baroque cello in 2010.
He was also able to take lessons from renowned musiciens such as David Simpson, François Poly, Jaap Ter Linden…
Wishing to further specialise his playing in classic and romantic repertoire on period instrument, he decided to undertake the program offered by the Jeune Orchestre de l’Abbaye aux Dames de Saintes (JOA) and the Université de Poitiers. He received his Master's degree in research and orchestral practice in 2014. During these studies, he was able to play with prestigious conductors including Christophe Coin, Guiliano Carmignola, Jean-François Heisser, Philippe Herreweghe…
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He is regularly invited to play with well-known groups such as Le Poème Harmonique, Le concert de la Loge, La Tempête... He is a founding member of the group Ozio Regio.
He has his DE teaching diploma, and teaches at the Conservatoire du Provinois (77).
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Translated by Gemma Piat