Hеlеne Grimaud (Piano soloist)
Grimaud was born in Aix-en-Provence, France. She is descended from Sephardi
Jews from Corsica on her mother`s side and from Berber Jews on her father`s
side. She has stated that as a child she was often "agitated". She discovered
the piano at seven. She entered the Conservatoire de Paris in 1982 where she
studied with Jacques Rouvier. In 1985 she won first prize at the Conservatory
and the Grand Prix du Disque of the Academie Charles Cros for her recording of
the Rachmaninov Piano Sonata No. 2. In 1987, she launched her professional
career with a solo recital in Paris and a performance with the Orchestre de
Paris under Daniel Barenboim.
At 21, Grimaud moved to Florida, United States and later lived outside New
York City. After some time spent in Berlin, she currently resides in
Switzerland. She is known for her passion for wolves, which she studies and
raises. She now divides her time between her musical career and the Wolf
Conservation Center, which she co-founded with her then-companion, the
photographer J. Henry Fair. She also experiences synesthesia, where one physical
sense adds input to another, for example tasting words, or in her case, seeing
music as color.
She performed at the Last Night of the BBC Proms in London in September 2008,
playing the piano part of Beethoven`s Choral Fantasia.
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