Music from and with Tabea Frei

Tabea Frei was born in Mammern, Switzerland. She began playing the violin while still in kindergarten and gained extensive experience in a variety of orchestral and chamber music ensembles throughout her childhood. At the age of fourteen, she made her debut as a soloist with the Winterthur Youth Symphony Orchestra. During this period, she also won several competitions at national level.

After completing secondary school, she began studying violin at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts – School of Music with Prof. Gunars Larsens and Prof. Isabel Charisius. She completed both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in music education.

During her bachelor’s studies, Tabea Frei received viola lessons for the first time. She was immediately captivated by the instrument and decided to switch from violin to viola. She subsequently completed two further master’s degrees: first, the Master Specialised Music Performance with Prof. Isabel Charisius, followed by the Master Specialised Music Performance Soloist with Prof. Lawrence Power at Zurich University of the Arts.

Tabea Frei was a member of the Basel Symphony Orchestra and regularly performs as a guest musician with the Lucerne Festival Strings and the St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra. In November 2024, she performed with the Swiss Orchestra in a concert at the Vatican.

In 2016, she was awarded a prize at the Verão Clássico competition in Lisbon. This distinction gave her the opportunity to perform the following year with renowned musicians such as Janne Saksala and Radek Baborák.

Chamber music is another central focus of her artistic work. Tabea Frei has been invited to take part in projects with Isabel Charisius, Eduard Grach, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Zhou Qian, Orfeo Mandozzi and members of the Ysaÿe Quartet. Her concert career has taken her to numerous countries across Europe, as well as to America and Asia. She has also performed at a range of festivals, including the Lucerne Festival, the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, the Grafenegg Festival and others.

Tabea Frei composed her first symphony while she was still at school and has remained closely involved in composing and arranging ever since. Together with her trio partners Urban Frey and Paolo D’Angelo, she develops original concert programmes with which the ensemble tours.

Most recently, the trio presented the programme “Love Songs – from Mendelssohn to Elton John”. Through works by various composers, the programme told the love story of two people. The selected pieces came from a wide range of musical periods and were specially arranged for the trio.

A new programme entitled “Crime Concerts” is planned for 2027, with performances scheduled at various venues.

Alongside her artistic career, Tabea Frei has also pursued scientific research in depth. She completed a doctorate and was awarded the degree of Dr. scient. med. Her research examined the effects of music-based interventions on children with autism spectrum disorder and on people living with chronic pain. In this way, she combines her extensive musical experience with a particular interest in the role of music in health and well-being.

In addition to her work as a performer and researcher, Tabea Frei is a lecturer in music at the Schaffhausen University of Teacher Education.