Biography
Piano
Hélène Grimaud
HÉLÈNE GRIMAUD is not just a passion- ate and committed pianist, but a woman with multiple talents that extend far beyond the instrument she plays. She has established herself as a committed wildlife conservationist, a compassionate human rights activist, and a writer.
Ms. Grimaud was accepted into the Paris Conservatory at thirteen and won first prize in piano performance three years later. She studied with György Sándor and Leon Fleisher until 1987, when she debuted in Tokyo and was invited by Daniel Barenboim to perform with Orchestre de Paris, marking the launch of her musical career. Ms. Grimaud first appeared with the San Francisco Symphony in 1993 as a Shenson Young Artist and has since per- formed with the Orchestra many times.
Between her debut in 1995 with the Berlin Philharmonic and her first performance with the New York Philharmonic in 1999, she established the Wolf Conservation Center in Upstate New York, sparked by a chance encounter with a wolf. She is also a member of Musicians for Human Rights and has published three books, including two semi-autobiographical novels.
A committed chamber musician, she has performed with a wide range of collab- orators, including Sol Gabetta, Rolando Villazón, Jan Vogler, Truls Mørk, Clemens Hagen, Gidon Kremer, Gil Shaham, and Renaud and Gautier Capuçon. Ms. Grimaud began the 2021–22 season with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, and she also performs this season with the Houston Symphony, Seattle Symphony, and Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, among others.
Ms. Grimaud has been an exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist since 2002; her most recent recording for the label is The Messenger, featuring works of Valentin Silvestrov and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. She was admitted into France’s Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur at the rank of Chevalier.
Ms. Grimaud was accepted into the Paris Conservatory at thirteen and won first prize in piano performance three years later. She studied with György Sándor and Leon Fleisher until 1987, when she debuted in Tokyo and was invited by Daniel Barenboim to perform with Orchestre de Paris, marking the launch of her musical career. Ms. Grimaud first appeared with the San Francisco Symphony in 1993 as a Shenson Young Artist and has since per- formed with the Orchestra many times.
Between her debut in 1995 with the Berlin Philharmonic and her first performance with the New York Philharmonic in 1999, she established the Wolf Conservation Center in Upstate New York, sparked by a chance encounter with a wolf. She is also a member of Musicians for Human Rights and has published three books, including two semi-autobiographical novels.
A committed chamber musician, she has performed with a wide range of collab- orators, including Sol Gabetta, Rolando Villazón, Jan Vogler, Truls Mørk, Clemens Hagen, Gidon Kremer, Gil Shaham, and Renaud and Gautier Capuçon. Ms. Grimaud began the 2021–22 season with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, and she also performs this season with the Houston Symphony, Seattle Symphony, and Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, among others.
Ms. Grimaud has been an exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist since 2002; her most recent recording for the label is The Messenger, featuring works of Valentin Silvestrov and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. She was admitted into France’s Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur at the rank of Chevalier.
