Gautier Capuçon (born 3 September 1981) is a French classical cellist who made an international career. He is the younger brother of violinist Renaud Capuçon.
Early life Gautier Capuçon was born in Chambéry, Savoie, on 3 September 1981, the youngest of three siblings. His brother is the violinist Renaud Capuçon. Gautier Capuçon interview, Virgin Classics promotional film, 2003Gautier Capuçon interview, Borletti-Buitoni Trust, London, 2004Capuçon started learning the cello when he was four years old under Augustin Lefèbvre. He also started learning piano at the age of seven with the aim to play jazz.
As a student, Capuçon played cello in the European Community Youth Orchestra (now the European Union Youth Orchestra) and also in the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, playing under conductors including Bernard Haitink, Pierre Boulez and Claudio Abbado.
Capuçon first studied at the Conservatoire à rayonnement régional de Chambéry where he graduated with first prizes in cello and piano. Then in Paris, he studied the cello initially with Annie Cochet-Zakine, who had heard him in Chambéry and brought him with her to the Conservatoire Supérieur de Paris (CNR). Capuçon then became a pupil of cello pedagogue Philippe Muller at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris (CNSMP), where he graduated in 2000 with first prizes in cello and chamber music. He also studied piano as his second instrument under Christophe Egiziano. After that, he finished his studies with Heinrich Schiff at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna.International Who's Who in Classical Music 2008, pub: Routledge (2008)
Career Gautier Capuçon has performed and recorded music since the 2000s. His first recording was Ravel's Sonatas and Piano Trio with Renaud Capuçon and Frank Braley. In addition, Capuçon has featured in EMI's annual CD releases of live recordings from the Lugano Festival each year, "Martha Argerich & Friends", at which he is a frequent returning guest performer.
In 2014 he started a teaching program called the Classe d'Excellence de Violoncello with funding from the Fondation Louis Vuitton. The program was created for pre-professional graduate students and has featured musicians such as Margarita Balanas, Nathan Chan, Julia Hagen, and Stéphane Tétreault. He also became an ambassador for Orchestra à l'École in 2020. An organisation promoting orchestral music in schools.
This was succeeded by the Foundation Gautier Capuçon in 2022, which included financial scholarships, and permitted violinists, violists and pianists. The foundation is supported by the Fondation de France and alongside Capuçon, is headed by Frank Braley and Alain Altinoglu. Laureatues include Anastasia Rizikov.
Capuçon hosted the radio show Les Garnets de Gautier Capuçon on Radio Classique from 2019-2025. He has also been a judge on the French 2's annual children's talent show Prodiges, which features classical ballet and music, since 2014. Other television credits include an episode of Now Hear This on the American television network PBS, hosted by Scott Yoo; Symphony Pour la Vie; and The Artist Academy.
Un été en France (A Summer in France) is a series of concerts created by Capuçon that began in 2020. It features young artists, including those from his education programs.
Cello Capuçon's principal instrument is a 1701 Matteo Goffriller cello which he has on loan.Gautier Capuçon interview, EMI Classics promotion film "Gautier Capuçon – Dvorak and Herbert cello concertos", Dec 2008 The cello is named L'Ambassadeur and was loaned to him by "a private donor". He also has a 1746 José Contreras cello on loan from BSI (Banca della Svizzera Italiana).
Speaking about his Goffriller cello in April 2008, he said:Gautier Capuçon speaking on BBC radio, recorded April 2008, broadcast 2 May 2008
I am very lucky to be playing this cello for ten, nearly eleven, years now. It is a Matteo Goffriller, of the Venetian school, from 1701. All the Goffriller cellos that I have tried are not easy to play. For each note you need to know how much bow pressure, how much vibrato and how much bow speed you can put on it. It is an instrument that you really need to know to be able to play; it is not like a Montagnana or a Stradivarius. Montagnana, for example – most of them are really easy to play. So in a way, on the Goffriller, I probably search more and look more for different things.
