Alexandre Kantorow is the winner of the 2024 Gilmore Artist Award, the youngest pianist and the first French artist to receive this accolade. Four years ago, 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, Kantorow appears at major concert halls such as the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Philharmonie de Paris and Tokyo Opera City, and in 2023 he makes his debut at New York’s Carnegie Hall. 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 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.
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.
Kantorow is a laureate of the Safran Foundation and Banque Populaire Foundation. Born in France and of French British heritage, Kantorow studied with Pierre-Alain Volondat, Igor Lazko, Frank Braley, and Rena Shereshevskaya.
Please note: Biographies are based on information provided to the CSO by the artists or their representatives. More current information may be available on websites of the artists or their management.
