After six years at the renowned Gnessin Institute in Moscow, pianist Frédéric D’Oria-Nicolas graduated with distinction. Winner of several grants from the Fondation Bleustein-Blanchet pour la Vocation, the Fondation Charles Oulmont and of the Mécénat Musical Société Générale bank, he was awarded first prize at the Mravinsky International Competition in Saint Petersburg. ADAMI named him ‘Classical Revelation’ in 2005 and Resmusica ,‘Artist of the Year’ in 2009. Always keenly interested in sound techniques and driven by a desire for new challenges, he founded the Fondamenta label in 2008.

Michel Navarra is the son of André Navarra, the great cellist. A graduate of the Paris Institute of Political Science, he also holds a degree in English. He spent much of his career as a consultant for KPMG Peat Marwick, where he was a partner and director. He joined Fondamenta as consultant in strategy in 2015.

Nicolas Thelliez, pianist and drummer, graduated brilliantly with a degree in sound engineering from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. Since then, he has devoted his career to this specialization. Always acutely sensitive to artists’ needs, the exceptional sound recordings of the Fondamenta label all bear his signature.

A journalist by training, Damien Besançon has been working as a press officer, record label manager and manager for some ten years now. Recently he founded his own press relations and management agency, I See Colors. He has been responsible for Fondamenta’s press relations since spring 2015.

Formally trained as a pianist at the University of Musicology in Aix en Provence, he has worked for 30 years in the music industry, specifically for the following labels: Fondation Herbert Von Karajan, Harmonia Mundi, Sony Music. Working independently since 2016, he provides support services to independent labels and also to those searching for classical music accompaniment to their marketing strategies.

Born in a musician family, Violette Renié began studiyng music at an early age, with the cello and choir singing. Soon, she decides she wants to be a singer, and after receiving a degree in musicology from La Sorbonne in Paris, she enters the Geneva HEM, where she studies with Stuart Patterson. In 2017, she graduated with distinction, and her recital, Visions de Manon, received the Mise en Voix Prize, and will be played again in 2018. She is responsible for Fondamenta's album production since the spring of 2018.