Leonor Swyngedouw

Biography

 
    Leonor Swyngedouw was born on 27 March 1996 in Belgium. She discovered the cello at the academy of Seraing, with her teacher Laurent Chantraine. At the age of 14, she was accepted as a "young talent" at the Royal Conservatory of Liège where she studied for several years with Prof. Jean-Pol Zanutel before obtaining her Baccalaureate diploma at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels (Prof. Marie Hallynck) with the highest distinction. 

   In October 2018, she started her master studies at the Hochschule für Musik in Hannover with Prof. Tilmann Wick where she just graduated with the highest mark. She had the great privilege to be accepted for a postgraduate soloist "Konzertexam" which she will continue in parallel with a master's degree at the Universität der Kunst in Berlin with Prof. Konstantin Heidrich. 

   In 2013, Leonor won first prize at the "Belfius" competition and second prize at the "Edmond Baert" cello competition in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre. In 2018, she received the third prize in the upper category of the same competition and the "Feldbusch" Prize for the best interpretation of the required piece. In the same year, she was awarded the "Kerkhove" Heritage Prize of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels for her brilliant results in her final Baccalaureate exam.

   In July 2021, she recieved the second prize at the "Primuz international strings competition."

  Leonor participated as a soloist in the world premiere of Guillaume Auvray's cello concerto "Der Kreis" with the Orchestra of the Greater Region, conducted by Jan Stulen. On this occasion, she performed at the Salle Philarmonique de Liège and at the Funkhaus in Halberg. She has also performed Haydn's Concerto in C Major with the Kammerphilarmonie Legia at the Liège Theatre and Elgar's Concerto accompanied by the Orchestre Jean-Noël Hamal.

   Leonor is regularly invited to perform as a chamber musician or as a soloist at festivals (Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, Classissimo and Classique ici! in Brussels, Midzik, Visé festival, Wallonia festivals, "Voyages d'été" festival in Liège,...) 
   In August 2020, she was asked by the Stavelot Festival to record Rheinberger's trio for violin, cello and organ with Sylvia Huang and Edward Vanmarsenille. In May 2021 she was invited by UNESCO City of Music in partnership with the Künstelerhaus Hannover to record a concert with pianist Konstantina Vidalaki for German television H1.

   Together with her brother Lorenz and the pianist Catherine Forthomme she forms the trio Swynca, which gave its first concert in Brussels for the Musicorum festival. She also plays regularly with harpsichordist Edward Vanmarsenille. 

     On the occasion of the 2017 Queen Elisabeth Competition, dedicated to the cello, Leonor was one of the six young cellists chosen by RTBF and VRT to comment on the competition on radio and television.

     Leonor has enriched her training in masterclasses with renowned soloists and pedagogues such as Maria Kliegel, Peter Bruns, Yovan Markovitch, Pieter Wispelwey, Marc Coppey, Vladimir Perlin, David Cohen, Martii Rousi and Gregor Horsch.

   She is currently playing on a cello by Lorenzo Ventapane on loan from the Niedersachsen foundation.

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