I was born in a small French town near Paris called Chantilly. My musical education began at Le Ménestrel, the village’s music school. This modest and inconspicuous music school happened to have one of the most brilliant French pianists and teachers in their faculty, Olivier Cazal. I began studying with Olivier when I was nine years old, and I can safely say that he was one of the most important figures in my life, on a personal and musical level. During these formative years, teachers make an indelible impression on children, and Olivier was this very special person for me. He shaped me into the person that I am today, he made me cry, he made me laugh, he made me resilient, and he taught me how to be sensitive. I am forever grateful to him.
I would also like to thank some other artists and teachers for the invaluable knowledge, attention, encouragement and inspiration they have given me. Among them are André Laplante, Robert McDonald, Alon Goldstein, Thomas Sauer and David Dubal.
Upon the advice of another very dear French mentor of mine, Hortense Cartier-Bresson, I moved to New York to study at the Manhattan School of Music from which I hold Bachelor and Master of Music degrees. Subsequently, I was offered a five-year tuition fellowship to complete my Doctor of Musical Arts at the Graduate Center, CUNY. In 2019, I completed my dissertation, a study on French pianism at the Paris Conservatory during the interwar period.
Even though I wish I could have, I was never one to enter international piano competitions. I don’t possess the fearless personality that is required to undertake such a herculean task. Sometimes I regret that I never pursued that route but, in the end, the path I’ve chosen was a natural one for me. Nevertheless, I was fortunate enough to perform in the United States, South America and Europe in major venues such as the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Symphony Space, Steinway Hall, the Roerich Museum, Chicago Cultural Center, Salle Gaveau, Salle Cortot, Salle Pleyel and the Royal Dublin Society.
Lastly, I should also mention my passion for teaching. In 2018, I founded a music school based in New York City called Opus One Music, and I very much look forward to presenting our first summer festival in July 2022.
