“We can't resist Latchoumia's charismatic breath, nor his poetry!” Alain Cochard | Concertclassic
Wilhem Latchoumia is unique in the field of music. He embraces both new music and classical repertoire with as much success as charisma. The way he creates original programs is therefore seen by many as his signature. In the meantime, he has this strong and jubilant bond with the audience.
In France, he has performed on numerous occasions at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, the Opéra Comique, the Cité de la Musique, the CENTQUATRE, the Théâtre d’Orléans, the Musée d’Orsay Auditorium, Toulouse Capitole, Lyon, Saint-Etienne and Dijon Operas, as well as the Fondation Royaumont. He has also been invited by international festivals such as Printemps des Arts de Monte Carlo, Piano aux Jacobins in Toulouse, La Roque d’Anthéron, Besançon and Aix-en-Provence, and has close relationship with Strasbourg-Musica, the Festival Messian au Pays de la Meije, Musiques en scène Biennale in Lyon (GRAME), Lille Piano(s) Festival and more…
Abroad, audiences enjoy his performances in many festivals and venues such as London Barbican Centre, Liege Philharmonic Hall, Brussels BOZAR and Brugge Concertgebouw, the Institute For Contemporary Performance (Mannes College) in New York City, the Beijing Modern Music Festival and Shanghai Electronik Music Week, as well as Buenos Aires Encuentros Festival, the Retour au Pays Natal festival in Martinique, in Italy (Gubbio Summer Festival and Traiettorie festival in Parma), Berlin (Young Euro Classic Festival), San Sebastian (Quincena musical)…
He will make his debuts at the Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik next spring.
International tours have taken him to Lebanon, Greece, Turkey, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, Poland, China, Corea, USA and South America.
As a soloist, Wilhem Latchoumia has performed with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France (Pascal Rophé, Joshua Dos Santos), the Orchestre National de Lille (Paul Polivnik, Benjamin Shwartz, Yann Robin), the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire (Grieg’s concerto, 2017) and the Orchestre National de Lyon (Peter Rundel) in Unsuk Chin’s piano concerto – which he had premiered in France with the Orchestre National de Lille (Jean Deroyer). He played Strauss’ Burlesque with the Orchestre National d’Ile-de-France (Ainars Rubikis) and Messiaen’s Des Canyons aux étoiles with the Orchestre de Chambre Nouvelle Aquitaine (Jean-François Heisser). He has also performed under the direction of Gilbert Amy, Peter Csaba, with the Rostow Symphony orchestra (Andrei Galanov), Liège (Christian Arming), Seoul and Daejean philharmonic orchestras, as well as Teatro Colon orchestra. Among his partners: the Tokyo Sinfonietta (Yasuaki Itakura), the Ensemble Orchestral Contemporain (Daniel Kawka), Ictus, 2e2m, Accroche Note and Linea ensembles, violist Christophe Desjardins, Diotima and Tana Quartets, pianists Marie Vermeulin, Vanessa Wagner and Cédric Tiberghien…
Wilhem Latchoumia is one of the most sought-after performers: his passion for contemporary music has led him to collaborate with composers such as Pierre Boulez, Philippe Hersant, Gérard Pesson, Gilbert Amy, Pierre Jodlowski, Franck Bedrossian, Samuel Sighicelli, Michael Jarrell, Jonathan Harvey, Oscar Bianchi, Francesco Filidei, Karl Naegelen, José Manuel Lopez-Lopez, Mikel Urquiza… He has inspired and performed a new production supported by the Fondation Royaumont around John Cage’s Daughters of the lonesome Isle, which toured in France and abroad. He loves taking part in choreographic projects; the next one will be Achterland, a production by Rosas / Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker.
“Extase Maxima”, Wilhem Latchoumia’s CD released in 2014, was recorded during a long tour supported by Palazzetto Bru Zane. Devoted to Wagner and his transcribers, it has launched his collaboration with French label La Dolce Volta. Awarded by a Choc (“Classica”) and a Maestro (“Pianiste”), this CD followed two critically-acclaimed recordings: “Piano and Electronic Sounds” (Sisyphe) rewarded by a Choc (“Monde de la Musique”) and “Impressoes” (Sony BMG / RCA), dedicated to Villa-Lobos (a.o.) that won a Choc as well, a Diapason d’or and the Audio Clasica magazine « best recording » award. He joined the Diotima Quartet for a CD devoted to composer Miroslav Srnka, released by naïve in March 2016.
Wilhem Latchoumia’s latest solo recording is devoted to Manuel de Falla’s piano work (La Dolce Volta, 2016), for which he obtained 5 Diapasons, a Maestro from the magazine Pianiste and Télérama’s well-known FFFF.
Wilhem Latchoumia studied at the Conservatoire National de Musique et de Danse in Lyon (Eric Heidsieck’s and Géry Moutier’s classes) where he was awarded the first Prize with unanimous jury congratulations. He completed his training with Géry Moutier in perfection classes. Then he studied with Claude Helffer and benefited from Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen’s and Pierre-Laurent Aimard’s master classes. He holds a bachelor’s degree in musicology and has received several prizes and awards, including the Hewlett-Packard Foundation, the 12th Montsalvatge International Piano Competition, the First prize with Special Distinction Blanche Selva, as well as five other prizes of the 2006 Orléans International Piano Competition.
“His capacity to slip between the different spaces of a music, is combined with the ability to read between the lines of a score. Thus, he delivers Crumb’s Nocturnal Fantasia with clearness that will be the privilege of Liszt’s legacy (Nuages Gris, Funérailles), and the festal flights of fancy of Villa-Lobos (Ciclo Brasileiro)”
Pierre Gervasoni | Le Monde (August 23, 2007)
“The summit is reached with Archipel IV by André Boucourechliev. A contemporary work, reputed to be difficult but which the pianist invites us to devour like a detective novel.”
Olivier Bellamy | Le Parisien (August 19, 2007)
“We can’t resist Latchoumia’s charismatic breath, nor his poetry!”
Alain Cochard | Concertclassic (April 12, 2007)
“A brilliant young pianist: a dramatic elegance, a pallet of sounds, a supple and franc touch”
Télérama (November 2006)
