Biography

Jean-Yves Thibaudet is a French-American pianist regarded for his virtuosity which impressed audiences across the world. He is a Steinway artist.

He was born 7 September 1961, in Lyon, France. His father played the violin, and his mother, of German origin, an accomplished pianist herself, introduced the piano to Jean-Yves at an early age. Young Jean-Yves Thibaudet entered the Lyons Conservatory at the age of 5, had his first public appearance at 7, then made performance with an orchestra at 9. In 1974, at the age of twelve, he won the Lyons Conservatory gold medal, and entered the Paris Conservatory. From 1974 to 1980, Thibaudet studied at the Paris Conservatoire under Reine Gianoli, Aldo Ciccolini and Lucille Descaves, an apprentice of Maurice Ravel. In 1980 Thibaudet won top prize at the International Piano Competition in Japan. He has also won the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York at the age of eighteen. At that time he achieved such virtuosity, that he even impressed the great Vladimir Horowitz.

In the course of his career, Thibaudet has performed with the most of the world's leading symphonic orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Concertgebow Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Saint-Petersburg Philharmonic. He has been touring the US, Europe, Asia and Australia appearing with some of the world's greatest orchestras and in solo performance. He is also an accomplished jazz pianist who made forays into the world of jazz with his highly praised recordings of jazz greats, such as, "Conversations with Bill Evans" and "Reflections on Duke" with inventive renditions of popular hits by Duke Ellington.

Jean-Yves Thibaudet recorded several highly regarded soundtracks for such movies, as The Portrait of a Lady (1996) , Pride & Prejudice (2005), and Atonement (2007), starring James McAvoy and Keira Knightly. Among his most accomplished recordings are the five-CD collection "The complete piano music of Eric Satie" made in 2002, the brilliant rendition of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, made in 2010 with the Baltimore Symphony, and piano concertos by Sergei Rachmaninoff recorded in 2012 with the Clieveland Symphony Orchestra under the baton of maestro Vladimir Ashkenazy.

Known for his style and elegance on and off the traditional concert stage, Thibaudet has had an impact on the world of fashion, film, and philanthropy. He has made over 40 releases on the Decca label. In 2001, he was awarded Chevalier dans Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, by the Republic of France. In 2012, he was honored for his musical achievements by induction him into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame. Thibaudet and his partner, Paul, have homes in Los Angeles, California and Paris, France.