Born in Sierre in 1998, Rocco Michela began studying piano at the Cantonal Conservatory of Sion in Barbara Borse’s class. In 2015, he was awarded the Conservatory’s Grand Prix Bach.
In September 2016, he joined the pre-professional programme at the Lausanne Conservatory in Magali Bourquin’s class. In 2017, he won first prize at the Riviera Competition, as well as first prize with honours at the Entrada Swiss Youth Music Competition, in addition to first prize in chamber music.
His career has been supported by several scholarships awarded by renowned Swiss foundations, notably the Dénéréaz Foundation in 2018 and the Friedl Wald Foundation in 2021.
Rocco Michela regularly attends masterclasses with leading pianists, including Edith Fischer, Pascal Godart, Marc Pantillon, Benjamin Engeli, Louis Schwizgebel, Juliana Yablonskaya, Benedek Horváth, Aleksandar Madžar and Elisabeth Leonskaja.
After graduating with honours, he is currently continuing his studies at the Hochschule für Musik in Basel, in the class of professors Claudio Martínez Mehner and Tobias Schabenberger. He is also furthering his chamber music studies with musicians and teachers such as Anton Kernjak, Thomas Grossenbacher, Raphaël Oleg, François Guye, Cobus Swanepoel, Jonathan Brown and Alexander Lonquich.
Rocco Michela performs regularly in recitals and chamber music concerts. In 2024, he founded the DoraPianoTrio with violinist Sofia De Falco and cellist Axelle Richez. The trio won first prize at the ORPHEUS Chamber Music Competition in November 2024, a distinction that opened the doors to prestigious festivals such as the Piano Trio Fest Bern, the Swiss Chamber Music Festival Adelboden and the Musikdorf Ernen Festival. In November 2025, the ensemble joined the Le Dimore del Quartetto network in Italy, thus becoming part of a select circle of ensembles benefiting from artistic residencies, professional development opportunities and European visibility through concerts, masterclasses and cultural collaborations.
