Press Enter to search
The Observer called him “the definition of virtuosity”: Japan’s Nobuyuki Tsujii, who has been blind since birth, has won admiration wherever he goes since winning the Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2009. He has performed with the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Filarmonica della Scala and the Sinfonieorchester Basel. His recitals regularly take him to the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the Wigmore and Royal Albert Halls, the Berlin Philharmonic and the Musikverein. His brilliant debuts in recent seasons augur well for future collaborations, such as the one with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, which will tour under the direction of Klaus Mäkelä in spring 2021.
Ekaterina Semenchuk is one of the most sought-after mezzo-sopranos, known for her exceptional range and unparalleled technique. Born in Minsk, she made her stage debut at the Mariinsky Theatre while still studying at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in St Petersburg, and her career has since seen her perform at all the major houses across the world.
Recognised as one of the world’s most pre-eminent Verdi mezzos, Ekaterina’s signature operatic roles include Azucena Il Trovatore, Eboli Don Carlo, Amneris Aida, and Lady Macbeth Macbeth. Beyond Verdi, she is known for her portrayals of Princess de Bouillon Adriana Lecouvreur, Didon Les Troyens, Santuzza Cavalleria Rusticana, Marina Boris Godunov, Laura La Gioconda, Lyubov Mazeppa, Marfa Khovanshchina, Dalila Samson et Dalila, Giovanna Seymour Anna Bolena, Preziosilla La forza del destino, and the title role in Carmen.
Recent seasons have seen Ekaterina perform at The Metropolitan Opera, Opéra de Paris, Teatro Real Madrid, Bolshoi Theatre, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Salzburg Festival, New National Theatre Tokyo, San Francisco Opera, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Teatro di San Carlo di Napoli, Bayerische Staatsoper, Arena di Verona, Baden-Baden Festival, Berliner Philharmonie, and Teatro alla Scala Madrid, among others. In addition to her international career, she retains a strong relationship with the Mariinsky Theatre and Maestro Gergiev.
This season, Ekaterina returns to the Wiener Staatsoper for Anna Bolena, to La Scala for Macbeth, Dresden Semperoper for Carmen, and to the Bayerische Staatsoper in Macbeth and Les Troyens. In recital with pianist Semion Skigin, Ekaterina debuts at Salle Gaveau, Paris, and returns to La Scala, Bozar, and Boulez Saal. Ekaterina makes her long-awaited return to the Wigmore Hall in December 2021.
Winner of the First Prize in the 2010 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels at the ge of 23, Denis Kozhukhin has established himself as one of the greatest pianists of his generation.
Kozhukhin’s performances have been praised by critics as “spellbinding”, “imperious” and “mesmerizing”. Technically flawless, Kozhukhin combines wisely the brilliance and power of his playing with a masterful sense of form, maturity, and a very unique approach.
Kozhukhin frequently appears with many of the leading international orchestras, such as Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Symphony, Staatskapelle Berlin, Israel Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, NDR Radiophilharmonie, Vienna Symphony, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic and Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. In 2018 he debuted at the BBC Proms, performing Shostakovich Piano Concerto No.2 with the Aurora Orchestra.
The 20/21 brings debuts with Los Angeles Philharmonic, Malmo Symphony, Antwerp Symphony, ADDA Orchestra, Bilbao Symphony, Szcezcin Philharmonic, returns to the Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic, BBC Scottish Symphony, Belgium National Symphony, Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Iceland Symphony, Gavle Symphony, Colorado Symphony and NCPA Orchestra. Denis will tour in Europe and USA with Janine Jansen and appear in recital at the Boulez Saal, Elbphilharmonie, Wiener Konzerthaus, Casa da Musica, Harpa, and will be guest artist at the Prague Spring Festival, Malta International Festival, Klavier Ruhr Festival, Armenia Festival and Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival.
His most recent recording featuring C. Franck’s Symphonic Variations with the Luxembourg Philharmonic under Gustavo Gimeno was released by Pentatone in June 2020, obtaining rave reviews. His last solo album, including Mendelssohn’s Songs without words and Grieg’s Lyric Pieces, was picked by Gramophone as “album of the month” as well as nominated to the 2020 Opus Klassik Awards in the categories of Solo recording and Instrumentalist of the year.
