La Classe d'Excellence de Violoncelle de Gautier Capuçon
From 2014 to 2022, the Classe d'Excellence de Violoncelle de Gautier Capuçon has taken place in the Auditorium of the Fondation. This project, created and directed by Gautier Capuçon, was designed to promote six young and talented cellists from around the world. Selected by audition, the laureates met each month for public work sessions and concerts.
As part of the Fondation’s mission to promote artistic creation in all its different forms and media, the “Classe d’Excellence de Violoncelle” aimed to expose its participants to a wide array of genres; to encourage dialogue and encounters with guest speakers from different cultures and nationalities; and to bring awareness to a wide range of different styles and projects. During their time at the Fondation, spent alongside great artists and talented professionals, participants had the singular opportunity to develop their individual projects, to explore and appreciate the subtleties of a career as a performing artist, and to be exposed to new musical and otherwise artistic perspectives.
Seniors
The artists
Gautier Capuçon
Gautier Capuçon is a true 21st century ambassador for the cello. Performing internationally with many of the world’s foremost conductors and instrumentalists, he is also a passionate ambassador for the Orchestre à l'École Association which brings classical music to more than 40,000 school children across France. In January 2022 Gautier Capuçon launched his own Foundation to support young and talented musicians at the beginning of their career and increasing his commitment to young artists. A multiple award winner, he is acclaimed for his expressive musicianship, exuberant virtuosity, and for the deep sonority of his 1701 Matteo Goffriller cello “L’Ambassadeur”.
In summer 2020, mid-pandemic, Capuçon brought music directly into the lives of families across the length and breadth of France, free of charge, during his musical odyssey ‘Un été en France’. During July 2022, for the third edition of this project, he performs 15 concerts across the nation including Autun, Clairveaux, Eauz, and his hometown of Chambéry. He also showcases 14 young musicians and 8 young dancers within his concert presentations.
Committed to exploring and expanding the cello repertoire, Capuçon performs an extensive array of works each season and regularly premieres new commissions. Current projects include collaborations with Lera Auerbach, Danny Elfman and Thierry Escaich.
In the 2022/23 season, Capuçon appears with, amongst others, Boston Symphony Orchestra (Andris Nelsons), Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Manfred Honeck), San Francisco Symphony (Michael Tilson Thomas), Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (Marie Jacquot), Gewandhausorchester Leipzig (Andris Nelsons), NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester (Pablo Heras-Casado), Munich Philharmonic (Lorenzo Viotti), Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich (Christoph Eschenbach), Orchestre de Paris (Klaus Mäkelä), and Czech Philharmonic Orchestra (Semyon Bychkov). He is the Curating Artist at the Konzerthaus Dortmund, and in addition, Capuçon plays at Festivals worldwide, including the Salzburg, Grafenegg, and Verbier Festivals.
In recital, Capucon pairs regularly with Frank Braley and Jérôme Ducros – while other chamber music partners include Nikolai Lugansky and Gabriela Montero as well as Martha Argerich, Daniel Barenboim, Lisa Batiashvili, Renaud Capuçon, Leonidas Kavakos, Andreas Ottensamer, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Daniil Trifonov, Yuja Wang, the Labèque sisters and the Artemis, Ébène and Hagen quartets.
Recording exclusively for Erato (Warner Classics), Capuçon has won multiple awards and holds an extensive discography. His latest album Sensations is due to be released in Autumn 2022, exploring short pieces from a range of different genres. His album of romantic works by Brahms and Rachmaninoff in collaboration with Andreas Ottensammer and Yuja Wang is also released in Autumn 2022 by Deutsche Grammophon. 2020’s Warner Classics album Emotions features music from composers such as Debussy, Schubert and Elgar and has achieved gold status in France, remaining at Number 1 in the charts for over 30 weeks and selling more than 110,000 copies. Earlier recordings include concertos by Shostakovich (Mariinsky Orchestra with Valery Gergiev) and Saint-Saëns (Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France with Lionel Bringuier); the complete Beethoven Sonatas with Frank Braley; Schubert’s String Quintet with the Ébène Quartet; Intuition with Orchestre de Chambre de Paris/ (Douglas Boyd and Jérôme Ducros); an album of Schumann works, recorded live with Martha Argerich, Renaud Capuçon and Chamber Orchestra of Europe/ (Bernard Haitink); Beethoven Piano Trios with Renaud Capuçon and Frank Braley; Chopin and Franck sonatas with Yuja Wang; and a solo album featuring Bach, Dutilleux and Kodaly as well as a “Best of” recording on occasion of his 40th birthday.
