Alexandre Kantorow
May 20, 1997 - Clermont-Ferrand
© Sasha Gusov
About
“Alexandre is Liszt reincarnated. I’ve never heard anyone play the piano the way he does” - Jerry Dubins (Fanfare)
Alexandre Kantorow is the winner of the 2024 Gilmore Artist Award, the youngest pianist and the first French artist to receive this accolade. In 2019, at the age of 22, he was the first French pianist to win the Gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition, also receiving the Grand Prix, previously awarded only three times in the competition’s history. Now in demand at the highest level worldwide, he is applauded for his innate poetic charm, luminous clarity, and stunning virtuosity.
In recital, Mr. Kantorow appears at major concert halls such as the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Queen Elizabeth Hall in London and Philharmonie de Paris, and in 2023 he makes his debut at Carnegie Hall and Tokyo Opera City. He performs regularly at the most prestigious festivals around the globe, including the Ravinia Festival, Verbier Festival and BBC Proms. Chamber music is one of his great pleasures, and he performs with artists such as violinist Renaud Capuçon, violist Antoine Tamestit, cellist Gautier Capuçon, and baritone Matthias Goerne.
Highlights of Mr. Kantorow’s upcoming seasons include concerts with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestre de Paris, Philharmonia, Rotterdam Philharmonic and tours with the Munich Philharmonic and Hong Kong Philharmonic orchestras amongst others, and with conductors including Manfred Honeck, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Jaap van Zweden, Francois-Xavier Roth and Klaus Mäkelä. Past highlights have included performances with the Boston Symphony, Budapest Festival and Israel Philharmonic orchestras, and with conductors such as Sir Antonio Pappano and Valery Gergiev.
Mr. Kantorow records exclusively for BIS, now part of Apple Music. All his recordings have received the highest critical acclaim internationally as well as multiple awards, including several Diapason d’Or, Victoires de la musique Classique and Trophée d’Année and in 2022 he was featured in Gramophone magazine, with a full front-page cover and Editor’s Choice.
Mr Kantorow is a laureate of the Safran Foundation and of the Banque Populaire Foundation. Born in France and of French-British heritage, Mr. Kantorow studied with Pierre-Alain Volondat, Igor Lazko, Frank Braley, and Rena Shereshevskaya.