Bios & promo — benchmark artistes

Bertrand Chamayou is one of today's most strikingly brilliant pianists, recognised for his revelatory performances at once powerfully virtuosic, imaginative and breathtakingly beautiful. A leading interpreter of French music, his vast repertoire includes major bodies of work such as the complete piano works of Ravel, Liszt's Etudes and Années de pèlerinage, and Messiaen's Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus. At the same time the French pianist possesses a deep passion for new music, having worked with composers including Pierre Boulez, Henri Dutilleux, György Kurtág, Thomas Adès, Bryce Dessner and Michael Jarrell. Chamayou performs at the highest level, appearing regularly at the world's most prestigious concert halls and festivals, from Philharmonie de Paris, Wigmore Hall, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Elbphilharmonie, Berlin Philharmonie and Concertgebouw Amsterdam, to Lucerne Festival, Salzburg Festival, New York's Mostly Mozart and Suntory Hall Tokyo. He has performed with the world's finest orchestras, including New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Leipzig's Gewandhausorchester, Orchestre de Paris, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Staatskapelle Berlin, Wiener Symphoniker, Tonhalle Orchestre Zurich, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, NHK Symphony Orchestra, and has shared the stage with Pierre Boulez, Semyon Bychkov, Philippe Herreweghe, François-Xavier Roth, Herbert Blomstedt, Sir Antonio Pappano and Elim Chan. This season sees Chamayou appear as 'Artist Portrait' with London Symphony Orchestra, involving two major London concerts, four LSO St. Luke's recitals plus a European tour. He will also release his anticipated next album on Warner Classics, Satie-Cage, an homage to Eric Satie through the eyes of John Cage. He performs regularly with fellow musicians including cellist Sol Gabetta and is creating a Messiaen project with soprano-conductor Barbara Hannigan. In June 2022 saw Chamayou released his recording of Messiaen's masterpiece, Vingt Regards sur l'enfant-Jésus (Erato), which he performed as a complete cycle including at Paris' Théâtre des Champs-Elysées and la Roque d'Anthéron. The album was met with widespread critical acclaim, and was awarded a 2022 CHOC de l'année. Chamayou's multi award-winning discography also includes Ravel's complete works for piano, which won the 2016 ECHO Klassik Award, and Liszt's Années de pèlerinage, which won Album of the Year at the Victoires de la Musique Classique. In 2019 Bertrand Chamayou won the Gramophone Award for Recording of the Year for his album of Saint-Saëns on Erato, for whom he is an exclusive recording artist. He is the only artist to have received a prestigious Victoires de la Musique Classique award on five separate occasions, most recently in 2022. Since 2021, Chamayou has been co-Artistic Director of Festival Ravel, the major new international festival celebrating Maurice Ravel, situated in France's Basque country.