Capuçon has been featured on DVD in live performances with the Wiener Philharmoniker (Saint-Saens Cello Concerto No.1) Berliner Philharmoniker (Haydn Cello Concerto No.1) and with Lisa Batiashvili, Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden and Christian Thielemann (Brahms’s Concerto for Violin and Cello). A household name in his native France, he also appears on screen and online in shows such as Prodiges, Now Hear This, and The Artist Academy, and is a guest presenter on Radio Classique in the show Les Carnets de Gautier Capuçon.
Born in Chambéry, Capuçon began playing the cello at the age of five. He studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur in Paris with Philippe Muller and Annie Cochet-Zakine, and later with Heinrich Schiff in Vienna. Now, he performs with world leading orchestras, works with conductors such as Semyon Bychkov, Christoph Eschenbach, Andrès Orozco-Estrada, Pablo Heras-Casado, Klaus Mäkelä, Andris Nelsons, and Christian Thielemann, and collaborates with contemporary composers including Lera Auerbach, Karol Beffa, Esteban Benzecry, Nicola Campogrande, Qigang Chen, Bryce Dessner, Jérôme Ducros, Henry Dutilleux, Thierry Escaich, Philippe Manoury, Bruno Mantovani, Krzysztof Penderecki, Wolfgang Rihm, and Jörg Widmann.
Samuel Parent
Samuel Parent est né en 1982 dans le Vaucluse.
Après avoir étudié avec Michel Bourdoncle à Aix-en-Provence, puis Olivier Gardon à Paris, il est admis en 2000 dans la classe de Brigitte Engerer au Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, dont il sort quatre ans plus tard avec un diplôme de Formation Supérieure, mention très bien.
En 2008, il remporte le deuxième prix au concours international Rina Sala Gallo de Monza, Italie. Cette même année, il intègre la classe de musique de chambre du quatuor Artemis à la Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth de Belgique.
Pendant une quinzaine d'années, Samuel Parent a été le pianiste du Trio con Fuoco, ensemble récompensé dans plusieurs concours internationaux (Illzach, Florence, Heerlen...) et au sein duquel il s'est produit dans de nombreux festivals (Aix-en-Provence, la Roque d'Anthéron, Flâneries musicales de Reims) et sur la scène mondiale : concerts à l'Auditorium du Louvre, au Bozar de Bruxelles, à l'Auditorium de Dijon, au Maroc, en Espagne, aux Pays-Bas, en Inde, en Amérique Centrale...
Chambriste recherché, Samuel Parent se produit avec de nombreux artistes tels que Gautier Capuçon, le quatuor Ebène, Hugues Borsarello, le quatuor Van Kuijk, Henri Demarquette, Olivier Patey, Erik Berchot, Ami Flammer, Frédéric Aguessy, Emmanuel Christien, Mathilde Borsarello-Herrmann, Karen Vourc'h, Mari Eriksmoen... Il a ainsi été invité dans des cadres prestigieux comme le Palais de la Musique à Valencia, les Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad ou la saison musicale de Schloss Elmau. En France, Samuel Parent a joué notamment au festival Pianoscope à Beauvais, au Festival de Colmar, au Festival de Chambord, Musique en Côte Basque, au Printemps de la Grange au Lac, à la salle Gaveau, au théâtre du Châtelet à Paris.
Samuel Parent se distingue également pour ses talents d'accompagnateur : depuis janvier 2014, il est le pianiste de Yanowski qu'il accompagne dans son tour de chant « la Passe Interdite ». Il est régulièrement invité dans diverses académies estivales pour apporter son soutien à de nombreux étudiants. Depuis 2015, il est le pianiste accompagnateur de la classe d'Excellence de Violoncelle de Gautier Capuçon à la Fondation Louis Vuitton à Paris. En 2019, Samuel Parent est l'un des accompagnateurs officiels du Concours Musical Reine Elisabeth à Bruxelles.
Samuel Parent se distingue également pour ses talents d'accompagnateur : depuis janvier 2014, il est le pianiste de Yanowski qu'il accompagne dans son tour de chant « la Passe Interdite ». Il est régulièrement invité dans diverses académies estivales pour apporter son soutien à de nombreux étudiants. Depuis 2015, il est le pianiste accompagnateur de la classe d'Excellence de Violoncelle de Gautier Capuçon à la Fondation Louis Vuitton à Paris. En 2019, Samuel Parent est l'un des accompagnateurs officiels du Concours Musical Reine Elisabeth à Bruxelles.Samuel Parent se distingue également pour ses talents d'accompagnateur : depuis janvier 2014, il est le pianiste de Yanowski qu'il accompagne dans son tour de chant « la Passe Interdite ». Il est régulièrement invité dans diverses académies estivales pour apporter son soutien à de nombreux étudiants. Depuis 2015, il est le pianiste accompagnateur de la classe d'Excellence de Violoncelle de Gautier Capuçon à la Fondation Louis Vuitton à Paris. En 2019, Samuel Parent est l'un des accompagnateurs officiels du Concours Musical Reine Elisabeth à Bruxelles.
