Nurturing every young
artist
Photo: Yoshi Shimizu
Our Pedagogical team
Artists and educators, united for every child’s artistic excellence.
Hong Anh Shapiro
Founder & Artistic Director
Violinist • Pedagogue
Hong Anh Shapiro is a violinist, pedagogue, artistic director, and founder of Violonissimo, a violin school she founded in Geneva in 2000 and continues to direct today.
A graduate of the prestigious Indiana University (USA), she studied with Franco Gulli, Rostislav Dubinsky, and Mimi Zweig, with whom she also specialized in violin pedagogy.
Her teaching philosophy places artistic expression, self-confidence, and stage experience at the heart of the learning process.
Recognized for guiding very young violinists to a remarkable level of musical artistry, she leads her students to perform each year in prestigious concert halls, including Geneva's renowned Victoria Hall.
For fifteen years, she taught violin pedagogy at the Haute École de Musique de Genève (Geneva University of Music). Since 2013, she has also collaborated with Barrios Orquestados in the Canary Islands, helping make high-quality music education accessible to children from underserved communities.
A sought-after guest lecturer in Switzerland and internationally, Hong Anh Shapiro shares a vision of music education founded on one essential belief:
"Every child is an artist in the making."
Anica Dumitrita Vieru
Violinist • Violin Teacher
Anica Dumitrita Vieru is a violinist and pedagogue. Born in Chișinău, Moldova, she began studying the violin at an early age before pursuing advanced musical training in Moldova, Italy, and Switzerland.
She graduated from the Guido Cantelli Conservatory in Novara, Italy, and later earned both a Master of Music Performance and a Master of Music Pedagogy from the Geneva University of Music (Haute École de Musique de Genève), where she studied with distinguished violinists Mihaela Martin and Sergey Ostrovsky.
A laureate of numerous international competitions and recipient of prestigious scholarships, Anica enjoys an active career as a soloist and chamber musician, performing throughout Europe.
Her artistic approach, shaped by the rich traditions of both the Eastern European and Western European violin schools, is distinguished by a constant pursuit of musical excellence.
Deeply committed to teaching, she instructs young violinists in Geneva with high standards, warmth, and enthusiasm. At Violonissimo, she guides aspiring musicians toward a high level of artistic achievement, helping them develop technical mastery, musical interpretation, and confidence on stage.
Tedi Papavrami
Concert Violinist • Violin Professor
Tedi Papavrami is widely regarded as one of the most distinguished violinists of his generation. Born in Tirana, Albania, he began playing the violin at the age of four before continuing his studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris under the guidance of Pierre Amoyal.
A prizewinner of several international competitions, he has enjoyed an outstanding international career for more than three decades as both a soloist and chamber musician, performing in the world's leading concert halls and collaborating with renowned artists such as Martha Argerich, Maria João Pires, and Nelson Goerner.
Alongside his performing career, Tedi Papavrami is a dedicated and inspiring teacher. Since 2008, he has been Professor of Violin at the Geneva University of Music (Haute École de Musique de Genève), where he shares his artistic rigor and profound insight into musical interpretation with young musicians from around the world.
In addition to his work as a violinist and educator, he is an accomplished writer, the French translator of the works of Ismail Kadare, and the Artistic Director of the Variations Musicales de Tannay festival.
Nathaniel Shapiro
Violinist • Chamber Musician •
Violin Teacher
Nathaniel Shapiro is a violinist, chamber musician, and pedagogue. Born in Geneva into a family of musicians, he began studying the violin at the age of five with his mother before continuing his training with Fabrizio Von Arx and Sergey Ostrovsky.
He went on to earn a Doctor of Music (D.M.) in Violin Performance from the prestigious Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he studied under the late Kevork Mardirossian and served as an Associate Instructor.
A passionate chamber musician, Nathaniel Shapiro is a founding member of the Cercis String Quartet and performs regularly in recitals and chamber music concerts. His orchestral career has included the position of Principal Second Violin of the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra, membership in the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, and, since 2024, a position with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra in Sweden.
He is also a guest artist with the International Chamber Orchestra of Puerto Rico and regularly participates in international music festivals and academies.
Deeply committed to teaching, Nathaniel Shapiro teaches violin and chamber music at Violonissimo, where he mentors young musicians with high standards, encouragement, and enthusiasm. Drawing on his extensive international performing experience, he inspires each student to develop a solid technical foundation, a distinctive musical voice, and the joy of sharing music with an audience.