Fiona Hengartner is a Swiss pianist who is active as concert performer, co-repetiteur and orchestral pianist. She passes on her knowledge by teaching piano at Fribourg Conservatoire, where she also works as an accompanist.
Her passion for chamber music shines through her engagements with groups during concert seasons and festivals. As a member of the Quatuor Essor, she enjoys breaking down stylistic barriers with her ensemble of two pianos and two percussion instruments. The quartet stands out in performing innovative arrangements of orchestral pieces and premiering original contemporary composers, aiming to bridge generational gaps with music that is rich, expressive and captivating. In 2021, the Quartet released its first CD, “Music for 4 Musicians”, featuring a fusion of jazz club influences, Latin rhythms and repetitive-minimalist music.
In a duo with cellist Isabel Gehweiler, the musicians present eclectic concerts that blend various art forms or highlight little-known composers. Their recent album “Notre amour”, released by the German label Solo Musica, delivers a musical journey that lets you feel love in all its forms through Swiss and French compositions from the Belle Époque. A second CD is scheduled for released by the Swiss label Claves in September 2024, featuring romantic sonatas for cello and piano.
Fiona Hengartner honed her pianistic skills from François Beffa at Fribourg Conservatoire and Christian Favre at the Haute École de Musique de Lausanne (HEMU). She was honored with the Pisler Prize for her Bachelor's thesis and recital, and the Paderewski Prize for her Master's recital in pedagogy. She pursued a second Master's degree in chamber music and lied at the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (ZHdK), further enhancing her expertise with a Certificate of Advanced Studies (Piano Performance) in Christoph Berner's class. Her professional development includes participation in various master classes focused on piano and chamber music, particularly with notable instructors Abdel Rahman El Bacha, Brigitte Meyer, Filippo Gamba, Pierre Amoyal and the Quatuor Sine Nomine.
A winner of several competitions, Fiona Hengartner was awarded the Longines Prize at the final of the 5th National Competition of the Festival du Jura, first prize at the Fribourg International Piano Competition and the prize for interpretation of the compulsory piece. She has twice won first prize at the Swiss Youth Music Competition, as well as the Astona Prize. Her talent has been recognized with numerous grants from esteemed organizations, including the Pierre and Renée Glasson Fund, the Casino Barrière de Montreux Foundation for Talent and Creativity, the Swiss Richard Wagner Society, the Vincent Merkle Foundation and the Rotary Club (Elsner Prize).
After working as an accompanist at the Zurich Conservatoire, Fiona Hengartner continues this activity at the Fribourg Conservatoire, also providing accompaniment at competitions and concerts, and working as a co-repetitor for choirs. She is regularly asked to play the piano in orchestras and ensembles.
The 2024/2025 season will see the launch of a number of new projects: "Café 1930" emerges from a collaborative synergy between violinist Marie Heck and pianist Fiona Hengartner nurtured by their engagement with audiences over the years. Keen to adapt as closely as possible to the needs of their listeners, this project aims to bring together a wide range of music-loving audiences. With care, the musicians mix musical styles and present a crossover programme that fuses classical music with jazz in a dynamic violin-piano duo. As for the "La Belle Nuit" project, it features a theatrical concert experience with Sophie Marilley (mezzo-soprano), Yann Pugin (narrator) and piano, based on texts by the Swiss author Robert Walser.