Léo Guiguen
Born in 1999, Léo Guiguen begins the cello at age seven at the Music School of Fougères in Bretagne (France), after which he moves on to the Music School of Rennes where he receives his “certificate of music studies” at the age of thirteen.
He then begins taking classes with Raphaël Perraud, principal cellist of the Orchestre National de France, before entering the CNSMDP (Conservatoire National de Musique et de Danse de Paris) at fourteen years old in Jérôme Pernoo’s and Cyrille Lacroutz’ class. Two years later, he wins the second prize of the International Louis Rosoor Competition in Bordeaux. He attends as well the classes of Claire Désert and Itamar Golan. He receives a sponsorship (from Patrick Petit) allowing him to play on a cello specifically made for him by the stringed instrument maker Franck Ravatin in 2016.
He is invited to play in festivals such as: “MusicaMundi” where he receives guidance from Ivry Gitlis and Menahem Pressler, “Les Fougères Musicales”, “Les jeunes talents de l’Ouest”, “La cello biennale of Amsterdam”, “SuperCello”, “Akoestikum” and the Centre de Musique de Chambre de Paris.
In addition, Léo benefits from the precious advice of many prestigious cellists such as David Geringas, Gary Hoffman, Philippe Muller and Xavier Phillips.
He enters the Jaroussky Academy for the 2019/2020 season.
Jeein You
20 years old (South Korea)
Born in 2002 in South Korea, Jeein You began playing cello at the age of five. Between 2009- 2016 she studied with Myung-wha Chung at Korea National University of Arts Preschool and the Korea Institute for Gifted in Arts, at the age of 13, gained a place at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris in the class of Michel Strauss, obtaining her Bachelors and Masters degree. She has engaged in masterclasses with renowned cellists such as Arto Noras, Frans Helmerson, Philippe Muller, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Gautier Capuçon, Song-young Hun, Clara Minhye Kim and many others.
Jeein was selected as a laureate for Gautier Capuçon’s Classe d'Excellence de Violoncelle at the Louis Vuitton Foundation during seasons 2019-2022, and in the 2022-23 season will also partake in the recently launched Fondation Gautier Capuçon.
This season, Jeein will perform in recital at the Seoul Arts Center in IBK Hall, as well as on tour throughout Europe (including Konzerthaus Vienna, Konzerthaus Dortmund, Fondation Louis Vuitton Paris, Salle Métropole Lausanne and Victoria Hall Geneva) with Gautier Capuçon and ensemble Capucelli. In 2021 the ensemble of seven cellists recorded works to be released on Gautier’s upcoming album ‘Sensations’. Later this season Jeein will also perform at Classeek’s concert hall in Switzerland, as part of their Ambassador Programme concert season for emerging young artists.
As well as gaining recognition on the concert stage throughout Europe, Jeein is also expanding her profile in Korea. Following her recital performance at the PyeongChang Music Festival in December 2021, Jeein was reinvited to perform at the closing concert of the festival in July 2022, this time with a chamber septet alongside artists such as Svetlin Roussev, Arah Shin, Alexandre Baty and Ralph Szigeti.
Championing many acclaimed competitions, Jeein has won several first and special prizes including the 5th International Dotzauer competition for Young Cellists in Dresden, Germany (First prize and special prize), 23rd International Cello Competition in Heran, Czech Republic (First prize and grand prize), 11th OSAKA International Music Competition (First prize) and 7th International Music Competition for Young People in Oldenburg, Germany (Second prize). Furthermore, she won both the first prize and special prize for the best performance of a masterly piece at the 10th International Competition for Young Musicians in Tallinn, Estonia, which was followed by a winners performance of Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C with the Tallinn Philharmonic Orchestra.
As a soloist, Jeein has performed concerti with the Philharmonia Korea Orchestra, Guro Arts Valley Orchestra, Gunpo Philharmonic Orchestra, Wonju Philharmonic Orchestra, Tallinn Philharmonic Orchestra, Kaunas Philharmonic Orchestra, amongst others. In recital, she has performed in many established concert series and venues including the 28th Kumho Prodigy Recital, Blue House (official residence of the President of the Republic of Korea) for the King and Queen of Malaysia, ISANGYUN Competition Young Cellists Invitation Concert, International Art Festival Invitation Chamber Music in Istana Budaya Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Great Mountains Music Festival, Seoul Spring Festival, Mozarthall Open Piano Forum Season, and Maison Heinrich Heine (Paris).
Jan Sekaci
Jan Sekaci was born on in February 2001. He started to play the cello at the age of 10 in his hometown Oradea at the High School of Arts Oradea. Since 2015, he studies with Octavian Lup at the National College of Arts "Dinu Upatti". He won many prizes at national and international competitions, among which the 3rd prize at the Antonio Janigro Cello Competition in Porec, Croatia.
