Sylvain Jaccard will take over as director of the Choeur Novantiqua de Sion in September 2022. Whilst honouring the legacy left by Bernard Héritier, he aims to breathe new life into the choir whilst preserving its core values: a love and passion for choral art drawn from a wide-ranging repertoire, and the pursuit of that distinctive sound which sets Novantiqua apart.
Whether as a musician, teacher, researcher or conductor, Sylvain Jaccard’s career has been characterised by the interplay of these different facets. A pianist, opera singer, choir and orchestra conductor, music education specialist and musicologist, and holder of a PhD in music, he has broadened his range of expertise with a Master’s degree in cultural management.
His training was shaped by significant encounters that enabled him to acquire a solid musical foundation. In the field of opera singing, particular mention must be made of Yves Senn and Nicolaï Gedda, who opened up a world of the most exquisite vocal sensations for him. As for the piano, it was notably Ueli Gygli, János Tamas and Catherine Courvoisier who sparked his passion. As for conducting, it was above all Eric Bauer who gave him the tools to lead a choir and an orchestra. But mention must also be made of all the teachers who introduced him to the fields of composition, teaching, critical thinking, research and the study of other instruments, notably the bassoon.
Thus, whilst pursuing a career as a musician, he spent twenty years training generalist and specialist teachers, then served as director of the Neuchâtel Conservatoire of Music, before taking up the post of director of the HEMU Valais-Wallis University of Music on 1 September 2021.