Describing a Montagnana cello as his "dream" instrument of choice, he said: "I hope one day to be able to play on a Montagnana."
Awards 1998: Maurice Ravel International Academy of Music Competition - First Prize 1999: Adam International Cello Competition - Second Prize 1999: André Navarra International Cello Competition - First Prize 2001: Victoires de la Musique Classique - New Talent of the Year 2004: Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award 2004: ECHO Klassik Award - Young Artist of the Year 2007: ECHO Klassik Award - Chamber Music Recording of the Year (20th/21st Century) 2011: ECHO Klassik Award - Concerto Recording of the Year 2012: ECHO Klassik Award - Chamber Music Recording of the Year (19th Century/Mixed Ensemble)
Discography Gautier Capuçon was an exclusive recording artist for Virgin Classics (a division of EMI). In 2015 he recorded for Erato, a division of Warner Music Group.
Orchestral Dvorak – Cello Concerto, 2009 Herbert – Cello Concerto no.2, 2009 Haydn – Cello Concertos, 2003 Brahms – Double Concerto, 2007 Tchaikovsky – Variations on a Rococo Theme, 2010 Prokofiev – Sinfonia Concertante, 2010 Brahms – Double Concerto, 2011 Saint-Saëns - Cello Concerto n°1, 2013 Shostakovich – Cello Concertos, 2015 Schumann - Cello Concerto, 2019
Chamber Ravel – Chamber Music, 2002 Face à Face: Violin & Cello Duets, 2003 Saint Saëns – Carnival of the Animals, 2003 Brahms Piano Trios, 2004 Schubert – Trout Quintet, 2004 Inventions: Violin & Cello Duets (Bach, Eisler, Karol Beffa, Bartok, Martinu), 2006 Schubert Piano Trios, 2007 Rachmaninov & Prokofiev: Cello Sonatas, 2008 Fauré: Complete chamber music for strings, 2011
Other albums He also released these albums: Year Album Peak positions Notes FRA BEL (Fl) BEL (Wa) NLD SWI2018Intuition52117101102782020Emotions20572021Souvenirs701212022Sensations449622023Destination Paris93
Collaborations
Date album title Credited to2013Gautier Capuçon plays Schubert, Schumann, Debussy & BrittenGautier Capuçon / Frank Braley2013 Saint-Saëns: La muse et le poète Renaud Capuçon / Gautier Capuçon / Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France / Lionel Bringuier2013 Schubert: Arpeggione Gautier Capuçon / Frank Braley2015 Shostakovich: The Cello Concertos Gautier Capuçon / Mariinsky Orchestra / Valery Gergiev2016Schubert: String Quintet, Op. 163 & LiederQuatuor Ébène / Gautier Capuçon / Matthias Goerne2016 Beethoven: Complete Works for Cello & Piano Gautier Capuçon / Frank Braley2017 Szymanowski: Concert Overture, Op. 12 - Lutosławski: Cello Concerto & Symphony No. 4 Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra / Gautier Capuçon / Alexander Liebreich2019 Franck - Chopin Gautier Capuçon / Yuja Wang
DVDs Date album title Credited to2013 The European Concert - Brahms / Haydn / Beethoven (as DVD) Gautier Capuçon / Berliner Philharmoniker / Gustavo Dudamel
Management Gautier Capuçon is represented by:
France: Agence Artistique Jacques Thelen, Paris UK: Harrison Parrott Germany: Weigold & Böhm North America: Columbia Artists Management Inc., New York Japan: Kajimoto Concert Management, Tokyo
Personal life Capuçon was married to French concert cellist Delphine Borsarello from 2007 to 2024. The pair have two daughters, Fée and Sissi, who also play music.
Capuçon enjoys playing jazz piano recreationally.
He had an appendectomy in 2009 that caused him to cancel a concert with the San Francisco Symphony
References
External links Official website Gautier Capuçon's discography on Warner Classics/ERATO