Silvia Berchtold grew up in Landsberg am Lech, Germany, where she was fortunate to receive, from an early age, a creative and deeply inspiring approach to the recorder. This way of engaging with the instrument and with musical practice remains, to this day, a fundamental pillar of her artistic journey. In addition to designing innovative and thought-provoking concert programmes, Silvia is also dedicated to creating music theatre and participating in various interdisciplinary projects that combine music, movement, and visual expression.
Her formal education in recorder performance took place at leading European institutions: she studied at the Zurich University of the Arts with Prof. Matthias Weilenmann, at the Conservatoire de Lyon with Prof. Pierre Hamon, and at the University of Music in Nuremberg with Prof. Jeremias Schwarzer.
As a soloist and chamber musician, Silvia has established herself in both contemporary and early music repertoire. She has performed on prestigious stages and at renowned festivals, including the Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Kaunas Philharmonic, the Potsdam Sanssouci Music Festival, musica aperta in Winterthur, the Zurich Early Music Festival, the Early Music Festival in London, and Mars en Baroquein Marseille, among others.
In 2024, Silvia and her ensemble Tra Noi received significant acclaim, winning First Prize at the CIMA Competition, the Audience Prize at the Händel Competition in Göttingen, and the Konzerthaus Vienna Prize at the H.I.F. Biber International Competition. In 2023, the ensemble also won the Audience Prize at the Biagio Marini Competition. In 2022, Silvia was a finalist at the Johann Heinrich Schmelzer International Competition, held at Melk Abbey.
Her artistry was further recognised in 2017 with First Prize at the prestigious MOECK/SRP International Recorder Competition in London. In both 2015 and 2014, she was awarded Second Prize at the Nordhorn International Solo Recorder Competition.
Driven by a constant search for a deeper understanding of art and thought, Silvia is currently studying Philosophy at the University of Zurich, seeking to broaden the horizons of her musical practice through dialogue with other fields of knowledge.