An avid chamber musician, Kozhukhin is frequently invited to the most renowned festivals and collaborates with such artists as Janine Jansen, Jörg Widmann, Julian Rachlin, Vadim Repin, Leonidas Kavakos, Michael Barenboim, Vilde Frang, Renaud and Gautier Capuçon, the Jerusalem Quartet, the Pavel Haas Quartet, Elena Bashkirova, Radovan Vlatkovic, Emmanuel Pahud, Alisa Weilerstein, Nicolas Alstaedt, Julian Steckel, and Pablo Ferrández, among others.
Born in Nizhni Novgorod, Russia, in 1986 into a family of musicians, Denis Kozhukhin began his piano studies at the age of five with his mother. As a boy, he attended the Balakirev School of Music where he studied under Natalia Fish. From 2000 to 2007, Kozhukhin studied at the Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid with Dimitri Bashkirov and Claudio Martinez-Mehner. Kozhukhin completed his studies at the Piano Academy at Lake Como where he received advice from Fou Ts’ong, Stanislav Yudenitch, Peter Frankl, Boris Berman, Charles Rosen and Andreas Staier, and with Kirill Gerstein in Stuttgart. In recent years he has been mentored by maestro Daniel Barenboim.
Ambrogio Maestri was born in Pavia where he studied singing and piano.
His sensational debut in 2001 coincided with the most important musical event of the Verdi Centennial, Falstaff, conducted by Riccardo Muti and directed by Giorgio Strehler, which saw him in the leading role at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan and the historic Teatro Verdi in Bussetto.
This interpretation earned him enthusiastic reviews from the international press and opened the doors of the most important opera houses in the world.The collaboration with Riccardo Muti lead him over the next three years to debut at the Teatro alla Scala in some of the most emblematic Verdi roles such as Iago in Otello, Renato in Un Ballo in maschera, Don Carlo di Vargas in La forza del destino and Giorgio Germont in Traviata, thereby strengthening the foundations of a constantly ascending career.
Guest of the most prestigious opera companies world-wide (Metropolitan Opera, Opera de Paris, Covent Garden, Staatsoper di Vienna, Deutsche Oper di Berlino, Maestri continues his Verdian journey performing as the Conte di Luna in Trovatore, Amonasro in Aida, Rolando in La battaglia di Legnano, and in the leading roles of Simon Boccanegra, Rigoletto and Nabucco.
Loved by the public and critics who continue to support him with the same enthusiasm as at the beginning of his career, Maestri is confirmed as one of the most acclaimed baritones on the international scene.In a rewarding career with an abundance of roles Maestri has obviously continued to bring Falstaff to the most important stages, with Sir John becoming his true alter ego through in depth research and interpretative recitation. In fact each new production represents a challenge that enables Maestri to study and experiment unedited actors’ and voice nuances. The continuing analysis and refining of the character, also carried out by confrontation with the greatest directors and conductors , brings a wealth of new results.
The ten-year collaboration with the Arena di Verona led him during the 2012 season to celebrate his one hundredth performance of another beloved opera: Aida. A significant milestone that results in a mature and complex interpretation of the character of Amonasro.
In these years of intense activity Maestri has been directed by the best conductors of the international scene including Zubin Mehta, Daniele Gatti, Daniel Oren, Fabio Luisi, Antonio Pappano, Jeffrey Tate, Nello Santi, Marcello Viotti, Marco Armiliato, Gianandrea Noseda, Renato Palumbo, Daniel Harding…and by directors such as Franco Zeffirelli, Robert Carsen, Graham Vick, Peter Stein, Bob Wilson, Larent Pelly, Mario Martone, Hugo De Ana, Bartlett Sher…
In 2006 Maestri encountered for the first time the character of Dulcamara. The Opera de Paris, planning a new production of Elisir d’amore, wished to assign, as in the past, the role of the congenial charlatan to a baritone. The success of the performance rewarded this decision recognizing in Maestri a vocal flexibility that permits him to range from serious to buffo repertoires.In the last four years Maestri has confronted Puccini and Verismo. He debuted in Tosca at Torre del Lago, Cavalleria rusticana at the Metropolitan in New York and Pagliacci at La Scala in Milan. The choice of playing such strong and passionate characters came, not surprisingly, after a decade of experience. This stage experience in fact allows him to enhance the vehemence of his own vocal weight without losing the la linea del canto.
