François-Joel Thiollier is one of today’s most complete pianists and musicians. Franco-American by birth, he has assimilated the best of several cultures: born in Paris, he played his first concert at the age of five in New York. As a child, he studied in France with Robert Casadesus and distinguished teachers of the Paris Conservatoire. Subsequently, he studied with Sascha Gorodnitzki at the Juilliard School of Music where he obtained both bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the record ages of eighteen and nineteen, with top honours and awards in all subjects, both academic and musical. He went on to win eight Grands Prix in international piano competitions, notably the Brussels Queen Elisabeth and the Moscow Tchaikosky Prizes.

His enormous repertoire of some eighty concertos, his exceptional musical culture and his extraordinary pianistic command are the key to his international success as he now gives concerts in over thirty countries with the leading orchestras, winning the highest critical acclaim. His recordings for Naxos include the award-winning complete piano music of Debussy, the complete piano music of Ravel, and works by Manuel de Falla, d’Indy and César Franck, in addition to other award-winning releases for a number of other labels. His DVDs include Mozart’s Chamber Concertos, K 413, K 414 and K 449 and the complete piano music of Gershwin for Multigram and Venice Channel.

François-Joël Thiollier was named Officier des Arts et Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication in 2003.