Gautier Capuçon, cello

Gautier Capuçon, born in 1981 in Chambéry, began cello studies at age four with Annie Cochet-Zakine, Philippe Muller, and then in Vienna with Heinrich Schiff. He received first prizes in several international competitions, including the First Grand Prix of the André Navarra International Competition in Toulouse. In 2001 he was "New Talent of the Year" at the Victoires de la Musique.

He plays regularly under the direction of great conductors such as Lionel Bringuier, Gustavo Dudamel, Valery Gergiev,  Andris Nelsons, and Yannick Nézet-Séguin and collaborates with such contemporary composers as Lera Auerbach, Karol Beffa, Esteban Benzecry, Nicola Campogrande, Qigang Chen, Jérôme Ducros, Thierry Escaich, Philippe Manoury, Bruno Mantovani, Krzysztof Penderecki, Wolfgang Rihm, and Jörg Widmann.

He performs in recital and chamber music at major festivals in Europe and around the world. Recent recital appearances include at Carnegie Hall with Daniil Trifonov and on tour with his partner Jérôme Ducros, on the occasion of the release of their album Intuition, as well as at the Verbier Festival with Lisa Batiashvili, Christoph Eschenbach, Janine Jansen, Leonidas Kavakos, Yuja Wang and Tabea Zimmermann. He also partners with Nicholas Angelich, Martha Argerich, Daniel Barenboim, Yuri Bashmet, Frank Braley, Gérard Caussé, Michel Dalberto, Jérôme Ducros, Hélène Grimaud, Katia and Marielle Labèque, Angelika Kirchschlager, Gabriela Montero, Viktoria Mullova and Mikhail Pletnev, Stephen Kovacevich, Menahem Pressler, Vadim Repin, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Maxim Vengerov, Nikolaj Znaider, and the Artemis and Ebony quartets.

In October 2014 Gautier created the Cello Excellence Class at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, in the new Auditorium designed by Frank Gehry. He plays a Matteo Goffriller from 1701.