He also won the 2nd prize at the Young Virtuosos International Competition in Sofia, Bulgaria, the 1st prize at Klaipeda International Competition, Lithuania, the 1st prize at the ProArt Competition in Khmelnitsky, Ukraine, the 4th prize at the Johannes Brahms competition. He participated at masterclasses held by Marin Cazacu, Octavian Lup, Mihai Marica, Denis Severin, Frans Helmerson, Judith Ermert, Jacob Shaw, Romain Garioud, Raphael Pidoux, Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt.
In 2018, Jan was selected as an active participant at the Kronberg Academy Masterclasses, studying with Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt.
Amy Goto
Amy Goto, born in 2004 in South Carolina (USA), is a Japanese-American cellist. She began playing the cello at the age of 3 and has studied with Philippe Muller of the Manhattan School of Music since the age of 12.
She made her debut as soloist with orchestra at age 9 with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and subsequently performed at the opening ceremony for Spoleto Festival USA/Piccolo Spoleto Festival (South Carolina). In 2015, she received the “Hope” Award at the IX International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians (Novosibirsk, Russia). At Musica Mundi (Genval, Belgium) in 2016, she performed in the gala concert as a soloist with the festival orchestra. She was a featured performer on NPR’s From the Top (Show 362) in 2018. Most recently, she competed as the youngest contestant at the Mazzacurati Competition (Turin, Italy) in Fall 2019.
She has previously studied with Natalia Khoma (2011-2016) and Vladimir Perlin (2016-2017). During the summers, she has studied at Musica Mundi in 2016, Music@Menlo (California) in 2017, and Domaine Forget (Charlevoix, Québec) in 2018 and 2019. She has taken master classes/private lessons with eminent musicians including Eugene Drucker, David Finckel, Ivry Gitlis, Clive Greensmith, Frans Helmerson, Laurence Lesser, Johannes Moser, Kenji Nakagi, Menahem Pressler, Kirill Rodin, Denis Shapovalov, Julian Steckel, and István Várdai. Amy has been a recipient of a scholarship from the JOY! Conservatory at the University of Connecticut since Fall 2017.
Amy currently resides in Rhode Island, USA.
Hyazintha Andrej
Hyazintha Andrej is a 25 years old cellist from Graz, Austria. She studied in Zurich with Thomas Grossenbacher at the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste and is currently finishing her master studies with Clemens Hagen at the Mozarteum Salzburg. She has won several prizes at national and international competitions and is supported by the Swiss foundations Jmanuel und Evamaria Schenk Stiftung, Meister Marguerite and Migros Kulturprozent.
In 2018, Hyazintha won the internship at the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. In 2019, she was invited to the Verbier Festival to participate in the soloist/chamber music internship as well as attending the Lucerne Festival Academy. She recently recorded a disk of works by French composers with Marta Patrocínio (pianist).
Besides the romantic repertoire, Hyazintha is active in discovering contemporary music and contributes to collaborations with several young composers.
Lisa Strauss
Born in a family of musicians, Lisa Strauss began learning the piano at the age of 5. She then started studying cello, which became her main instrument. She obtained her Diploma of Musical Studies at the CRR in Paris, then unanimously entered the Paris CNSM at the age of 16, in the class of Michel Strauss. Lisa obtained her Master's degree five years later with the highest distinction.
It was during her studies that she met Théo Ould, accordionist, with whom she founded Les Philia. The ensemble was later joined by violinist François Pineau-Benois and became the Trio Philia.
Lisa is invited to numerous festivals, including the Auvers-sur-Oise Festival, Les Journées Ravel, Ottawa Chamberfest, Opus Amadeus, Chamber Music in Giverny ... She improves her playing with personalities such as Yo-Yo Ma, Ivry Gitlis, Lynn Harrell, Jens- Peter Maintz, Richard Aaron, Philippe Muller, Boris Garlistky ...
Lisa performs frequently as a soloist, especially with the Baden-Baden Philharmonic Orchestra, the Oise Philharmonic Orchestra, the Douai Orchestra, and the Appassionato Ensemble.
In 2017, she joined the Philippe Jaroussky Music Academy.
In October 2019, along with the Trio Phillia, she won the Honorary Prize as well as the Audience Prize in the International Léopold Bellan Competition.
Lisa has been a laureate of the Banque Populaire foundation since June 2020.
A laureate of the Villa Musica Foundation as well, she explores the great repertoire of chamber music alongside eminent artists.
In October 2020, Lisa joined the Classe d’Excellence de Violoncelle programme led by Gautier Capuçon at the Louis Vuitton Foundation.
In October 2021, she will record her first album "Madness" with her Trio Philia.