Verbier Festival Academy Announces Prix Yves Paternot Winner

Trio Chagall has won the award alongside a CHF 10,000 cash prize

The Verbier Festival Academy’s prestigious Prix Yves Paternot is awarded to a most accomplished and promising musician of the annual Academy for young professional artists. 

This year’s prize was awarded to the Italian ensemble, Trio Chagall, which comprises violinist Edoardo Grieco, cellist Francesco Massimino, and pianist Lorenzo Nguyen.

Named for Yves Paternot, the founder of The Friends of the Verbier Festival and a member of the Foundation’s Board, the Prix Yves Paternot was established by Paternot’s friends after his passing in his honor.

Trio Chagall will receive CHF 10,000; an invitation to perform at a future Verbier Festival; plus will be eligible for up to CHF 15,000 to support their artistic and professional development.

Founded in 2013 at the Conservatory of Music “G. Verdi” of Turin, the trio currently studies with Rainer Schmidt and Anton Kernjak at the Hochschule für Musik in Basel. 

In 2023, the group was made a ProQuartet Ensemble in Residence in Paris, plus won First Prize at the Schoenfeld International String Competition and the 2023 Young Concert Artists Trust international auditions at Wigmore Hall.

Maintaining an active concert schedule across Europe, Kuwait, China, and Japan, the trio was recently named an ECHO Rising Star, through which they will tour Europe’s major concert halls during the 2024/25 season.

Trio Chagall was the only pre-formed chamber music ensemble accepted to the Verbier Academy this year, and received mentorship in masterclasses from András Keller, Sir András Schiff, Gábor Takács-Nagy, and Quatuor Ébène members Pierre Colombet and Gabriel Le Magadure. The group also benefited from the Academy’s Audio Recording Program, which included professional studio recording sessions.

“Trio Chagall has captivated both faculty and the public throughout their three-week residency of masterclasses and performances in Verbier,” said the Academy Director Stephen McHolm in the press release. “Their music-making radiates joy and generosity, leaving a lasting impression.”