Blaise Déjardin

Strasbourg-born cellist Blaise Déjardin was appointed principal cello of the Boston Symphony Orchestra by BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons in spring 2018, having joined the BSO’s cello section in 2008. He is the 14th principal cello in the history of the orchestra. In making the appointment, Nelsons praised Déjardin as “an absolute, complete musician with an exquisite breadth of tone, beautiful musical phrasing, and inspired creativity and imagination, only matched by his supreme dedication to conveying the true spirit of the music.”

Déjardin made his highly-acclaimed concerto debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Andris Nelsons in 2022 performing Saint-Saëns’ Concerto for Cello No. 1. He returned as a soloist with the BSO in 2024 with the American premiere of The Dong with a Luminous Nose by Elena Langer under the direction of Sir Mark Elder. He has also performed as soloist with orchestras around the world such as the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Kuopio Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, Longwood Symphony Orchestra, Cape Ann Symphony, and Melrose Symphony Orchestra. Recent solo performances featured concertos by Dvořák, Brahms, and Shostakovich.

A dedicated chamber musician, Déjardin spent two summers at Ravinia’s Steans Institute and has been a member of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players since 2018. Previously, Déjardin was a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra and the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, and was a founding member of A Far Cry and the Boston Cello Quartet. He has arranged numerous pieces for cello ensembles, which have earned him six ASCAP Plus awards as well as commissions from Yo-Yo Ma, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and A Far Cry. In 2013 he launched Opus Cello, his online sheet music publishing company.

Déjardin made his solo debut with orchestra at age 14 performing Haydn’s Concerto for Cello No. 1 in C major at Le Corum in Montpellier, France. Among his numerous awards and honors, he was awarded first prize at the Maurice Gendron International Cello Competition and was also the youngest prizewinner at the sixth Adam International Cello Festival and Competition in New Zealand. In 2007 he made his Paris recital debut at Le Petit Palais as a laureate of the Déclic program which supports emerging young soloists in France.

In 2019 Déjardin released the album “MOZART New Cello Duos” with cellist Kee-Hyun Kim, featuring his own transcriptions. He also appears on both Boston Cello Quartet albums “Pictures” and “The Latin Project.” His first album as principal cello of the BSO, “Adès Conducts Adès,” was released by Deutsche Gramophone in 2020.

Déjardin holds a first prize in cello with highest honors from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique of Paris, as well as a Master of Music and a graduate diploma from the New England Conservatory in Boston. His main teachers were Philippe Muller, Laurence Lesser, and Bernard Greenhouse. He serves on the cello faculty of New England Conservatory and is regularly invited to give masterclasses in Europe, China, and throughout North America. His instructional book “Audition Day” was published by Opus Cello in 2022.