“We can't resist Latchoumia's charismatic breath, nor his poetry!” Alain Cochard | Concertclassic
A singular pianist, Wilhem Latchoumia serves both contemporary creation and the great repertoire with equal joy and charisma. Designing programs that break away from traditional paths is the hallmark of this French musician, who impresses audiences with his ability to establish an immediate and joyful connection with the public.
Wilhem Latchoumia’s passion for contemporary creation has earned him the favor of composers such as Pierre Boulez, Gérard Pesson, Philippe Hersant, Gilbert Amy, Jonathan Harvey, Michael Jarrell, Franck Bedrossian, and Francesco Filidei. He is the instigator and performer of works inspired by Daughters of the Lonesome Isle by John Cage. He took part in the French premiere of Unsuk Chin’s Piano Concerto under the direction of Jean Deroyer with Orchestre National de Lille. He also participates in choreographic projects such as Achterland by Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker or, more recently, he performed alongside Sonia Wieder-Atherton in the creation of Nous, le radeau / We, The Lust by Emio Greco at the Philharmonie de Paris.
In France, Wilhem Latchoumia regularly performs in Paris (Auditorium de Radio France, Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, Opéra Comique, Cité de la Musique, CENTQUATRE, Festival Présences), at the Théâtre d’Orléans, the Capitole de Toulouse, and Lyon opera. He is a guest at major festivals such as Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo, Piano aux Jacobins in Toulouse, La Roque d’Anthéron, Messiaen au Pays de la Meije, Biennale Musiques en Scène in Lyon (GRAME), and Lille Piano(s) Festival.
Internationally, Wilhem Latchoumia performs at venues such as the Barbican Centre in London, Salle Philharmonique in Liège, BOZAR in Brussels, Concertgebouw in Bruges, as well as in New York, the Beijing Modern Music Festival, the Electronic Music Week in Shanghai, Buenos Aires, Martinique, Italy, San Sebastián, and Berlin.
Wilhem Latchoumia has also performed as a soloist with Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France (Pascal Rophé), Orchestre National de Lille (Paul Polivnik, Benjamin Shwartz, Yann Robin), Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, Orchestre National de Lyon, and Orchestre de Chambre Nouvelle-Aquitaine, with which he performed Des Canyons aux étoiles by Messiaen under the direction of Jean-François Heisser.
He has performed under the baton of Peter Csaba, Andrei Galanov, and Christian Arming, with Rostov Symphony Orchestra, Liège Philharmonic Orchestra, Seoul and Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestras, as well as with the Teatro Colón Orchestra. He collaborates with the Tokyo Sinfonietta, Ensemble Orchestral Contemporain (Daniel Kawka), ensembles Ictus, 2e2m, Accroche Note, Hermes, and Linea, violist Christophe Desjardins, Diotima, Tana, and Béla quartets, as well as pianists Marie Vermeulin, Vanessa Wagner, and Cédric Tiberghien.
His discography is rich and varied and always receives the best awards. Since 2014, he has recorded for La Dolce Volta label.
- 2007 : Piano & Electronic Sounds, features works by Jonathan Harvey, John Cage, Pierre Jodlowski and Luc Ferrari (Choc du Monde de la Musique)
- 2008 : Impressões, dedicated to Villa-Lobos and Ginastera (Choc du Monde de la Musique, Diapason d’or, “Best recording” from Audio Clásica)
- 2014 : Extase Maxima, dedicated to Wagner and his transcribers, recorded within a extensive tour supported by Palazzetto Bru Zane (Choc de Classica, Maestro from Pianiste Magazine)
- 2016 : Falla : Solo Piano Works (5 Diapasons, Maestro from Pianiste Magazine, Joker from Crescendo, FFFF from Télérama)
- 2019 : Cinderella, works by Prokofiev and Cowell (5 Diapasons, FFFF from Télérama)
- 2021 : This is America, duo album duo with Vanessa Wagner (Diapason d’or, Choc Classica).
- 2023 : Do Brasil – Villa-Lobos (Choc Classica, 5 Diapasons)
- 2024 : Piano Twins, duo album duo with Vanessa Wagner
Wilhem Latchoumia obtained his First Prize at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon (classes of Éric Heidsieck and Géry Moutier). He continued his training in an advanced class with Géry Moutier. A student of Claude Helffer, he also attended masterclasses with Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, and György Kurtág. Holder of a degree in musicology, he is a laureate of the Hewlett-Packard Foundation and the 12th Montsalvatge International Contemporary Music Competition (Girona, Spain). In 2006, he won the First Prize with Special Mention Blanche Selva, along with five other prizes at the International Piano Competition of Orléans.
