Biography

In 2019, at the age of 22, Alexandre Kantorow became the first French pianist to win First Prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition, as well as the Grand Prix, an exceptional distinction awarded only three times in the competition’s history. Acclaimed by critics, who have described him as the “reincarnation of Liszt” (Fanfare), he has since received numerous accolades and performed on the world’s most prestigious stages.

In 2024, he made history once again by becoming not only the first French recipient, but also the youngest-ever winner of the Gilmore Artist Award, one of the most prestigious international piano prizes, awarded every four years.

Alexandre Kantorow regularly collaborates with some of the leading conductors of his generation, including Iván Fischer, Antonio Pappano, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Klaus Mäkelä, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Manfred Honeck, Teodor Currentzis and John Eliot Gardiner.

He is a regular guest of many of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris and the Budapest Festival Orchestra, with whom he performs on international tours.

As a recitalist, Alexandre Kantorow is also a regular guest at major international venues, including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Philharmonie de Paris, Wigmore Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, and Bozar in Brussels.

The 2026/27 season takes him across four continents for several international tours. In China, he reunites with Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra ; in Japan, he performs with the NHK Symphony Orchestra conducted by Tugan Sokhiev. In Europe, he appears with Antonio Pappano and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, as well as with Iván Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra, before rejoining the latter in the United States for a tour including a performance with the New York Philharmonic. Also in the United States, he opens The Philadelphia Orchestra’s season alongside Yannick Nézet-Séguin. He also performs with The Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of Semyon Bychkov, as well as with Klaus Mäkelä and the Orchestre de Paris.

A passionate chamber musician, Alexandre shares the stage with Sergey Khachatryan, Janine Jansen, with whom he undertakes two European tours, and Liya Petrova.

He is also Co-Artistic Director of the Musikfest, the Rencontres Musicales de Nîmes and the Pianopolis Festival in Angers.

Alexandre Kantorow records exclusively for BIS. His recordings have received widespread international critical acclaim and numerous accolades, including the 2025 Gramophone Piano Award for his album dedicated to Brahms and Schubert.

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

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