Curiosity, diversity, and a firm focus on the music itself characterize the artistic work of Jean-Guihen Queyras. Whether on stage or on record, this is an artist dedicated completely and passionately to the music, whose humble and unpretentious treatment of the score reflects its clear, undistorted essence. The inner motivations of the composer, performer, and audience must all be in tune with one another in order to bring about an outstanding concert experience: Jean-Guihen Queyras learnt this interpretative approach from Pierre Boulez, with whom he established a long artistic partnership. This philosophy, alongside flawless technique and a clear, engaging tone, also shapes Jean-Guihen Queyras’ approach to every performance and his absolute commitment to the music itself.

His approaches to early music – as in his collaborations with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin – and to contemporary music are equally thorough. He has given world premieres of works by, among others, Ivan Fedele, Gilbert Amy, Bruno Mantovani, Michael Jarrell, Johannes Maria Staud, Thomas Larcher, and Tristan Murail. Conducted by the composer, he recorded Peter Eötvös’ Cello Concerto to mark the composer’s 70th birthday in 2014.

The versatility in his music-making has led to invitations from many concert halls, festivals, and orchestras to be Artist in Residence, including the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Vredenburg Music Centre in Utrecht, De Bijloke in Ghent, and the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra.

Jean-Guihen Queyras often appears with renowned orchestras such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, London Symphony Orchestra, Gewandhaus Orchestra, and the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, working with conductors including Iván Fischer, Philippe Herreweghe, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, François-Xavier Roth, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, and Sir Roger Norrington.

Highlights in the 2022/23 season include concerts with his ensembles Invisible Stream and Thrace, concert tours to Japan and Canada, invitations from the Prague Symphony Orchestra, the Bochum Symphony Orchestra, the Residentie Orchestra in The Hague, and the Hamburg State Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as chamber music concerts with Alexander Melnikov, Jörg Widmann, the Belcea Quartet, Quatuor Modigliani, and Isabelle Faust. Alongside Yuja Wang, Jean-Guihen Queyras has been a Spotlight Artist of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in 2022/23 and was a Resident Artist at the Cello Biennale Amsterdam in 2022.

Jean-Guihen Queyras holds a professorship at the University of Music Freiburg and is the Artistic Director of the Rencontres Musicales de Haute-Provence festival in Forcalquier. He plays a 1696 instrument by Gioffredo Cappa, made available to him by the Mécénat Musical Société Générale.

We would like to thank the following members of our Masterclass Giving Circle, whose collective support will enable the artistic development of the next generation of Australian chamber musicians: Nicholas Callinan AO & Elizabeth Callinan, Caroline & Robert Clemente, Ian Frazer AM & Caroline Frazer, Patricia H Reid Endowment Fund, Andrew Sisson AO & Tracey Sisson, Mick and Margaret Toller, Anonymous (2).

Musica Viva Masterclasses in Western Australia are supported by Wesfarmers Arts.