Géry Moutier (born 1957) is a French classical

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

, music educator, and director.

Life

Born in Normandy in 1957, Moutier explored the

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

at the age of four, with a mother who loved literature and a father - a graduate of the Van Der Kelen Institute - who was passionate about painting and architecture. Noticed by

Tasso Janopoulo Tasso Janopoulo ( el, Τάσος Γιαννόπουλος; 16 October 1897 in Alexandria – 1970 in Paris) was an Egyptian pianist of Greek descent, and a naturalised French citizen. He collaborated with musicians such as Henryk Szeryng, Jacques T ...

(partner of

Jacques Thibaud Jacques Thibaud (; 27 September 18801 September 1953) was a French violinist. Biography Thibaud was born in Bordeaux and studied the violin with his father before entering the Paris Conservatoire at the age of thirteen. In 1896 he jointly won th ...

), he immersed himself in the world of poetic song from the Paris of the sixties. At the age of eleven, he played at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées with the

Orchestre national d'Île-de-France The Orchestre national d'Île-de-France is a French symphony orchestra with its administrative base in Alfortville. The orchestra, made up of ninety-five permanent musicians, gives around a hundred concerts each season, thus offering Ile-de-France ...

and then with the

Orchestre national de France The Orchestre national de France (ONF; literal translation, ''National Orchestra of France'') is a French symphony orchestra based in Paris, founded in 1934. Placed under the administration of the French national radio (named Radio France sinc ...

. Received at thirteen years old at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

(piano and chamber music, writing), Moutier first studied with Lucette Descaves. She passed on to him the heritage of Yves Nat, her knowledge of

French music ''French music'' may refer to: * Music of France, music of the French people in France ''French music'' may also refer to the music of French-speaking countries: *Music of Quebec, music of the French-Canadians in Canada, most often Québécois or ...

, and invited him to work as closely as possible with living composers. He explored the repertoire of chamber music with

Jean Hubeau Jean Hubeau (22 June 191719 August 1992) was a French pianist, composer and pedagogue known especially for his recordings of Gabriel Fauré, Robert Schumann and Paul Dukas, which are recognized as benchmark versions. Biography Admitted at t ...

and Geneviève Joy-Dutilleux. After his First Prizes, he was received in a cycle of improvement where Reine Gianoli introduced him to the universe of Robert Schumann and transmitted to him her attachment - received from

Edwin Fischer Edwin Fischer (6 October 1886 – 24 January 1960) was a Swiss classical pianist and conductor. He is regarded as one of the great interpreters of J.S. Bach and Mozart in the twentieth century. Biography Fischer was born in Basel and studied ...

- to the work of

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

. She presented him to

Paul Badura-Skoda Paul Badura-Skoda (6 October 1927 – 25 September 2019) was an Austrian pianist. Career A student of Edwin Fischer, Badura-Skoda first rose to prominence by winning first prize in the Austrian Music Competition in 1947. In 1949, he perform ...

. The meetings with

György Sebők György Sebők (November 2, 1922 – November 14, 1999) was a Hungarian-born American pianist and professor at the Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. He was known worldwide as a soloist with major ...

Dmitri Bashkirov Dmitri Aleksandrovich Bashkirov (russian: Дми́трий Алекса́ндрович Башки́ров; November 1, 1931 – March 7, 2021) was a Russian pianist and academic teacher. Trained in his hometown Tbilisi and Moscow, he began an in ...

, then work with many conductors and composers determined his future. A laureate of the Cleveland International Piano Competition, and

Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition The Long–Thibaud–Crespin Competition is an international classical music competition for pianists, violinists and singers that has been held in France since 1943. (A Jacques Thibaud Competition was held the year before in Bordeaux: Jacques ...

, he was received on the day of his nineteenth birthday as a solo performer at

Radio France Radio France is the French national public radio broadcaster. Stations Radio France offers seven national networks: * France Inter — Radio France's " generalist" station, featuring entertaining and informative talk mixed with a wide variety o ...

. He was requested by

Aldo Ciccolini Aldo Ciccolini (; 15 August 1925 – 1 February 2015) was an Italian pianist who became a naturalized French citizen in 1971. Biography Aldo Ciccolini was born in Naples. His father, who bore the title of Marquis of Macerata, worked as a typogr ...

to assist him at the Conservatoire de Paris where he became the youngest permanent teacher at the age of 22. Elected to the conservatory's bodies, he was involved in the reflection concerning the transfer of the establishment to the

Cité de la Musique The Cité de la Musique ("City of Music"), also known as Philharmonie 2, is a group of institutions dedicated to music and situated in the Parc de la Villette, 19th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was designed with the nearby Conservatoire d ...

