Master of early music

Leila Schayegh is a master of early music. As a violinist and researcher, this Winterthur-born resident of Basel brings the works of Baroque music into the contemporary world.

Leila Schayegh first studied classical violin in Basel. Shortly afterwards, she continued her studies with Chiara Banchini – winner of a Swiss Music Prize 2021 – at the Schola Cantorum in Basel. Since then, Leila Schayegh's musical output has been shaped by the historical performance practice of early music. As a soloist and chamber musician, she is now one of the leading figures of the early music world. Her repertoire covers 300 years, an enormous time span that illustrates the diversity of Baroque music. In recent years, Leila Schayegh has expanded her catalogue to include works from the Classical and Romantic eras. In 2018, she recorded the violin sonatas of Johannes Brahms. In 2021, Leila Schayegh published the six sonatas and partitas for solo violin by Johann Sebastian Bach, often considered to be some of the most challenging pieces for a violinist.

Leila Schayegh has been professor of baroque violin at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis since 2010. In this role she is passing on her vast historical knowledge to her students and emphasising the importance of a personal and independent interpretation of early music.