Mathis Rochat is a Franco-Swiss violist acclaimed for his expressive depth, stylistic versatility, and inventive approach to both core and transcribed repertoire. Praised for his “rich and subtle viola sound” and “marvelous poetic imaginative power” by Bieler Tagblatt, he is recognized as “one of the most promising and creative violists of his generation” by Concerti.de.

His recent recording Rachmaninoff Stories was lauded by Klassik Heute for its “generous, gorgeous tone” and “stunning virtuosity,” while BBC Music Magazine highlighted his “warm timbre” and poetic interplay. In his latest concerto release, The Strad praised his “infectiously enthusiastic playing,” noting his “crisp spiccato” and “endlessly inventive phrasing”—hallmarks of a musician who combines refined technique with interpretive daring.

As a soloist, Rochat has performed with ensembles including the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Geneva Chamber Orchestra, Camerata Schweiz, and Norddeutsche Philharmonie, as well as the Bishkek, Timișoara, and Brașov Philharmonic Orchestras. He regularly appears at major European festivals such as Schleswig-Holstein, Tsinandali, Budapest, Reims and Gstaad Festivals.

His discography includes L’alto Parnassien, focused on Impressionist French music, Rachmaninoff Stories, featuring seven new viola transcriptions and classical concertos by J.G. Graun and a transcription of a C.P.E. Bach cello concerto, performed with Camerata Schweiz under Howard Griffiths. His latest album is dedicated to the British viola repertoire with W.Walton, A.Benjamin and H.Howells viola concertos in a collaboration with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conductor Howard Griffiths and violinist Abigél  Králik.

A passionate chamber musician and educator, Rochat holds a professorship at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp and is co-founder and Artistic Director of TARA Chamber Concerts in Brussels. He has also taught at leading international masterclasses, including the Festival Academy Budapest.

Next season, alongside his solo engagements, he will tour the United States with the Jerusalem Quartet, further cementing his reputation as one of today’s most compelling and versatile violists.

The BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBC NOW) is one of the UK’s most versatile orchestras, with a varied range of work as both a broadcast orchestra and national sym- phony orchestra of Wales. The orchestra’s adventurous programming is driven by principal conductor Thomas Søndergård and conductor laureate Tadaaki Otaka; the Welsh composer Huw Watkins is the orchestra’s composer-in-association.

Generously supported by the Arts Council of Wales, and part of BBC Wales, BBC NOW is orchestra-in-residence at Cardiff’s St David’s Hall, and performs a busy series of live concerts throughout Wales and the UK, with almost all of its performances heard on the BBC. BBC NOW appears biennially at BBC Cardiff Singer of the World and annually at the BBC Proms. Autumn 2015 saw one of its most ambitious tours as the orchestra visited South America, including a community residency celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Welsh settlement in Patagonia.

The orchestra’s home is BBC Hoddinott Hall, a world-class concert hall and recording studio based in the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, where BBC NOW continues its work as the UK’s foremost soundtrack orchestra.