In 2012 the director Ferzan Ozpetek, who had directed Ambrogio in Aida at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, offered him a role in his film Magnifica presenza. Playing the part of an opera singer in the forties, Ambrogio Maestri had a cinematographic experience alongside an exceptional cast, made up of some of today’s greatest Italian actors.
Verdi’s bicentennial in 2013 represents the consecration of Maestri as a reference Falstaff. He was Sir John at La Scala, at the Opèra National de Paris, at Zurich’s Opernhaus, at Salzburg’s Festival, in Munich, in Tokyo, and at the Met in New York where he celebrated his 200th performance of the role. In 2013 he also interpreted Nabucco at the Arena di Verona; Amonasro in Aida at La Scala, at the Arena di Verona, and in Tokyo; and Simon Boccanegra at Turin’s Teatro Regio.
In 2014 Ambrogio will be working on several productions such as Pagliacci in Vienna, Tosca in Barcelona, Nabucco in Munich, Othello at Turin’s Teatro Regio, Aida at Rome’s Opera. We will see his Falstaff in Amsterdam with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, in San Paolo in Brazil, and in Buenos Aires at the Teatro Colon.
He will also make his debut as Gerard in Andrea Chenièr at the Peralada Festival.
Grammy nominee and 2014 International Opera Awards Male Singer of the Year, Stuart Skelton is one of the finest heldentenors on the stage today, critically acclaimed for his outstanding musicianship, tonal beauty and intensely dramatic portrayals.
Stuart has appeared in many of the world’s most celebrated opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, Seattle Opera, San Francisco Opera, English National Opera, Paris Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Hamburg State Opera, Berlin State Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Dresden Semperoper and the Vienna State Opera. His roles include the title roles in Lohengrin, Rienzi, Parsifal, Dmitrij, Otello and Peter Grimes as well as Florestan in Fidelio, Laca in Jenufa, Erik in Der Fliegende Holländer, The Kaiser in Die Frau ohne Schatten, Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos, Max in Der Freischütz, Canio in Pagliacci, Gherman in The Queen of Spades, and Siegmund in Der Ring des Nibelungen.
He continues to be in demand on concert stages around the world, having appeared with such orchestras as the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Montreal Symphony, Hamburg, Frankfurt and Munich Radio Symphony Orchestras, London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Orchestras of Scotland and Wales and the Symphony Orchestras of Sydney, Melbourne, Western Australia and Tasmania. He has also appeared at the Edinburgh and Lucerne Festivals, and in the BBC Proms.
Throughout his career Stuart has been fortunate enough to work with many acclaimed conductors including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Daniel Barenboim, Jiři Bèlohlavek, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Christoph Eschenbach, Asher Fisch, Edward Gardner, Daniele Gatti, Phillipe Jordan, Fabio Luisi, Lorin Maazel, David Robertson, Sir Simon Rattle, Donald Runnicles, Simone Young and Jaap van Zweden.
It is the Grimes of the young Australian Stuart Skelton — surely the finest on a London stage since the celebrated Jon Vickers — who sets the seal on the evening. – Sunday Times
The tenor made his debut at Teatro alla Scala in the 2017-18 season in Fidelio conducted by Myung-Whun Chung in a production directed by Deborah Warner. Stuart Skelton’s robust concert calendar included performances of Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with Asher Fisch and the Milwaukee Symphony, Adam Fischer and the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, and with Sir Simon Rattle and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and the London Symphony Orchestra at Lincoln Centre; Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius with Sir Andrew Davis and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and with Sakari Oramo and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Mr Skelton also joined the Dallas Symphony in the farewell performances of Jaap van Zweden in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, appeared in recital at the Melbourne Recital Centre with pianist Richard Peirson, followed by concert performances and recording of Tristan und Isolde with Western Australian Symphony Orchestra under Asher Fisch.
Stuart’s 2018/19 season saw him make his Royal Opera House debut as Siegmund in Der Ring des Nibelungen conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano and return to the Metropolitan Opera as Otello under Gustavo Dudamel and again as Siegmund in Die Walküre und Phillipe Jordan.