Bertrand Chamayou is one of today's most strikingly brilliant pianists, recognised for his revelatory performances at once powerfully virtuosic, imaginative and breathtakingly beautiful. A leading interpreter of French music, his vast repertoire includes major bodies of work such as the complete piano works of Ravel, Liszt's Etudes and Années de pèlerinage, and Messiaen's Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus. At the same time the French pianist possesses a deep passion for new music, having worked with composers including Pierre Boulez, Henri Dutilleux, György Kurtág, Thomas Adès, Bryce Dessner and Michael Jarrell. Chamayou performs at the highest level, appearing regularly at the world's most prestigious concert halls and festivals, from Philharmonie de Paris, Wigmore Hall, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Elbphilharmonie, Berlin Philharmonie and Concertgebouw Amsterdam, to Lucerne Festival, Salzburg Festival, New York's Mostly Mozart and Suntory Hall Tokyo. He has performed with the world's finest orchestras, including New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Leipzig's Gewandhausorchester, Orchestre de Paris, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Staatskapelle Berlin, Wiener Symphoniker, Tonhalle Orchestre Zurich, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, NHK Symphony Orchestra, and has shared the stage with Pierre Boulez, Semyon Bychkov, Philippe Herreweghe, François-Xavier Roth, Herbert Blomstedt, Sir Antonio Pappano and Elim Chan. This season sees him appear with the London Symphony Orchestra in Gstaad and La-Côte-Saint-André, play a chamber music evening at Wigmore Hall, perform with Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Basel Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Basel Symphony Orchestra, Les Siècles Orchestra, Gürzenich Orchester Köln, Belgian National Orchestra and Detroit Symphony Orchestra. A tour with Barbara Hannigan will take the two musicians to Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, La Jolla, Rochester, Philadelphia, New York, Ottawa, Washington and Paris with duo recitals. Duo recitals with Sol Gabetta will take place at the Vienna Konzerthaus, Gewandhaus Leipzig, De Doelen Rotterdam, Trieste and Bologna. This season, Bertrand Chamayou gives solo recitals in Clermont-Ferrand, Metz, Bordeaux, Poitiers, Perth, Paris, Dijon, Lyon, Aix-en-Provence, Toulouse, Lille and Oeiras. Bertrand Chamayou has published a large number of highly successful recordings, including a Naïve CD of music by César Franck, which was awarded several accolades. For his recording of Camille Saint-Saëns' Piano Concertos Nos.2 and 5, he was awarded the Gramophone Recording of the Year Award 2019. The only artist to win France's prestigious Victoires de la Musique on five occasions, he has an exclusive recording contract with Warner/Erato and was awarded the 2016 ECHO Klassik for his recording of Ravel's complete works for solo piano. Bertrand Chamayou was born in Toulouse; his musical talent was quickly noted by pianist Jean-François Heisser, who later became his professor at the Paris Conservatoire. He completed his training with Maria Curcio in London. Since 2021, Chamayou has been Co-Artistic Director of Festival Ravel, the major new international festival celebrating Maurice Ravel, situated in France's Basque country.

Bertrand Chamayou is one of today's most strikingly brilliant pianists, recognised for his revelatory performances that are at once powerfully virtuosic, imaginative and breathtakingly beautiful. A leading interpreter of French music, his vast repertoire includes major bodies of work such as the complete piano works of Ravel, Liszt's Etudes and Années de pèlerinage, and Messiaen's Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus. Simultaneously, the French pianist possesses a deep passion for new music, having worked with composers including Pierre Boulez, Henri Dutilleux, György Kurtág, Thomas Adès, Bryce Dessner and Michael Jarrell. After performing the complete solo piano works of Ravel at major summer festivals (Festival Radio France in Montpellier, La Roque d'Anthéron, Festival de Musique de Menton), Chamayou opens the 2025/26 season by appearing at the Lucerne Festival with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and Karina Canellakis in Unsuk Chin's Piano Concerto, before opening the 2025 edition of his own Festival Ravel in Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Born in Toulouse, Chamayou's musical talent was quickly recognised by pianist Jean-François Heisser, who later became his professor at the Paris Conservatoire. He completed his training with Maria Curcio in London. Bertrand Chamayou is the artistic director of the Ravel Festival, a major international festival celebrating Maurice Ravel in the Basque Country, around Saint-Jean-de-Luz (France).

Bertrand Chamayou (born 23 March 1981) is a French pianist. Chamayou was born in Toulouse and studied at the Conservatoire de Toulouse under Claudine Willoth. At age 15, he continued studies at the Conservatoire de Paris with encouragement from pianist-conductor Jean-François Heisser. He worked with Maria Curcio in London and received mentorship from Leon Fleisher, Dmitri Bashkirov, and Murray Perahia, who 'has left a profound mark' on him. Key achievements include: 1998 laureate of the Kraïnev Piano Competition in Ukraine; 4th prize at the International Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition at age 20; performances at major venues (Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Lincoln Center, Wigmore Hall); appearances at prestigious festivals including Mostly Mozart, Lucerne, and Edinburgh. In 2015/16, he made debuts with several major orchestras. He received the Victoire de la Musique Classique award three times (2006, 2012, 2016). His 2016 Ravel complete solo piano works received acclaim as 'revelatory performances of breathtaking beauty.' He became a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2015, and his 2019 Saint-Saëns album won Gramophone Recording of the Year.

