Biography

The story of Gilles has been told by countless chroniclers, bards and journalists of all sorts. His musical talents have made him known in the world of music and in his native Swiss canton of Valais. Discovering his story is like entering a magical world full of adventures, challenges, quests and even a beautiful princess. It is hard to find an exhaustive treatment of the subject, so here, dear readers, are a few episodes in the life of Gilles Rocha.

Here is what this chronicle relates:

Once upon a time, in Lusitania...

It all started when Tino Rocha, a dashing and ambitious young man, left his native Portugal for the Swiss canton of Valais, a land of myths and legends and a region with a harsh climate. A beautiful but dry country, the Rhone valley needed strong arms to gather in the fruit of its vines and transform it into the divine nectar of Bacchus. Exchanging his diet of salt cod for Swiss air-dried beef and his port for Swiss white wine, Tino arrived in the mountains of Sion in 1976. There he soon met Fatima, a young lady from his homeland, Portugal. She soon succumbed to her compatriot's charms and his fine features already marked by the mountain air. They had two children: Cyndia in 1981 and Gilles in 1988. The adventure could start.....

Our ancestors from the Valais

Gilles' first years passed without any major obstacles. He grew up in the charming village of Vétroz, surrounded by orchards and vineyards. His family did not by any means deny their Portuguese origins, but they were very well integrated into village life, so that both children were almost automatically enrolled at the Concordia music school. Thus was Gilles introduced to the magic world of music and met many people who would prove to be very important in his life, including his dulcinea, Stéphanie. Steeped in this great tradition of the canton of Valais, he studied music theory and eventually chose the instrument which would be the key to his musical career. When he first played the baritone, he did not realise that he had just freed Excalibur from the stone.

From a secret society to the Round Table

In 1997 Gilles was admitted to the Concordia wind band, despite being apparently more interested in football at the time. On entering the Concordia, he also became a member of a delightful secret society, the Caprice Fraternity. This blessed time saw the birth of many lasting friendships, the members still meeting regularly outside of musical activities.

During this period Gilles won his first titles and gradually started to make a name for himself. In 2004 he joined the select circle of the Brass Band 13 Etoiles, where he started as second baritone, rapidly progressing to first baritone, the position which he still holds. With the “13” he had many adventures, and many epic days of playing were crowned with prizes.

The band had been Swiss Champion several times before entering the Pantheon of Avalon by winning the world championships in 2005. Gilles contributed to this triumph, but it came about largely because of the idealism common to all the musicians. Like the Knights of the Round Table, they share the same aims, hoping one day to reach the longed-for holy relic.

The quest of the Holy Grail

But the epics Gilles participated in did not only consist of large-scale battles. He had to hone his skills in many individual knightly jousts. With the help of his teacher Bertrand Moren, he worked hard at his instrument to master perfectly all its tricks and subtleties. His first victory was in 2002, when he became youth champion of the canton of Valais on the euphonium/baritone. Since then further titles have followed with a regular domination of the field which reminds one of that other famous Swiss knight Roger Federer. He has won many major competitions, including becoming three times champion of the Valais in all categories, in 2004, 2005 and 2007. This triple victory made him the first musician to be able to meet the continuing challenge of these contests, an exploit which only an exceptional talent could achieve. During this initiatory quest, he played all the rôles required of him on the path to glory; sprinter of technique, slayer of high notes, charming bard, tragic melodist…..before finally becoming a master of the baritone.

Obviously our hero could not content himself with finding the Holy Grail only at a local level, he needed the challenge of national competitions. Conscious of the amplitude of the task, his sister Cyndia offered him a magnificent present – a composition written specially for him. She commissioned a piece from Bertrand Moren, sometimes nicknamed Arthur like the legendary hero, and Gilles had the honour of giving the first performance of his Eastern Dances at the Swiss national soloists’ championships in Willer in 2006.

And what happened? Well, he won all the available prizes; junior and adult Swiss champion on the euphonium/baritone and also in all categories. Gilles had reached Nirvana. But a true champion never rests on his laurels, so he decided to try again the following year. It wasn’t going to be easy to defend his title, and he decided to try his hand at composing. Uniquely in the history of the championships, he participated in the competition playing his own piece, his very first composition. He decided to use a pseudonym – Thomas S. Kerr, supposedly a young Canadian composer. In order to keep the secret, he had to create a complex web of false information, including a fake website. In the end it was all worth it, as Gilles kept all four titles at the 2007 championships in Orsières, playing Uther Pendragon.

Such a talent could not remain cloistered in Switzerland. Preparing himself for a long train journey through German-speaking Switzerland and Austria, he worked hard for his first international competition, the Intermusica in Birkfield in Austria in 2006. He came second, and returned a year later with same result.

These victories were only one aspect of his activities. In 2007, he was invited to the Pfister competition. This is open to previous Swiss champions in various categories, and takes place over a period of several days. The winner is offered a concert with a well-known orchestra. If you have followed the chronicle attentively up till now, you will guess that the winner’s name that year was Gilles Rocha.

In this manner Gilles’ exploits were duly rewarded, and in May 2007 he performed Cosma’s Euphonium Concerto in the magnificent White Hall of the Lucerne Congress and Culture Centre, accompanied by the town’s professional orchestra. The audience was delighted with his magnificent interpretation.

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained” – this proverb aptly describes Gilles’ attitude to these many competitions, where he often competed against other excellent musicians, including his comrades from the Round Table. However there were no hard feelings, and the jousts finished amicably with a few well-earned glasses of wine, in the manner of Asterix and his indomitable companions.

Highway robbers

All heroes have their lesser moments. In 2005, Gilles wanted to try his hand at musical terrorism, and founded the Dalton Quartet with his friends Stéphane Rudaz, Guillaume Stalder and Cédric Cotter. This excursion into organised crime with a very disorganised ensemble allowed him to win yet more competitions, but even as criminals, they did not steal their victories. Moreover with this ensemble, Gilles had the privilege of being responsible for one of the worst performances ever heard at any competition, in 2006. They also served as a testing-ground for Gilles first attempts at musical arrangement.

Merlin’s pen

Arranging – this leads to the next subject, Gilles’ new passion for composing. Uther Pendragon was his first attempt at swapping the baritone for the pen. This was a new and very different challenge. The quest for subtle harmonies, enchanting melodies and fascinating rhythms led him to fill page after page of manuscript paper. The results were soon performed and the magic of these notes on the page charmed many listeners. He wrote Two Faces for his friend Claude Romailler, a piece for flugel horn and piano which allowed Claude to win the national championship for the third time. His Concerto for Brass Quartet helped the Dalton ensemble win a championship in Langenthal in 2008. Other pieces followed, such as the very moving A Song for my Love, written for his beloved Stéphanie. In 2009, Gilles will fulfil a commission for the Concordia band in Vétroz, a suite for brass band.

Towards posterity

The chronicle continues and the time has come to speak of recent events in the life of Gilles Rocha. His compositions are much appreciated, and several have been published by Marc Reift Editions. In 2008 his first CD, Uther Pendragon appeared, offering a cocktail of difficult solo pieces and more traditional numbers. In 2008 he established his own website, a wizard’s book of spells intended to inform a wider public of his activites. At present he is perfecting his playing under the tuition of Thomas Ruedi and is studying conducting with Géo-Pierre Moren.

Back to the future

Thus ends the first part of Gilles’ career. As the sequel has not yet happened, we must put our quill back in the ink-pot and enjoy the privilege of observing future events.

In this year 2008, Cédric Othar, royal chronicler of the Caprice Fraternity.