Siegmund featured again in London with the London Philharmonic under Vladimir Jurowski and again with Bayerische Rundfunk Orchestra and Sir Simon Rattle.
Mr Skelton returned to Otello with the Berlin Philharmonic at the Baden Baden Festival under Maestro Zubin Mehta before making his Budapest Wagner Festival debut as Siegmund under Adam Fischer.
Stuart continued his close relationship with David Robertson and Sydney Symphony in concert performances of Peter Grimes and with Edward Gardner and the BBC Symphony, in a performance of Das Lied von der Erde at the BBC Proms.
Upcoming appearances include Act II of Tristan und Isolde with the Concertgebouw Orchestra under Daniel Harding, Die Walküre with the Netherland’s Radio Philharmonic under Jaap van Zweden, and collaborations with Karina Canellakis in Act 1 of Die Walküre with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic and Beethoven’s Mass in C with the Orchestra de la Radio France. 2019/20’s season also sees Stuart return to Teatro Real, Madrid for Robert Carsen’s Die Walküre, San Francisco Symphony for Act 1 of Die Walküre under Simone Young, Bergen Philharmonic for performances and recording of Peter Grimes under Edward Gardner and a return to the Vienna State Opera as Parsifal.
Mr Skelton recently released his first solo Album, Shining Knight, with works by Wagner, Griffes and Barber and Tristan und Isolde, both recorded with West Australian Symphony Orchestra under Asher Fisch.
Stuart Skelton is the finest Laca I have ever heard. – Financial Times
In 2016 Stuart made his role debut as Tristan in production of Tristan und Isolde with the Baden-Baden Festspiel with the Berlin Philharmonic under Sir Simon Rattle, followed on by a new production of the same opera at the English National Opera under Ed Gardner and then again in the MET’s season-opening production of Tristan und Isolde also conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. Skelton returned to his native Australia for Tristan und Isolde in concert with Nina Stemme and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra under Marko Letonja, a Wagner Arias concert with West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Asher Fisch, rounding out his Australian tour with concert performances of Parsifal Act II with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Simone Young.
2017 saw Stuart return to the Opera National de Paris in the title role of Lohengrin, the Bavarian State Opera as Laca in Jenufa and the Deutsch Oper Berlin as Siegmund, make his debt with the Cincinnati Symphony in Mahler´s Das Lied von der Erde and a return to the Bergen Philharmonic for concert performances of Peter Grimes and Otello. Stuart also made a return to Mahler´s Das Lied von der Erde with The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, under Esa-Pekka Salonen and Sir Andrew Davis and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, as well as concert performances of Die Walküre with the Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa. Making a welcome return to the BBC Proms, Stuart appeared as Florestan in Beethoven’s Fidelio with the BBC Philharmonic under Juanjo Mena. Renewing his frequent collaborations with Edward Gardner, Stuart once again appeared as Peter Grimes with the Bergen Filharmonic at The Edinburgh International Festival. Stuart rounded out his year with performances of Siegmund with the Salzburg Easter Festival production of Die Walküre with the Hong Kong Philharmonic under Jaap van Zweden, in Beijing and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with St Louis Symphony Orchestra and long time collaborator David Robertson.
Stuart has twice been honoured with the Sir Robert Helpmann Award, once for his performance of Siegmund in the State Opera of South Australia’s 2004 production of the The Ring Cycle, and again in 2010 for Best Male Performer in a Lead Role for his portrayal of Peter Grimes for Opera Australia. He received a 2010 Green Room Award for A Streetcar Named Desire and is a two-time Olivier Award nominee for Outstanding Achievement in Opera for his performances as Peter Grimes and Tristan with the English National Opera.
Roman Borisov, the youngest participant, won First Prize at the Kissinger KlavierOlymp in October 2022. The jury praised his “highly musical, intuitive and structure-conscious interpretations” of works by Liebermann, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Brahms, and Prokofiev, along with his impressive stage presence. His early musical education began when a nursery schoolteacher introduced him to legendary piano teacher Mary Lebenzon at the Novosibirsk Conservatory at age four, a mentorship that lasted until 2020. Borisov drew early attention, winning a Spivakov Foundation scholarship and the Krainev Youth Competition in 2019.
