Taras Berchtold, born on April 29, 2001, in Suhr, Switzerland, has Ukrainian and Swiss roots. His musical journey began at the age of 5 when he received a panflute for his birthday—a unique gift that sparked his passion for music. After a long search for a suitable teacher, Taras began studying under Bruno Gloor in Schönenwerd. From 2009 to 2015, he also took lessons from Peder Rizzi at the Zurich Conservatory.
In 2015, Taras has started to study the classical style of panflute playing with Stefan Negura from Chisinau, Moldova, through Skype lessons. Romanian folklore has always been a significant inspiration for him. He met Radu Nechifor from Sibiu, Romania, in 2009, who became another key mentor, and began taking lessons with him via Skype in 2011. Taras performed at the Arosa Panflute Festival annually until 2014 and at OpenAir concerts in Sibiu in 2013 and 2015, captivating audiences of up to 15,000 people. His performances have taken him across Europe, including appearances at the Potsdam Music Festival (Germany) in 2014, the Božská flétna festival (Czech Republic) in 2017, and numerous public and private events in Switzerland, France, and the Netherlands.
Throughout his career, Taras has received numerous awards. In 2012, he was honored with the internationally acclaimed panflute award “L’esprit de Fanica Luca” and won the Panpipe Festival competitions in Switzerland in both 2012 and 2015. In 2016, he received a scholarship from the World PanFlute Association Inc. for the “Masterclass by Zamfir’s Students” in Sibiu. Later that year, Taras became the first panflute player to win first prize with distinction at the Aargau Music Competition in Switzerland, a feat he repeated in 2018 with the maximum possible points. He also won first place at the Laupersdorfer Music Competition in 2017 and 2018, demonstrating his consistency and exceptional talent.
Alongside the panflute, Taras began learning the piano in 2013, studying first with Teemu Holma in Gränichen, then with Verena Tschopp at the gymnasium, and with Jean-Maurice Weder in 2017. After completing gymnasium in 2020, he continued his piano studies with J. M. Weder and Prof. Schabenberger while fulfilling his military service duties and preparing for the entrance exam to a music conservatory. In 2021, he pursued pre-bachelor studies in piano at the Zurich University of the Arts under Dmitry Demyashkin, further honing his skills.
In 2022, Taras was accepted into the prestigious Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where he continues to expand his musical horizon of the internationally renowned panflutist Matthijs Koene. Today, he captivates audiences with his panflute and piano performances at various concerts in the Netherlands and Switzerland, showcasing his versatility and deep passion for music. In addition to performing, he teaches students from around the world in private lessons and gives masterclasses, sharing his expertise and love for music with others.