Real name: Équipe Contrechamps

Effective period / Period of releases: 1988

Members: Pierre-Stéphane Meugé, Jonathan Haskell, Sébastien Cordier, Laurent Bruttin, Alberto Guerra, Olivier Darbellay, Hans Egidi, Simon Aeschimann, Olivier Marron, Sabine Ahrendt, Stefan Wirth, Serge Vuille, Gérard Métrailler, Antoine Françoise, Maximilian Haft, Noëlle Reymond, Thierry Debons, Isabelle Bourgeois, Anne Bassand, Serge Bonvalot, Martina Brodbeck, Charles Pierron (2), Susanne Peters (2)

Ensemble Contrechamps is a Swiss new music group, established in 1977 and based at Studio Ernest Ansermet, RSR in Geneva.

Contrechamps has premiered works by George Benjamin, Unsuk Chin, Hugues Dufourt, Beat Furrer, Stefano Gervasoni, Heinz Holliger, Michael Jarrell, György Kurtág, Martin Matalon, Tristan Murail, Isabel Mundry, Rebecca Saunders, Pierre Boulez, Brian Ferneyhough, Jonathan Harvey, Klaus Huber, Helmut Lachenmann, Matthias Pintscher, Claus-Steffen Mahnkopf, Stefan Wirth and other contemporary composers.

Many prominent conductors performed with the Ensemble, such as Peter Eötvös, Stefan Asbury, Pascal Rophé, Jurjen Hempel, Peter Hirsch, Jean Deroyer, Clement Power, François-Xavier Roth, Peter Rundel and Pierre-Laurent Aimard. Notable international soloists who appeared with Contrechamps throughout the years include Teodoro Anzellotti, Luisa Castellani, Hedwig Fassbender, Isabelle Faust, Rosemary Hardy, Nicolas Hodges, Salome Kammer, Christoph Prégardien, Yeree Suh and Kai Wessel.

Artistic Director
Brice Pauset – since 2013

Music Director
Michael Wendeberg – since 2011

Ensemble Contrechamps Members
Laurent Bruttin – clarinet
Gérard Métrailler – trumpet
Olivier Darbellay, Charles Pierron – horn
Alberto Guerra – bassoon
Pierre-Stéphane Meugé – saxophone
Sébastian Jacot – flute
Jean-Marc Daviet – trombone
Serge Bonvalot – tuba
Antoine Françoise, Stefan Wirth – piano
Sébastien Cordier, Thierry Debons – percussion
Simon Aeschimann – guitar
Maximilian Haft, Sabine Ahrendt – violin
Hans Egidi, Tomoko Akasaka – alto
Olivier Marron – cello
Noëlle Reymond, Jonathan Haskell – double bass
Anne Bassand – harp