Following numerous performances in the 2019/2020 season, including in Hamburg, Berlin, and the Piano Festival Ruhr, Borisov moved to Berlin after finishing secondary school. In January 2022, he began studying at the Hanns Eisler Conservatory under Prof. Eldar Nebolsin. His previous engagements include performances with orchestras such as the Orchestre de l’Opéra national de Lorraine, the Württemberg Philharmonic Orchestra, and the ORF Symphony Orchestra. Borisov has performed solo at venues like the Philharmonie Essen, Bordeaux, Zürich, and Bad Kissingen.
Following numerous performances in the 2019/2020 season, including in Hamburg, Berlin, and the Piano Festival Ruhr, Borisov moved to Berlin after finishing secondary school. In January 2022, he began studying at the Hanns Eisler Conservatory under Prof. Eldar Nebolsin. His previous engagements include performances with orchestras such as the Orchestre de l’Opéra national de Lorraine, the Württemberg Philharmonic Orchestra, and the ORF Symphony Orchestra. Borisov has performed solo at venues like the Philharmonie Essen, Bordeaux, Zürich, and Bad Kissingen.
His performance of Rachmaninoff at the Piano Festival Ruhr in 2021 was featured in its annual CD release. In September 2022, Borisov recorded Mozart Piano Concertos K. 413 and K. 415 with the ORF Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Howard Griffith, for a full Mozart concerto recording series to be released in June 2023 by Alpha.
The 2023/24 season includes Borisov’s debuts at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam with the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen and at the Konzerthaus Wien, as well as concerts with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester under Kent Nagano and other esteemed orchestras. He will also perform solo recitals at the Ruhr Piano Festival, the Bremen Music Festival, and the Brucknerhaus Linz. His repertoire includes works by Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Brahms, Chopin, and Beethoven.
Born in Tokyo and spent her early childhood in Siena, Italy, Sayaka has started studying the violinat age of 5. From 1995 until 2000, she studied at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana under Uto Ughi and Riccardo Brengola. At the age of 13, she went to Germany for a year to study with Saschko Gawriloff. In 1998, she moved to Germany to study at Hochschule für Musik Köln under Zakhar Bron and graduated in 2004.
In 1997, she made her debut at Lucerne Festival and Musikverein in Vienna with Rudolf Baumgartner. Two years later, she took the First Prize at the 1999 Paganini Competition. Zubin Mehta has been her strong supporter. When Shoji auditioned for him in 2000, he immediately changed his schedule in order to make her first recording with the Israel Philharmonic possible in the following month, then invited her to perform with Bavarian State Opera and Los Angeles Philharmonic. Since then many prominent orchestras have invited Shoji, including Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Baltimore Symphony, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and WDR Symphony Orchestra.
Sayaka appears regularly as a recitalist and chamber musician at festivals such as Verbier, Annecy, Ravenna, Prague Spring, Settimane Musicale di Chigiana, Beethovenfest Bonn and Rencontres Musicales d’Evian. She recently gave a recital debut at London’s Wigmore Hall which included a new commission solo violin work by Toshio Hosokawa. In 2014, She also toured with Menahem Pressler and their collaboration was documented in a live recording. Sayaka and pianist Gianluca Cascioli have completed recording of all Beethoven’s Sonatas for Piano and Violin in 2015.
Sayaka plays the 1729 Recamier Stradivarius – kindly loaned to her by Ueno Fine Chemicals Industry Ltd.
Multiple prize-winning French pianist, David Kadouch has become a regular guest artist with some of the most important international orchestras, recital series and festivals. A laureate of the Beethoven Bonn Competition in 2005 and Leeds International Piano Competition in 2009, he also took the 2009 Verbier Festival Prix d’Honneur. In 2010 David was called “Young Talent Revelation” by Les Victoires de la Musique, and in 2011 he was named “Young Artist of the Year” by the International Classical Music Award committee.
David Kadouch’s 2017-18 season includes performances with the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, the Aspen Music Festival, and gives a solo recital at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. Kadouch also makes orchestral appearances in Hong Kong and at the Lucerne Festival Academy. His recent performances include Schumann’s Piano Concerto in Mulhouse (France), Bach’s Concerto for Three Pianos in D Minor at the Salle Pleyel in Paris, Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in D Minor with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, and recitals in Istanbul, Aix en Provence, and Liege.