Bertrand Chamayou (born 23 March 1981) is a French pianist. Born in Toulouse, Chamayou studied at the Conservatoire de Toulouse under Claudine Willoth. At age 15, pianist-conductor Jean-François Heisser encouraged him to continue studies at the Conservatoire de Paris. He worked with Maria Curcio in London, receiving mentorship from Leon Fleisher, Dmitri Bashkirov, and Murray Perahia, who "has left a profound mark" on him. In 1998, he won the Kraïnev Piano Competition in Ukraine and achieved 4th prize at the International Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition at age 20. Chamayou has performed at prestigious venues including the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Lincoln Center, and Wigmore Hall, plus major festivals like Mostly Mozart, Lucerne Festival, and Edinburgh International Festival. In 2015/16, he debuted with the Gewandhaus Orchester Leipzig, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and other major orchestras. He uniquely received the French Victoire de la Musique Classique award three times—in 2006, 2012, and 2016. His 2016 Maurice Ravel complete solo piano works recording received praise from Gramophone magazine for "revelatory performances of breathtaking beauty." He regularly performs chamber music with notable artists including Gautier Capuçon and Sol Gabetta. He became a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2015. His 2019 Saint-Saëns Piano Concertos recording won the Gramophone Recording of the Year.

Bertrand Chamayou is one of today's most strikingly brilliant pianists, recognised for his revelatory performances at once powerfully virtuosic, imaginative and breathtakingly beautiful. A leading interpreter of French music, his vast repertoire includes major bodies of work such as the complete piano works of Ravel, Liszt's Etudes and Années de pèlerinage, and Messiaen's Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus. At the same time the French pianist possesses a deep passion for new music, having worked with composers including Pierre Boulez, Henri Dutilleux, György Kurtág, Thomas Adès, Bryce Dessner and Michael Jarrell. Chamayou performs at the highest level, appearing regularly at the world's most prestigious concert halls and festivals, from Philharmonie de Paris, Wigmore Hall, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Elbphilharmonie, Berlin Philharmonie and Concertgebouw Amsterdam, to Lucerne Festival, Salzburg Festival, New York's Mostly Mozart and Suntory Hall Tokyo. He has performed with the world's finest orchestras, including New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Leipzig's Gewandhausorchester, Orchestre de Paris, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Staatskapelle Berlin, Wiener Symphoniker, Tonhalle Orchestre Zurich, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, NHK Symphony Orchestra, and has shared the stage with Pierre Boulez, Semyon Bychkov, Philippe Herreweghe, François-Xavier Roth, Herbert Blomstedt, Sir Antonio Pappano and Elim Chan. This season sees him appear with the London Symphony Orchestra in Gstaad and La-Côte-Saint-André, play a chamber music evening at Wigmore Hall, perform with Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Basel Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Basel Symphony Orchestra, Les Siècles Orchestra, Gürzenich Orchester Köln, Belgian National Orchestra and Detroit Symphony Orchestra. A tour with Barbara Hannigan will take the two musicians to Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, La Jolla, Rochester, Philadelphia, New York, Ottawa, Washington and Paris with duo recitals. Duo recitals with Sol Gabetta will take place at the Vienna Konzerthaus, Gewandhaus Leipzig, De Doelen Rotterdam, Trieste and Bologna. This season, Bertrand Chamayou gives solo recitals in Clermont-Ferrand, Metz, Bordeaux, Poitiers, Perth, Paris, Dijon, Lyon, Aix-en-Provence, Toulouse, Lille and Oeiras. Bertrand Chamayou has published a large number of highly successful recordings, including a Naïve CD of music by César Franck, which was awarded several accolades. For his recording of Camille Saint-Saëns' Piano Concertos Nos.2 and 5, he was awarded the Gramophone Recording of the Year Award 2019. The only artist to win France's prestigious Victoires de la Musique on five occasions, he has an exclusive recording contract with Warner/Erato and was awarded the 2016 ECHO Klassik for his recording of Ravel's complete works for solo piano. Bertrand Chamayou was born in Toulouse; his musical talent was quickly noted by pianist Jean-François Heisser, who later became his professor at the Paris Conservatoire. He completed his training with Maria Curcio in London. Since 2021, Chamayou has been Co-Artistic Director of Festival Ravel, the major new international festival celebrating Maurice Ravel, situated in France's Basque country.

