Founded in 2024 in Basel, the Dora Piano Trio is composed of violinist Sofia De Falco, cellist Axelle Richez and pianist Rocco Michela, who met during their studies at the Musik Akademie Basel.

In just two years, the trio has received significant recognition, including First Prize at the ORPHEUS Chamber Music Competition in November 2024 and Second Prize at the Gianni Bergamo Classic Music Award in Lugano in September 2026.

In 2026, the ensemble was selected as a Young Artist of the Davos Festival, where it performed at the opening concert and it was invited as Ensemble in Residence at the Festival Musikdorf Ernen.

The trio regularly performs at prominent Swiss chamber music festivals and concert series, including the Swiss Chamber Music Festival in Adelboden, the Zunftkonzerte in Zurich, the Piano Trio Fest in Bern, Puplinge Classique, Musikdorf Ernen and Musique et Vie in Geneva.

Throughout their training, the trio has studied with renowned musicians and teachers including Anton Kernjak, Raphaël Oleg and Claudio Martínez Mehner at the Musik Akademie Basel, as well as with Cobus Swanepoel at the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste.

They have also participated in masterclasses with Alasdair Beatson, Alexander Lonquich, Vera Martínez Mehner, Jonathan Brown and Benjamin Engeli.

In November 2025, the Dora Piano Trio joined the Italian network Le Dimore del Quartetto and was selected to become part of the MERITA Platform as part of the MERITAcubed project, further expanding its professional network and presence on the European chamber music scene.

The Dora Piano Trio is currently studying Master in Chamber Music at the Musik Akademie Basel, in the classes of Anton Kernjak, Anna Gebert and Rafael Rosenfeld.

Sofia De Falco

VIOLIN
Born in Rome in 1999, Sofia began studying violin under the guidance of Maestro Marco Fornaciari and graduated with honors from the Conservatorio "Girolamo Frescobaldi" in Ferrara at just 16 years old. In 2018 she moved to Switzerland to pursue her studies where she completed both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees with Raphaël Oleg, and then continued with postgraduate studies with Rainer Schmidt and Anton Kernjak.
Passionate about chamber music and chamber orchestra, Sofia won in 2021 the academy position at Kammerorchester Basel, which enabled her to perform throughout Europe in some of the most renowned concert halls and further develop her skills as a chamber musician. She has been a member of arte frizzante since 2022, a collective ensemble based in Bern, where she will take over the position of principal second violin from the 2025 season.
Her musical interests span across various styles, including Baroque, Classical, Jazz and improvisation. This diversity led her in 2022 to become also the violinist of the jazz chamber music group Flo and the Murmurs.
In March 2025, she won the scholarship from Rahn Kulturfonds.
She is currently studying at the Musik Akademie Basel with Rainer Schmidt, Anna Gebert and Anton Kernjak.
Axelle Richez

CELLO
Born in Geneva in 2000, Axelle began her cello studies with Martin Müller-Weiffenbach and later with Martin Reetz at the Conservatories of Geneva and Lausanne. She studied with Rafael Rosenfeld, Thomas Grossenbacher, Thomas Demenga and Anton Kernjak at the Hochschule für Musik in Basel and the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste.
A member of the Verbier Festival Orchestra and Junior Orchestra for several years, Axelle is also a scholarship recipient from the Fondation Marescotti. In 2023, she won a special prize at the Kiwanis competition in Zurich and second prize at the Concours d'Interprétation Musicale de Lausanne. In 2024, she was honored with the Guy Fallot Prize by the Swiss Cello Association.
Also interested in early music, Axelle participates in masterclasses with Christoph Dangel, Maurice Steger and Leila Schayegh at the Baroque Gstaad Academy and the Balthasar Neumann Academy alongside her lessons with Martin Zeller at the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste.
During the 2024/25 season, she was an intern with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich and is a member of the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra since August 2025.
Rocco Michela

PIANO
Born in Sierre in 1998, Rocco began his piano studies with Barbara Borse at the Conservatoire Cantonal de Sion, in Valais. In 2015, he won the Grand Prix Bach at the Conservatoire Cantonal and continued his studies at the Conservatoire de Lausanne with Magali Bourquin.
He has been awarded several first prizes in national competitions as a soloist as well as in piano duo with his twin sister, pianist Roberta Michela, and in duo with cellist Axelle Richez.
Rocco is a recipient of various scholarships from esteemed Swiss foundations, such as the Fondation Dénéréaz in 2018 and the Friedl Wald Foundation in 2021.
He has worked with distinguished pianists such as Edith Fischer, Pascal Godart, Marc Pantillon, Louis Schwizgebel, Juliana Yablonskaya, Benedek Horváth, Aleksandar Madžar and Elisabeth Leonskaja.
After having completed his Bachelor's degree with honours, he is currently continuing his studies with Claudio Martínez Mehner, Tobias Schabenberger and Anton Kernjak, and is regularly performing as a soloist and in various chamber music ensembles.