Jean-Guihen Queyras

Curiosity, diversity and a firm focus on the music itself characterize the artistic work of Jean-Guihen Queyras. He learnt this interpretative approach from Pierre Boulez, with whom he established a long artistic partnership. His repertoire includes early music – as in his collaborations with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin – as well as contemporary music. He has given world premieres of works by, among others, Ivan Fedele, Gilbert Amy, Bruno Mantovani, Michael Jarrell and Johannes-Maria Staud. Conducted by the composer, he recorded Peter Eötvös’ Cello Concerto to mark his 70th birthday in November 2014.

Queyras was a founding member of the Arcanto Quartett and forms a celebrated trio with Isabelle Faust and Alexander Melnikov; the latter is, alongside Alexandre Tharaud, a regular accompanist. He has also collaborated with zarb specialists Bijan and Keyvan Chemirani on a Mediterranean programme.

Queyras was Artist in Residence at Concertgebouw Amsterdam and the d’Aix-en-Provence festival, Vredenburg Utrecht, De Bijloke Ghent and with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg. He often appears with renowned orchestras such as Philadelphia Orchestra, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, working with conductors such as Iván Fischer, Philippe Herreweghe, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and François-Xavier Roth.

Queyras’ discography includes, among others, the first CD of the Invisible Stream ensemble, consisting of Queyras, Raphaël Imbert, Pierre-François Blanchard and Sonny Troupé; the recording of the cello concertos by Anton Kraft and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach with the Ensemble Resonanz under the direction of Ricardo Minasi was released in 2024.

In the 2024/25 season, Queyras is resident artist at the Philharmonie de Paris, with the Residentie Orkest Den Haag and the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra. He will also be performing with the Orchestre de Paris, the Orchestre National de Belgique, the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, among others. Chamber music concerts with partners such as Isabelle Faust, Christian Poltéra and Antoine Tamestit round off his season.

Jean-Guihen Queyras 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 an instrument by Antonio Stradivari, made in 1705, made available to him by Canimex Inc. of Drummondville, Quebec, Canada.