Source: Impresariat Simmenauer
In 2019, at the age of 22, Alexandre Kantorow became the first French pianist ever to win the First Prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition, as well as the Grand Prix, an exceptional distinction awarded only three times in the competition’s history.
Hailed by critics as “the reincarnation of Liszt” (Fanfare), he has since accumulated numerous accolades and performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages. In 2024, he made history once again by becoming not only the first French but also the youngest recipient of the prestigious Gilmore Artist Award.
Alexandre Kantorow performs with numerous renowned conductors and orchestras, in particular with Ivan Fischer, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Antonio Pappano, Teodor Currentzis, Klaus Mäkelä, John Eliot Gardiner, Manfred Honeck and Esa Pekka Salonen, and is invited to perform with the world’s leading orchestras, such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris, the Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam and the Budapest Festival Orchestra.
As a recitalist, Alexandre Kantorow performs in the world’s greatest concert halls, including the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Wiener Konzerthaus, the Philharmonie Paris, Bozar Brussels, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Wigmore Hall in London, and Suntory Hall in Tokyo. He is also a regular guest at renowned festivals, including La Roque d’Anthéron, the Ravinia Festival, the Verbier Festival and the Ruhr Piano Festival.
Chamber music is another of his great passions, which he shares in particular with Liya Petrova and Aurélien Pascal, with whom he is artistic director of the « Musikfest » and the « Rencontres Musicales de Nîmes », as well as the Pianopolis Festival in Angers.
Highlights of his 2025/2026 season include major international tours: in Japan with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Klaus Mäkelä; across Europe with the Filarmonica della Scala conducted by Riccardo Chailly and the London Philharmonic Orchestra with Paavo Järvi; and in Asia with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and Jaap van Zweden. In the United States, he appears with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Marin Alsop, and in Europe with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Alongside these engagements, he presents a new recital program in major venues across Europe and North America, makes his debuts with the San Francisco Symphony and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and returns to perform with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.
Alexandre Kantorow records exclusively for the BIS label. His recordings have received widespread international acclaim and numerous awards including the Gramophone’s Piano Award 2025 for his album Brahms and Schubert.
In 2024, he was named Chevalier of the Ordre National du Mérite by the President of France, having previously been made Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Minister of Culture. In July of the same year, he performed Ravel’s Jeux d’eau at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games. Alexandre Kantorow studied with Pierre-Alain Volondat, Igor Lazko, Frank Braley, and Rena Shereshevskaya.
