Hélène Grimaud

HÉLÈNE GRIMAUD studied music in her native town of Aix en Provence, in Marseille with Pierre Barbizet, and from the age of 12 at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris under Jacques Rouvier, György Sándor, and Leon Fleisher.

1987 marked a decisive turning point in her career when she won the Cannes Classical Award at MIDEM. Her performance there prompted Daniel Barenboim to recommend her to the Orchestre de Paris, and there followed a string of high-profile engagements including her first performance at La Roque d'Anthéron Piano Festival and her debut recital in Tokyo.

Since then Grimaud has been performing regularly in the leading music centers and with major orchestras worldwide, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Philharmonia, Tonhalle Zürich, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, and the NHK Symphony Orchestra. In the U.S. she continues to appear with top-ranking orchestras from East to West coast including the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, and the Boston Symphony Orchestras. From early in her career she has worked with conductors of the highest calibre.

Grimaud also performs in the most important festivals and music capitals in the world, both in recital and chamber music programs, collaborating with artists such as Emmanuel Pahud, Truls Mørk, Jan Vogler, Jörg Widmann, and Albrecht Mayer.

In 2002 Grimaud signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon, and her latest recording, Reflection, which features works by Johannes Brahms and both Robert and Clara Schumann, was released to high acclaim in spring 2006. Her previous recordings on DG include Credo (orchestral and solo works by Beethoven and Pärt), a Chopin/Rachmaninoff recital disc, and Bartók's Piano Concerto No. 3 recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra and Pierre Boulez. A recording artist since the age of 15, her early catalogue includes works by Liszt, Ravel, Rachmaninoff, Strauss, and Gershwin.

A recipient of numerous awards worldwide, Grimaud has also been recognized in her native country, France, where she was appointed Officier dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministère de la Culture in 2002. More recently she was awarded the 'Victoire d'honneur' at the French 'Victoires de la Musique' in 2004.

Hélène Grimaud is the author of two books, Variations Sauvages and Leçons Particulières, both published by Editions Robert Laffont. Variations Sauvages has already been translated into several languages and appeared in English for the first time last year. Both books have been a runaway success in France, where they have appeared on the top best-seller list.

In 1999 Hélène Grimaud founded the Wolf Conservation Center, a cause that she continues to champion. More recently she has given her name and support to a number of other charities, which include Amnesty International, International Children's Camp Villa Sans Souci, and the Worldwide Fund.

05/07