Biography

In 2019, at the age of 22, Alexandre Kantorow became the first French pianist ever to win the First Prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition, as well as the Grand Prix, an exceptional distinction awarded only three times in the competition’s history. Hailed by critics as “the reincarnation of Liszt” (Fanfare), he has since accumulated numerous accolades and performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages. In 2024, he made history once again by becoming not only the first French but also the youngest recipient of the Gilmore Artist Award, one of the world’s most prestigious international piano prizes, awarded every four years.

Alexandre Kantorow performs with many of the world’s leading conductors and orchestras. His collaborations include Ivan Fischer, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Antonio Pappano, Teodor Currentzis, Klaus Mäkelä, Valery Gergiev, John Eliot Gardiner, Manfred Honeck, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. He regularly embarks on international tours with orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (at the BBC Proms in London), and the Budapest Festival Orchestra. He also tours with the Orchestre Métropolitain under Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Utopia Orchestra with Teodor Currentzis, as well as with the Orchestre National de France and Cristian Măcelaru.

Highlights of his 2025/2026 season include major international tours: in Japan with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Klaus Mäkelä; across Europe with the Filarmonica della Scala conducted by Riccardo Chailly and the London Philharmonic Orchestra with Paavo Järvi; and in Asia with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and Jaap van Zweden. In the United States, he appears with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Marin Alsop, and in Europe with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Alongside these engagements, he presents a new recital program in major venues across Europe and North America, makes his debuts with the San Francisco Symphony and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and returns to perform with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.

As a recitalist, Alexandre Kantorow performs in the world’s foremost concert halls, including Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw (Master Pianists series), the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Philharmonie de Paris, Bozar Brussels, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Wigmore Hall in London, and Suntory Hall in Tokyo. He is also a regular guest at leading festivals such as La Roque d’Anthéron, Ravinia Festival, Verbier Festival, and the Ruhr Piano Festival.

Chamber music is another of his great passions, which he shares with Liya Petrova and Aurélien Pascal, with whom he co-directs the Musikfest and the Rencontres Musicales de Nîmes, as well as the Pianopolis Festival in Angers.

Alexandre Kantorow records exclusively for the BIS label. His recordings have received widespread international acclaim and numerous awards, including the Gramophone’s Piano Award 2025 for his album Brahms and Schubert.

In 2024, he was named Chevalier of the Ordre National du Mérite by the President of France, having previously been made Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Minister of Culture. In July of the same year, he performed Ravel’s Jeux d’eau at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games.

Alexandre Kantorow studied with Pierre-Alain Volondat, Igor Lazko, Frank Braley, and Rena Shereshevskaya.