Born on the 22nd of November 1993, Valentine Michaud starts playing the saxophone at the age of 8. Winner of several prestigious competitions such as the Jurjans Andreejs International Woodwind Competition in Riga (1st Prize 2016), the Prix Crédit Suisse Jeunes Solistes (2017), the Prix du Pour Cent Culturel Migros (2016 and 2017), she graduated from the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (Master Soloist Specialized Performance) in march 2018, under the guidance of Prof. Lars Mlekusch. This last diploma concludes the studies that she started aged of 16 at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne with a bachelor and master degrees, and at the Paris Sorbonne in musicology (bachelor degree).

 

Since 2015, she has been supported by prestigious

Swiss grants such as the Leenaards foundation cultural grant, the Paleo-HES-SO Prize or the Migros Kultur Prozent. Valentine Michaud performs as a soloist or in chamber music on prestigious stages of the world such as Lucerne Festival, St Petersburg Grand Philarmonic Hall of Cappella, KKL Lucerne, Riga Great Guild Hall, Wiener Konzerthaus, Philharmonie Hall of Odessa, Esplanade, Singapore, Tonhalle Zurich, etc.

 

She is invited to perform as a soloist with various orchestras (Latvian National Symphonic Orchestra, State Cappella Orchestra of St Petersburg, Ensemble Symphonique de Neuchatel, Hradec Kralove Philarmonie...) and her duo Akmi with the pianist Akvilé Sileikaité was awarded with the 1st

prize of the renowned Orpheus Swiss Chamber Music Competition in 2016. Together they made their debut in KKL Lucerne, Lucerne Festival, Lavaux Classic, St Petersburg Cappella.

 

Willing to renew the repertoire of her instrument, Valentine collaborates with composers of her generation and premiere their works in new music festivals such as Impuls in Graz (Austria) or Zürich Internation SaxFest. Member of the Ever Present Orchestra, she currently works with the american composer Alvin Lucier and tour around the world performing his pieces.

 

A passionate believer in the richness of collaborations between different artistic forms, Valentine is one of the founding members of WAITING FOR AMON, a trilogy of multidisciplinary performances.

 

GLITCH, the frst show, is a spectacle performed by a painter, two dancers, two saxophonists and live electronic effects, premiered at the Theater der Künste in Zurich in 2016. In 2017 followed CAIRNS, for one performer and saxophone quartet. SHOUT, the last part of the trilogy, for saxophone solo and performer, is premiered in march 2018 in Zürich.

 

The trilogy has aroused interest and enthusiasm of both audience and critics and was awarded with the Pzirze of the Nico Kaufmann Foundation (Zürich) in 2018.