Biographies
Short Biography
Thomas Demenga, recipient of the Swiss Music Prize 2025, is one of Switzerland’s most defining musical figures – as soloist, composer and teacher. Born in Berne, he studied with Walter Grimmer, Antonio Janigro, Leonard Rose and Mstislav Rostropovich; his chamber music studies at the Juilliard School in New York with Claus Adam, Felix Galimir and Robert Mann were equally formative. His playing lives from traversing all stylistic eras: historically informed Baroque practice and the classical and romantic repertoire stand alongside improvisation and his own voice as a composer – an arc from Baroque to world premiere. An extensive series of recordings for ECM New Series – including two complete cycles of the Bach Suites – documents this work. From 1980 to 2025 he led a class for students and soloists at the Hochschule für Musik Basel. He currently performs with the Trio entre vias, founded in 2025; its first recording, Common Ground, is released by col legno in October 2026.