The Boss Ensemble
is a duo embodied by Fanny Balestro on the cello and composer Julien Boss on the piano.

Between jazz and classic, the music of The Boss Ensemble is a fusion of the universes of two musicians. In his compositions, Julien Boss combines written scores with improvisation. The aptitudes of both artists compliment one another in perfect union.

Julien Boss is fascinated by film scores, in particular their association with the piano and chords. For several years he composes, including writing for the cello. The duo develops a personalised sound, fitting somewhere between the works of Steve Reich and Arvo Pärt. The writings insight contemplation, from dreams to trance, lifting the listener into their particular universe.

The music is polyrhythmic, organized in successive stratified layers. The simple musical material is subject to subtle evolutionary cycles. The melodies of the cello melt into the rhythmic magma of the piano.

The two instruments interlock in an elaborate harmonious construction. It is the union between the precision of the piano (digital); a reference to the background of computer science and electronics of Julien Boss; and the flexibility of the cello (organic) of Fanny Balestro.

Who are we? Julien Boss is a jazz and modern music pianist from Nyon in Switzerland, where he grew up. From the beginning of his musical formation, he quickly chose the road to blues, jazz and pop music. Carried by his passion for jazz harmony and improvisation, he enrolled in the jazz section of the HEMU (Haute Ecole de Musique) of lausanne in 2007. During his studies, he followed the composition course of Emil Spanyi and started writing music for his trio, the On Cue Trio. He then finished his Master in Music Pedagogy in 2012.

Since several years, Julien Boss has been a committed pianist in numerous modern musical projects, notably Aloan, Fanny Leeb, Mourah and Rootwords. These collaborations fueled his ambition to compose his own music. The creation of his personal body of work is part of his current artistic pursuit.

It is in this spirit that The Boss Ensemble came to be. In 2016, Julien Boss associates with the cellist Fanny Balestro; a musician of very diverse estetic horizons who integrates perfectly into the vision of his compositions.

Fanny Balestro commenced her studies in classical music in France. In 2010, she enrolled into the HEMU (Haute Ecole de Musique) of Lausanne, and obtained her Master in Interpretation by 2015. On this occasion, she received a distinction prize for her second recital called Violoncelle en mouvement. She regularly performs within orchestras such as l'Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, l'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, or even l'Orchestre de Chambre Fribourgeois. She expands on her personal projects and opens up to other musical genres of various formations such as l'ensemble Lusido, Les DamoiZèles, Elynn the Green and Pascal Rinaldi.