Jean-Yves Thibaudet

Through elegant musicality and an insightful approach to contemporary and established repertoire, Jean-Yves Thibaudet has earned a reputation as one of the world’s finest pianists. He is especially known for his diverse interests beyond the classical world, including numerous collaborations in film, fashion, and visual art. He is a devoted educator and the first-ever artist-in-residence at the Colburn School, which awards several scholarships in his name.

In the 2024-25 season, Thibaudet appeared in concerts and recitals around the world performing works ranging from Gershwin’s Concerto in F to Saint-Saëns’s Piano Concerto No. 5, Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 2, Bernstein’s Symphony No. 2 Age of Anxiety, and Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G. A major contemporary exponent of Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto, Thibaudet performed the piece with the National Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, and Tonhalle-Orchestra Zürich. In Seoul, with the KBS Symphony Orchestra, he returned to Scriabin’s Prometheus: The Poem of Fire, which he performed last season in a synesthetic presentation with olfactory cues created by Mathilde Laurent of Cartier.

In addition to his orchestral dates, Thibaudet took part in the Itzhak Perlman and Friends tour across California and a tour of Asia with longtime collaborator Gautier Capuçon. He also performs Debussy’s Préludes in their entirety at recitals across the United States. Other highlights include world premiere performances of two new works: Benjamin Attahir’s Hanoï Songs, with the Seattle Symphony; and Manu Martin’s Cosmic Rhapsody, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He returned to performing Two Pianos: Who Could Ask for Anything More? with Michael Feinstein in Rome and San Francisco.

A prolific recording artist, Thibaudet has appeared on more than 70 albums and six film scores; his extensive catalog has received two Grammy nominations, two Echo Awards, the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, the Diapason d’Or, the CHOC du Monde de la Musique, the Edison Prize, and Gramophone awards. Recent recordings include "Gershwin Rhapsody," a collection of Gershwin songs recorded with Michael Feinstein, including four newly-discovered pieces; "Night After Night," a celebration of James Newton Howard’s scores for the films of M. Night Shyamalan; and "Carte Blanche," a collection of deeply personal solo piano pieces never before recorded by the pianist. He is the soloist on Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch; his playing can also be heard in Pride and Prejudice, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Wakefield, and the Oscar-winning and critically acclaimed film Atonement. His concert wardrobe is designed by Dame Vivienne Westwood.