Applications Open to Switzerland’s Villars Music Academy 2025 

Open to violinists, violists, and cellists, the Villars Music Academy will offer holistic masterclasses that combine chamber music with physical and mental coaching from August 17–24, 2025

In collaboration with Switzerland’s Villars Institute Foundation, the Villars Music Academy was founded in 2022 by violinist Aline Champion to support emerging artists globally with masterclasses taught by world-leading musicians. 

With its fourth edition taking place from August 17–24, 2025, the Academy is open to violinists, violists, and cellists over the age of 18 who are not yet working a fixed job. 

In the program, participants will be offered public performances with members of the Berlin Philharmonic and group coaching from experts in fitness and psychology. 

This year, the program’s guest professors are violinist Kolja Blacher, violist Nils Mönkemeyer, and cellist Gary Hoffman. 

Additional professors include multiple members of the Berlin Philharmoniker such as Simone Bernardini, Luiz Felipe Coelho, Walter Küssner, and Uladzimir Sinkevich. 

Additionally, the Academy’s Robert Dunand Prize will see its program jury select six laureates for the final round of the prize, which will take the form of a public concert on August 22, 2025, at the Villars Palace Theater. 

To apply, click here. The application deadline and candidate selection for the Robert Dunand Prize is April 15, 2025. 

“At the Villars Music Academy, we offer a personalised and intimate learning environment that fosters both artistic growth and personal development through close, meaningful relationships,” Champion writes. “Our mission is to cultivate musicians who not only excel in their craft but also embody the principles of high performance, well-being, mindfulness, authenticity, and artistic integrity.”

"Thank you for this life changing experience,” former participant and violist Gordon Lau adds. “I am sure that everything I learned from this week will carry me through my whole life.”

A video introducing the Academy can be viewed below.