Julien Mégroz

Julien Mégroz (1986*) began percussion and drums in 1995. He studied jazz vibraphone with Philippe Cornaz (CH) and classical percussion with Thierry Besancon (CH). Student in the class of Stéphane Borel (CH) at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne (CH), he received in 2008 the first prize of marimba in the National Competition of Musical Interpretation of Riddes (CH).

He obtained a Bachelor in Arts in 2009 and went to the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen (DK) where he studied with several famous scandinavian teachers as Gert Mortensen, Johan Bridger and Morten Friis from famous Safri Duo. Back in Lausanne in 2011, he obtained a Master in Performance with unanunimous congratulations from the jury. He then studied two year at the Hochschule für Musik Basel, and obtained in 2013 a Master in specialized performance: new music, where he studied with Mike Svoboda, Marcus Weiss, Jürg Henneberger and Christian Dierstein. In 2013‐14, in the frame of a Certificate of Advanced Studies, he studied free improvisation with Alfred Zimmerlin and Fred Frith.

Julien is a member and co‐producer of the ensembles We Spoke: New Music Company, neuverBand, the improvisation trio SOMOS, the chamber performing 4tet TooHotToHoot?, the experimental rock band Son d’encre and the electrobeat duo Mostly Powder.

Julien plays solo concert and chamber music concert in Switzerland, Europe and South America. He recently worked with personalities and ensembles of international renown such as Pierre Boulez, Peter Eötvös, Mathias Spahlinger, George Aperghis, Thomas Kessler, Fritz Hauser, USINESONORE, Camerata Variabile Basel, the Kammer Orchester Basel, the group Soyuz21 Zürich or the Ensemble Intercontemporain of Paris. He was invited to participate in the Lucerne Festival Academy in 2012 and 2013.

Julien composes music for percussion or chamber music ensembles. His music was already performed in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France and Peru. His last works are La légende du pont du Diable, a musical tale for viola, prepared‐piano, percussion, narrator and sculptor, The Unknown for double choir and Compromis Rythmique no 3, a 60‐minutes conceptual piece for hackbrett, piano and vibraphone. He is actually working on “Zigzag de langue et big‐bang de baguettes”, based on texts by George Aperghis, for 2 soprani, flute and percussion.

Julien received prices by the foundations Knechtli and Nicati­De Luz in 2012, Irène Dénéréaz in 2012 and 2013, as well as the culture price of the region of Nyon “RégioNyon” (CH). In 2014, his released his first solo record “Natur/Maschine” with six pieces for solo percussion written by swiss composers.

www.julienmegroz.ch