Focus SionInterview with Etienne Lin

Matthias von Orelli -The HEMU Site of Sion is part of a tradition of excellence in professional string education in Valais. This tradition is a direct legacy of the major musical contribution of the Hungarian violinist Tibor Varga, active in Valais since the 1960s and until his death in 2003. After creating a summer academy in 1963, a summer festival in 1964 and an international violin competition in 1967, he decided in 1988 to open a year-round independent high-level school in Sion whose name would evolve over time until it became the Conservatoire Supérieur Tibor Varga. When the Hautes Ecoles de Musique (HEM) was set up in Switzerland in 2008, the arrangements made at the federal level provided for the creation of only two HEMs in French-speaking Switzerland, within the HES-SO, which endangered the sustainability of professional music education in Valais. Anxious to preserve the artistic and educational tradition developed in the second half of the 20th century and to continue to train high-level professional musicians in Valais, the cantonal authorities then initiated negotiations with the canton of Vaud to agree on the integration of the Tibor Varga Superior Conservatory at the Lausanne University of Music. A similar approach emanating from the canton of Friborg at the same time, the 3 cantons agreed on the creation of an intercantonal high school of music and signed the agreements which were to lay the foundations for the birth of the HEMU Vaud-Valais-Fribourg . The Tibor Varga Superior Conservatory thus gave way to the HEMU Site de Sion.

Today, the HEMU Site de Sion continues to affirm itself as a pole of excellence in the teaching of wind instruments and can count on a very high-level teaching staff to prepare its 60 bachelor's and master's students for a career as a performer and/or teacher. Collaborations continue to develop with the Tibor Varga Academy of Fine Arts, the Tibor Varga International Competition and the Sion Festival, as well as with many other artistic partners in Valais, Switzerland and internationally.

Mr. Aurélien D'Andrès, thank you for taking the time to give us this interview. How do you characterize the Sion site within the HEMU Vaud-Valais-Fribourg?

The HEMU is an institution that is spread across 3 cantons with very different identities and objectives. The challenge of the Sion site is therefore to actively participate in the creation and development of a global institutional project, while maintaining a direct link with the Valaisan territory, its specificities, its aspirations and its possibilities.

The entire structure of the HEMU has recently been redesigned. What impact has this had on the Sion site?

Every measure that touches on governance inevitably has an impact on the entire institution. We see a willingness to change the corporate culture towards a more participative approach. The implementation of this culture goes hand in hand with a greater involvement of students in the life of the school. Concrete measures such as the recent organization of the PulSion Winter Festival testify to the form this can take.

Vous avez un profond passé musical, pourriez-vous nous décrire brièvement votre vie professionnelle ?

From a strictly musical point of view, I come from an amateur background (I hold a higher piano and violin certificate from the Conservatoire Can-tonal de Sion), a background of incredible richness in Valais, and I therefore consider myself to be more of an amateur musician than a musician. After double training as an EPFL engineer and cultural manager, my professional career then took me to manage the Camerata de Lausanne, the Théâtre Le Baladin de Savièse and now the HEMU Site de Sion. I am currently developing my leadership skills by completing an Executive MBA at HEC Paris.

What do you think of the musical landscape in our country and especially in the canton of Valais?

We have a unique opportunity in Switzerland: the musical offer is rich and the standard of quality is very high. The presence of top-level music schools is not foreign. For its part, the Valais has a very strong relationship with music. The lack of adapted infrastructures has long limited the development of classical music during the rich period of the festivals of été, but the construction of a new concert hall in Sion and other projects in the canton should soon help us to give our events the amplitude they deserve.

In the context of the Swiss music academies, the question of the country's position within Europe is always on the agenda. In Valais, too, the borders with neighbouring countries are open - how do you perceive this situation?

Although bordered by high and majestic mountains, the Valais is a land of openness. We enjoy excellent day-to-day relations with our neighbors from Vaud, Bern, Ticino, Uri, Italy and France, and the tourist culture that is part of our ADN naturally encourages hospitality and exchange. Replicating ourselves has never been an option and I am very pleased that this may one day be the case in the future.

Comment la promotion musicale est-elle perçue dans le canton du Valais ?

Globally quite good, considering that the Valais is a region that responds to music. However, the artistic, educational, tourist, economic and political milieux have been able to better coordinate their efforts in order to make the most of the incredible general dynamism that currently animates the canton.

Le Valais is an alpine and tourist canton - does this have an impact on your daily work?

Absolutely. Above all, it's a question of sharing values. The mountain man is an incredible worker who respects his environment and his roots. The tourist shows curiosity and seeks sharing, discovery, novelty, surprise, enchantment and pleasure. All this totally summarizes what we want to see emerge in our students in their daily musical practice.

Finally, a very simple question (or not!): what music do you like to listen to the most?

Le silence, à condition qu'il soit immédiatement précédé ou suivi de quelque chose de beau.

D'origine française, Etienne Lin étudie actuellement à l'HEMU Site de Sion dans la classe d'alto de Tatjana Masurenko, en 1re année de master en Interprétation orientation concert, après avoir également effectué son bachelor à Sion.

Etienne Lin, what does Valais represent for you? And especially Sion as a place of study?

Valais and Switzerland in general are very beautiful places for me. It's a unique opportunity to be able to study here, our site has no more than six hundred students, which favors exchanges and the construction of links between us.

Sion is surrounded by mountains and nature is never far away. For me, coming from the Hautes-Pyrénées department and from a city not much bigger than Sion, I'm not disappointed. It's very pleasant for me to grow up in a school and a small town, and that also applies to my relationship with the people. The setting and working conditions are pleasant, with access to the classrooms and our school premises 365 days a year.

The tradition of the violin in our school is a tribute to the former Conservatoire Supérieur Tibor Varga. Most people have already heard of the school created by the master violinist Tibor Varga, but his integration into the Lausanne School of Music has, it seems to me, been somewhat anonymous. Furthermore, we occupy premises that are not really adapted to our musical practice and have been provisional for a number of years...

I realize that the reason why we don't think of the Valais when we talk about music education is because we don't have enough visibility, but the quality and success of the teaching is there. All this should be resolved soon, I hope, with the construction of a new music school where we will take over the cantonal conservatory!

Until recently, you were president of the PulSion association. What does this association do and what are your tasks?

The main aims of the PulSion association are to create and improve student life at our school and to defend the interests of students where necessary. For the past two years, we have also launched a music festival entirely organized by the students: the PulSion Winter Festival. We also have other projects and events such as helping non-francophone students to learn French, organizing auditions or sorties...

You have a lot of contacts with other students. Where do you see the biggest challenges facing the Swiss music schools?

The artistic formations are fascinating but also very difficult to manage, I think, because of the great diversity of profiles, identities, needs, cultures and others. For example, there may be age limits of 15 years in the same promotion, some people are already plunging ahead in their careers at the same time as their studies...

I believe that the aim of the music schools is to adapt the training and courses offered, to offer new opportunities and to provide the best possible support for their students in their personal and career development.