Ernest Ansermet

Ernest Ansermet was born in Vevey, Switzerland, on November 11, 1883. His father was a mathematician and schoolteacher, and his mother taught him music. He studied mathematics at Lausanne University, graduating in 1903. He became a schoolteacher, and then a professor of mathematics in Lausanne (1905-1906). During this time he also studied music with Ernest Bloch, his composition teacher. Deciding to become a musician, he watched conductors closely. He studied conducting with Mottl in Munich and Nikisch in Berlin, and made his concert conducting debuts in Lausanne and Montreux ...