The famous international violin virtuos Pierre Cochand was born in Zurich. He received initial music instruction in violin and piano starting at age four and later also received instruction in viola. At age fourteen Pierre Cochand was awarded 1^st prize in the violin music competition for young soloists in Switzerland. After that he received training at the conservatories in Winterthur and Lucerne. He subsequently studied over the course of thirteen years at the University of Music and Interpretative Arts in Vienna in the soloist class for violin with Professor Wolfgang Schneiderhan the first concert master of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, he also solistic performances during the International Music weeks in Lucerne, as well in the Berliner Philharmony and of the Concert hall Vienna. After successful soloist and educational diploma examinations with awards, in Wintertuhr, Lucerne and Salzburg Pierre Cochand also attended master courses with legendary violinists such as Nathan Milstein, Arthur Grumiaux and Henryk Szering. In 1986, Pierre Cochand became the longstanding assistant to Wolfgang Schneiderhan at the conservatories in Vienna and Lucerne. Pierre Cochand has been the Artistic Director of the Ensemble Classiso Chamber Orchestra with which he and Lui Chan provide concerts around the world for 35 years. He teaches u.a also at the music school in Küsnacht ZH violin and viola In addition.Pierre Cochand regularly appears with international leading orchestras and conducters, Musici de Praga, Zurich chamber orchestra under direction of Edmond de Stoutz, great  Tonhalle hall of Zurich, Musici de Praga, Czech Philharmonic under direction of Jan Sramek at the  Rudolfinum-Dvorak Hall, Winterthur city orchestra, New York Festivalsolists, Hungarian Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, Les Orpheistes Chamber Orchestra of Vienna, Southwest German Chamber Orchestra Pforzheim, Russian Philharmonic Orchestra Moscow, Compagnia d'Opera Italiana, The Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra, "Youthproject" with Upper Austria youth-orchestra, Tirolese country-youth-orchestra, Hungarian youthorchestra Györ, Tokyo Chamber Orchestra, Symphonie orchestra of Hong Kong, and other) as well as television, radio and CD performances in the most important music metropolises (Peking Concert Hall, Cultural Centre Hong Kong, Dvorakhall Prag, Great hall Tonhalle Zurich, Auditorio de Zaragoza  and others) and the most renowned music festivals (Bregenz Festival and others). Pierre Cochand gave concerts with the following artists Heinz Holliger,Peter-Lukas Graf, Michael Martin Kofler, Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Paul Badura-Skoda,Walter Berry,Ursula Holliger, Alfons Kontarsky, Ingrid Haebler,  Bruno Canino, Alfons Kontarsky, Marlise Ganz,Boris Pergamenschikow,Konrad Ragossnig, Zuzana Ruzickova, Alfons Kontarsky, Arkady Shilkloper, Wen-Sinn Yang. In 1989, Pierre Cochand founded the high-calibre series Music in Cloister Einsiedeln and is the overall Executive Artistic Director. He teaches numerous master courses as guest lecturer. Pierre Cochand plays violins from Guadagnini and Antonius Stradivarius 1722 from the golden period.