Trio Ernest & Éléonore Billy
Biography Trio Ernest & Éléonore Billy
Eleonore Billy
Trained on the violin both by oral tradition and by a conservatory course, she then turned to nyckelharpa and Scandinavian music. She will thus be the first French musician to be trained in Sweden, a country whose language and culture she will embrace.
Inspired from her childhood by traditional, classical or baroque music, her curiosity leads her to new sonic and creative territories and musical collaborations from a wide variety of backgrounds, in France and abroad.
In addition to Octantrion, Éléonore Billy performs in various groups she initiated, such as her string quartet Quarlätt, or the musical tale for young audiences "Le Merveilleux voyage de Nils Holgersson", she co-directs, composes and plays in the "Tokso Folk String Quartet" which tours on European stages, and accompanies other fascinating projects such as Barrocka (revisited Italian baroque music) or EMMA (improvised and minimalist jazz quartet).
Trio Ernest
A Franco-Swiss ensemble founded in Geneva in 2019, Trio Ernest has emerged on the international scene thanks to its unique personality, and its modern, committed approach to classical music. His first CD, Haydn All-Stars (Aparté), has received unanimous critical acclaim, including a Gramophone Editor’s Choice, a Trophée Radio Classique, and 5 Diapasons. The year 2026 opens with the release of a new album, The Wonderful Adventures of Amanda Maier. Joining forces with Nyckelharpist Eléonore Billy, the trio brings together Romantic and traditional music to (re)discover one of the great geniuses of the 19th century: Sweden’s Amanda Maier.
This strong identity opens the doors to major international stages, from Geneva’s Victoria Hall to the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, via Paris’ Salle Cortot, Brussels’ Bozar, Vienna’s Schoenberg Center and Budapest’s Franz Liszt Academy. They are also guests at renowned festivals such as the Flanders Festival Ghent, the Swiss Chamber Music Festival and the Festival Ravel. They can be heard regularly on France Musique, the BBC, RTS and Radio Classique. Keen on new encounters, they collaborate with artists such as Ophélie Gaillard, Stephan MacLeod, Gabriel Pidoux, Vassilena Serafimova, the Orchestre de l’Opéra de Rouen, the Orchestre des Pays de Savoie and the Juventutti Orchestra, as well as actress Dominique Reymond. Since 2021, the trio has been responsible for the artistic direction of the season. Bee Classical! in Geneva, where he can freely develop his artistic universe.
Particularly committed to the cause of women composers past and present, the three musicians–ne–s program a piece composed by a woman for each of their concerts. In line with this approach, they received the Christian Zeller Award for their interpretation of Trio and participate in the Boîte à Pépites. Wishing to contribute to the dynamism of their repertoire, they created the Trio by Carlos Roque Alsina, and are responsible for numerous arrangements for their band. Last but not least, as they are sensitive to ecological issues, they make their journeys within Europe without taking a plane, in order to limit the impact of their profession on the climate. In its own way, the trio is committed to music that may be classical, but is above all alive and connected to the challenges of the 21st century.
In residence at the European Chamber Music Academy, he has won numerous international prizes, including the Prix Pro Musicis (Paris), first prize in the Verao Classico Chamber Music Award (Lisbon), the Orpheus Competition (Zurich), and the Chamber Music Award of the ISA Festival (Vienna). Winners of the Académie Villecroze, the trio holds a Master’s degree from the Hochschule der Künste Bern in Patrick Jüdt’s class. A former resident at the Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth and ProQuartet, he is currently perfecting his skills with Mathieu Herzog.
Thanks to the generous support of the Boubo-Music Foundation (Switzerland), Stanislas Gosset plays a violin by Francesco Goffriller made in Venice circa 1735, and Clément Dami a cello by Giacinto Santagiuliana made in Vincenza circa 1850.
