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After
studying saxophone at the Conservatory of Lausanne, where he
received a concert license in 1994, Laurent Estoppey devoted
himself entirely to contemporary music. Numerous collaborations
with composers have led him to create at least one hundred works.
Now his musical activity is divided between written music and
improvisation, and it occurs throughout Switzerland, many European
countries, but also in Canada, USA, Argentina, Guatemala, and
South Africa.
He
has worked with the following orchestras: Orchestre de la Suisse
Romande Orchestra, Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, Basel Symphony,
UBS Verbier Festival Orchestra, Timisoara, Orchestra of the
State of Lithuania, Lausanne Sinfonietta, NEC - Chaux-de-Fund-Contrechamps
Geneva, and Staatskapelle Weimar.
Estoppey
has founded and developed several chamber music groups including:
DILEMMA (saxophone/piano with Myriam Migani), ST15 (saxophone/piano
with Virginie Falquet), DEGRE21 (saxophone/guitar with Antonio
Albanese), 1+1 (dual-concept Anne Gillot, recorders), compagnie
CH.AU (nine musicians), and the 4TENORS (saxophone quartet with
Vincent Daoud, Rico Gubler, and Lars Mlekusch). He is regularly
invited to play with the saxophone quartet Basel, the ARTE Quartet,
and is a member of baBel ensemBle, founded by Olivier Cuendet.
His
improvisational collaborations involve meetings and concerts
with musicians from all backgrounds including HipNoiz51 (DJ,
drums, saxophone, clarinet, bass and electronics), BETTY'S QUARTET
(two saxophones, two voices Antoine Auberson, Emma and Anne-Sylvie
Fleury Casagrande), YET TRIO (Lingling Yu, pipa and Dragos Tara,
doublebass), and 1+1 + Stephan Perrinjaquet. Estoppey as also
worked alongside many independent musicians such as Jacques
Demierre, Pierre Favre, Pierre Audétat, Malcolm Braff,
Urs Leimgruber, and Nick Didkovsky.
He
is a guest musician of the Russian theatrical troupe Akhe with
whom the show "Wet Wedding" was presented in Geneva,
Nice, London, Stockholm, and Mexico and his discography includes
twelve recordings. His interest in all contemporary arts has
led him to collaborate with many artists in interdisciplinary
projects including projects with Georges Haldas (literature),
Olivier Saudan (painting and video), Francis Baudevin, Stephan
Perrinjaquet, Tatiana Rihs, Claudia Comte (visual arts) Heidi
Bunting, Christine Cruchon (dance), and Gil Pidoux (literature
and theater).
Also
an educator for some 20 years, Estoppey has taught saxophone
at the Conservatory of Neuchâtel and he is regularly invited
to lead improvisation workshops for musicians of all levels
and all instruments in Switzerland. His discography includes
15 recordings.
Estoppey
is the son-in-law of Lee Thorson and Roxana Fudge. He divides
his time between Greensboro, North Carolina, where he lives
with his wife Elizabeth and daughter Mathilda, and Lucerne,
Switzerland, where he teaches as plays professionally.
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