Jean-Guihen Queyras

Curiosity, variety, and a firm focus on the music itself characterize the artistic work of Jean-Guihen Queyras. Whether on stage or on record, on listening one experiences an artist dedicated wholly and ardently to the music, whose humble and unpretentious treatment of the score reflects its clear, undistorted essence.

Jean-Guihen Queyras learnt his interpretative approach from Pierre Boulez, with whom his artistic partnership spanned many years. This intensity comes to the fore too in his approach to historical and contemporary repertoire – visible notably in his collaborations with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. He has also given world premieres of works by, amongst others, Ivan Fedele, Gilbert Amy, Bruno Mantovani, Michael Jarrell, Thomas Larcher, Tristan Murail, Vito Zuraj und Benjamin Attahir.

Jean-Guihen Queyras was a founding member of the Arcanto Quartet and performs as part of a trio with Isabelle Faust and Alexander Melnikov. This versatility of his practice has led to numerous concert halls, festivals and orchestras inviting Jean-Guihen as an Artist in Residence, including the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, Vredenburg Utrecht, De Bijloke Ghent, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg and the Wigmore Hall.

Jean-Guihen Queyras records exclusively for Harmonia Mundi. He holds a professorship at the University of Music Freiburg and is Artistic Director of the "Rencontres Musicales de Haute-Provence" festival in Forcalquier. He plays on the "Kaiser" Stradivarius made in Cremona in 1707, kindly made available to him by Canimex Inc. of Drummondville (Quebec), Canada.