Bertrand Chamayou, né le 23 mars 1981 à Toulouse (Haute-Garonne), est un pianiste français. En 2001, il gagne le quatrième prix du concours Long. Il obtient ensuite, au fil de sa carrière, cinq Victoires de la musique classique (en 2006, 2011, 2012, 2016 et 2023). Son intégrale des Années de pèlerinage de Liszt, sortie en 2012, est particulièrement remarquée, et lui vaut sa troisième Victoire. Bertrand Chamayou commence à étudier le piano à huit ans. Peu de temps après, il entre au conservatoire de sa ville natale, d'où il sortira à l'âge de quinze ans pour rejoindre la classe de Jean-François Heisser au Conservatoire national supérieur de musique de Paris. Il donne alors ses premiers concerts, suit les conseils d'artistes tels que Murray Perahia, Leon Fleisher, Dmitri Bachkirov ou encore Aldo Ciccolini ; il remporte un deuxième prix au Concours international Krainev en Ukraine, un premier prix de piano au Conservatoire, et intègre le cycle de perfectionnement de cet établissement tout en travaillant auprès de Maria Curcio à Londres. En 2001, à la faveur de son quatrième prix au Concours international Marguerite-Long-Jacques-Thibaud, Bertrand Chamayou se met à donner de plus en plus fréquemment des concerts, soit en soliste, soit encore avec des chanteurs ou avec orchestre. Il s'est depuis produit de nombreuses fois en récital dans diverses salles prestigieuses (salles Pleyel et Gaveau, Philharmonie de Paris, Théâtre Mogador, Théâtre du Capitole, Halle aux Grains de Toulouse, Corum de Montpellier, Gasteig de Munich, Conservatoire Tchaïkovski de Moscou etc.) ainsi que dans des festivals tels que La Roque d'Anthéron, la Folle Journée de Nantes, le Festival Radio France Occitanie Montpellier, Piano aux Jacobins, Piano à Riom, Piano en Valois, les Flâneries Musicales de Reims, l'Orangerie de Sceaux, le Festival de Pâques de Deauville, le Printemps musical de Saint-Cosme. Ses concerts le mènent aussi dans de nombreux pays (Allemagne, Belgique, Hongrie, Russie, Espagne, Portugal, Japon, Canada, etc.) Outre ses récitals, Bertrand Chamayou s'est produit en concerto avec divers orchestres français de grande renommée, tels que l'Orchestre national de France, l'Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France ou l'Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse sous la direction, respectivement, de Lawrence Foster et Michel Plasson, et pratique assidûment la musique de chambre avec des partenaires comme Augustin Dumay, Renaud et Gautier Capuçon, le Quatuor Ysaÿe, le Quatuor Ébène, Xavier Phillips, Henri Demarquette. Il est invité par le festival Piano aux Jacobins, à Verbier, à l'Orangerie de Sceaux, etc. mais ne se contente pas d'illustrer le répertoire : on lui doit la création d'œuvres nouvelles signées Philippe Hersant, Guillaume Connesson, Karol Beffa, etc. En 2006, il est lauréat des Victoires de la musique classique dans la catégorie « révélation soliste instrumental de l'année ». En 2007, il joue le Concerto pour piano nº 2 de Saint-Saëns, avec l'Orchestre français des jeunes, sous la direction de Jean-Claude Casadesus, à Paris, Dijon, Vichy et Aix-en-Provence. En 2011, il obtient le titre de « soliste instrumental de l'année » aux Victoires de la musique classique, titre qu'il remporte de nouveau en 2016. En 2012, son enregistrement de l'intégrale des Années de pèlerinage de Franz Liszt, obtient le titre de meilleur « enregistrement de l'année » aux Victoires de la musique classique. En 2013, il signe un contrat d'exclusivité chez Erato. En 2016, il enregistre, en un album, toute l'œuvre pour piano seul de Maurice Ravel. En 2018, il entre en résidence à Radio France et enregistre un disque consacré à Camille Saint-Saëns avec l'Orchestre national de France. En 2020, il rejoint son ancien professeur Jean-François Heisser à la direction du festival Ravel dans le Pays-Basque. En 2023, il reçoit sa cinquième victoire de la musique comme meilleur soliste. En 2024, il se produit aux Rencontres musicales d'Évian.

