Born in Lausanne, Patrick Genet started playing the violin at the age of five and obtained his virtuosity in Thomas Füri’s class. He then perfected his skills with R. Shevelov and A. Grumiaux.
In 1976 he won first prize in the Jeunesses Musicales Suisses competition. He also won the soloist prize of the Swiss Musicians Association. During his rich career as a soloist, Patrick Genet has played under conductors such as Armin Jordan, Emmanuel Krivine, Uri Segal and Thierry Fischer. He was concertmaster of the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra from 1987 to 1990.
Chamber music is the core of Patrick Genet’s activity. With the Musiviva trio, of which he is a founding member, he won first prize in the Colmar competition. He also participated in the foundation of the Sine Nomine Quartet with which he performs regularly. The group was awarded first prize at the Evian Competition in 1985 and won the press prize at the Borciani Competition in 1987. Numerous recordings document the work of the quartet.
From 1980 until 1995, Patrick Genet taught at the conservatory of Fribourg. Professor of chamber music at the Haute École de Musique de Lausanne, he has been teaching violin at the Haute École de Musique de Genève since 1995.