Other recent appearances for David Kadouch included concertos with Orchestre Lyon, under Leonard Slatkin; the Tonhalle Orchestra (Zürich), led by David Zinman; the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Orchestre National de Lille, Gulbenkian Foundation Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic; at the Verbier Festival, with Charles Dutoit, and the Contemporary Music Festival of Lucerne, led by Pierre Boulez. His appearances with Daniel Barenboim included performances in Jerusalem and Ramallah.
Mr. Kadouch made his New York recital debut in 2010 with a performance at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He has also appeared in recital at the Louvre in Paris, the Verbier Festival, Klavier-Festival Ruhr (Germany), Gstaad Festival, Montreux Festival, Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, and Jerusalem Festival. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with such ensembles and artists as the Quiroga Quartet, Ebène Quartet, Ardeo Quartet, Radovan Vlatkovic, Frans Helmerson, Nikolaj Znaider, Antoine Tamestit and Renaud Capuçon. He has also performed Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E-flat Major with Itzhak Perlman at Carnegie Hall.
David Kadouch’s recordings include a live release of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 (“Emperor”) with the Cologne Philharmonic on the Naxos label; a recording of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Medtner’s Sonata and Taneiev’s Prelude on the Mirare label, a recording of Schumann’s Piano Sonata and Piano Quintet with Ardeo Quartet on Decca, and a recording of Shostakovich’s complete preludes on the TransArt Live label. He also appears with Daniel Barenboim in the Maestro’s DVD series, “Barenboim on Beethoven”, which features artists in performance and master classes.
Born in Nice, David Kadouch began his studies at the Nice Conservatoire with Odile Poisson. At the age of 14 he entered the Paris Conservatoire where he participated in the classes of Jacques Rouvier. After receiving First Prize with Honors from the Paris Conservatoire he moved to the Reina Sofia School in Madrid in 2003 where he studied solo piano with Dmitri Bashkirov and Chamber Music with Marta Gulyas and Ralph Gothoni.
In a career spanning 25 years, Alexandre Tharaud has become a unique figure in the classical music world and a key exponent of French pianism. His extraordinary discography of over 25 solo albums, most of which received major awards from the music press, features repertoire ranging from Couperin, Bach and Scarlatti, through Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Brahms, and Rachmaninov to the major 20th century French composers. The breadth of his artistic endeavours is also reflected in collaborations with theatre makers, dancers, choreographers, writers and film makers, as well as with singer-songwriters and musicians outside the realm of classical music.
Alexandre is a sought-after soloist, appearing with many of the world’s leading orchestras: upcoming highlights include concerto performances with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre National de France, Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra and the Cincinnati Symphony. Recent concerto engagements include the Royal Concertgebouworkest, Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras, London Philharmonic, and hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt.
As a recitalist, Alexandre Tharaud is a regular guest at the world’s most prestigious venues. This and next season’s highlights include recitals at the Philharmonie de Paris, Wigmore Hall, Muziekgebouw Amsterdam, Frankfurt Alte Oper, Teatro Colon Buenos Aires, Sala Sao Paulo and extensive touring in Japan, China and Korea.
Alexandre is an exclusive recording artist of Erato Records. In November 2019, he will release his latest album, Versailles, which pays tribute to composers associated with the courts of the French kings Louis XIV, XV and XVI. Prior to this, in October 2018, he released an album featuring Beethoven’s three final sonatas. His discography reflects an eclectic affinity to many musical styles, with recent recordings including a tribute to singer-songwriter Barbara, a Brahms duo album with Jean-Guihen Queyras (a regular chamber music partner for 20 years), and Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Over the course of his career he has made critically acclaimed recordings of Rameau, Scarlatti, Bach’s Goldberg Variations and Italian Concerto, Chopin’s 24 Preludes, and Ravel’s complete piano works.
In 2017, Alexandre published Montrez-moi vos mains, an introspective and engaging account of daily life as a pianist. He had previously co-authored Piano Intime, with journalist Nicolas Southon. He is the subject of a film directed by Swiss film maker Raphaëlle Aellig-Régnier: Alexandre Tharaud, Le Temps Dérobé, and appeared in the role of the pianist “Alexandre” in Michael Hanneke’s celebrated 2012 film Amour.