Bertrand Chamayou is one of today's most strikingly brilliant pianists, recognised for his revelatory performances that are at once powerfully virtuosic, imaginative and breathtakingly beautiful. A leading interpreter of French music, his vast repertoire includes major bodies of work such as the complete piano works of Ravel, Liszt's Etudes and Années de pèlerinage, and Messiaen's Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus. Simultaneously, the French pianist possesses a deep passion for new music, having worked with composers including Pierre Boulez, Henri Dutilleux, György Kurtág, Thomas Adès, Bryce Dessner and Michael Jarrell. After performing the complete solo piano works of Ravel at major summer festivals (Festival Radio France in Montpellier, La Roque d'Anthéron, Festival de Musique de Menton), Chamayou open the 2025/26 season by appearing at the Lucerne Festival with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and Karina Canellakis in Unsuk Chin's Piano Concerto, before opening the 2025 edition of his own Festival Ravel in Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Bertrand Chamayou published a large number of highly acclaimed recordings, including a Naïve recording of music by César Franck, which received several accolades. For his recording of Camille Saint-Saëns' Piano Concertos Nos.2 and 5, he was awarded the Gramophone Recording of the Year 2019. The only artist to win France's prestigious Victoires de la Musique on five occasions, he has an exclusive recording contract with Warner/Erato and was awarded the 2016 ECHO Klassik for his recording of Ravel's complete works for solo piano. Born in Toulouse, Chamayou's musical talent was quickly recognised by pianist Jean-François Heisser, who later became his professor at the Paris Conservatoire. He completed his training with Maria Curcio in London. Bertrand Chamayou is the artistic director of the Ravel Festival, a major international festival celebrating Maurice Ravel in the Basque Country, around Saint-Jean-de-Luz (France).

Bertrand Chamayou is one of today's most strikingly brilliant pianists, recognised for his revelatory performances at once powerfully virtuosic, imaginative and breathtakingly beautiful. A leading interpreter of French music, his vast repertoire includes major bodies of work such as the complete piano works of Ravel, Liszt's Etudes and Années de pèlerinage, and Messiaen's Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus. At the same time the French pianist possesses a deep passion for new music, having worked with composers including Pierre Boulez, Henri Dutilleux, György Kurtág, Thomas Adès, Bryce Dessner and Michael Jarrell. Chamayou performs at the highest level, appearing regularly at the world's most prestigious concert halls and festivals, from Philharmonie de Paris, Wigmore Hall, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Elbphilharmonie, Berlin Philharmonie and Concertgebouw Amsterdam, to Lucerne Festival, Salzburg Festival, New York's Mostly Mozart and Suntory Hall Tokyo. He has performed with the world's finest orchestras, including New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Leipzig's Gewandhausorchester, Orchestre de Paris, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Staatskapelle Berlin, Wiener Symphoniker, Tonhalle Orchestre Zurich, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, NHK Symphony Orchestra, and has shared the stage with Pierre Boulez, Semyon Bychkov, Philippe Herreweghe, François-Xavier Roth, Herbert Blomstedt, Sir Antonio Pappano and Elim Chan.

Entre vignettes et pages d'envergure, Bertrand Chamayou fera chanter son clavier sans paroles, mais pas sans éloquence. Et nous offrira pour commencer un bouquet de romances mendelssohniennes piqué d'autres morceaux du genre signés Fauré, Ives ou Wieck-Schumann, ainsi que de mélodies ou chansons arrangées par Liszt et, pour les Beatles, Takemitsu. Avant de conclure la soirée avec une célèbre Fantaisie au sein de laquelle Schubert revient lui-même sur l'un de ses Lieder, le Toulousain explorera Eine Kleine Mitternacht Musik (2001), cycle de sept « ruminations » de George Crumb sur Round Midnight (Theolonius Monk). Il nous rappellera aussi, dans des échos de chants de Noël venus de l'est, ses affinités avec le minutieux miniaturiste Kurtág. De l'art d'élargir l'horizon.

Soliste international incontournable, le pianiste multiple aussi bien chambriste que défenseur de la musique de notre temps, nous offre dans son nouvel opus, l'intemporel Erik Satie.

Pianiste français basé à Toulouse, reconnu pour sa brillance technique et sa sensibilité poétique. Son intégrale Ravel au piano, enregistrée il y a une dizaine d'années, a été saluée comme 'son chef-d'œuvre' et 'une sensation'. Il a Ravel dans l'ADN depuis ses premiers jours au conservatoire. Décrit comme 'l'attachant Bertrand Chamayou en terres romantiques', il fait chanter son clavier 'sans paroles, mais pas sans éloquence'.