. Professor and keyboard coordinator at the , Moutier then took over the direction of the Conservatory of

Maisons-Alfort Maisons-Alfort () is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Maisons-Alfort is famous as the location of the National Veterinary School of Alfort. The Fort de Charenton, constructed betw ...

for seven years, where he gathered the teaching team around the link between education and culture, essential for the development of the child, and led the musical programming of the Theatre and the library in the same city. He returned to higher education in 1997 as a permanent professor at the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Lyon where he founded and developed the keyboard department. He participates in major academies in Europe and Asia, is a guest in

master class A master class is a class given to students of a particular discipline by an expert of that discipline—usually music, but also science, painting, drama, games, or on any other occasion where skills are being developed. "Masterclass" is als ...

es at major universities and conservatories where he tirelessly encourages young musicians in their vocation and their need to share, often to the best international awards. Several first prizes in the Orléans Piano XXth century International Competition (including Florence Cioccolani, Wilhem Latchoumia, Maroussia Gentet), from his class at the CNSMD in Lyon, illustrate his commitment to contemporary creation. His concerts have taken him to Rome (notably to the

Villa Médicis The Villa Medici () is a Mannerist villa and an architectural complex with a garden contiguous with the larger Borghese gardens, on the Pincian Hill next to Trinità dei Monti in Rome, Italy. The Villa Medici, founded by Ferdinando I de' Medici ...

), Prague, Moscow, Budapest, Vienna, Montreal, Seoul, etc. Moutier shared the stage with Gérard Jarry, Olivier Charlier,

Raphaël Oleg Raphaël Oleg (born 8 September 1959) is a French violinist, violist and conductor. Biography Born in Paris, Raphaël Oleg is the son of composer Alexandre Oleg. He began playing the violin at the age of seven with Hélène Arnitz, then, at the ...

, Boris Garlitsky, Amy Flammer, Roland Daugareil,

Laurent Korcia Laurent Korcia (born 1964) is a French violinist who studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. After receiving a Premier Prix from the Conservatoire, he won the Paganini Competition in Genoa, a Grand Prix at the Jacques ...

Dong-Suk Kang Dong-Suk Kang (born April 28, 1954) is a South Korean violinist. Biography Kang was born in Seoul, and played his first concert at the age of eight. He went to New York in 1967 to study at the Juilliard School and completed his education with Iva ...

, Gérard Poulet, Tasso Adamopoulos,

Bruno Pasquier Bruno Pasquier (born 10 December 1943 in Neuilly-sur-Seine), is a French violist, the son of Pierre Pasquier, also a violist. Biography After a First Prize at the Conservatoire de Paris in 1961, Pasquier won the ARD International Music Comp ...

, Pierre-Henri Xuereb, Michel Michalakakos, , Roland Pidoux,

Philippe Muller Philippe Muller (born 20 April 1946, in Mulhouse) is a French cellist. Biography Philippe Muller (born April 20, 1946, in Mulhouse) is a French cellist and pedagogue. His first contact with the cello was under the guidance of Dominique Prete, p ...

, Alain Meunier, Jacques Di Donato, Alain Marion, Vincent Lucas, Philippe Pierlot, and with the Rosamonde, Ludwig and Castagneri string quartets. On 1 September 2009, Moutier was appointed director of the

Conservatoire national supérieur musique et danse de Lyon A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...

, establishment he will leave after three successive terms. While putting training by the stage at the heart of the curriculum he developed the Doctorate of Music Research and Practice, the international programs of artistic creation InMics and CoPeCO, numerous professional production and distribution partnerships (major festivals, orchestras, opera, companies, creation centres, CCN, Biennales), the renewal of musical and stage creation forms with other art schools (
EnsbalEnsal
), and deep, intellectual and practical links with leading scientific and social science schools (co-founder of th
CHELS
wit
ENSSciences-PoEcole Centrale
VetAgro Sup). Moutier has had the institution's real estate extension project approved, voted to extend mediation training to all students and adopted one of the first W/M Equality Charters for the institutions of the French

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: *Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) *Ministry of Culture (Argentina) *Minister for the Arts (Australia) *Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan) * Ministry of ...

. Father of four children, including the trombonist Nicolas Moutier, Moutier is married to

Hélène Bouchez Hélène Bouchez (born 1973) is a French woman conductor. Life Bouchez was born in Paris and grew up in Norway. After literary studies in hypokhâgne and khâgne (Lycée Fénelon, Paris) and a master's degree in musicology (Paris Sorbonne an ...

, conductor.

References

Awards

By decree of August 31, 2018, Moutier was promoted to the rank of Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres

Bibliography

* *

External links

''Interview croisée Géry Moutier - directeur du CNSMD & Thierry Pariente - directeur de l’ENSATT''

Piano concerto 1 Liszt, Gery Moutier, live first part
(YouTube) {{DEFAULTSORT:Moutier, Gery 1957 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Conservatoire de Paris alumni Conservatoire de Paris faculty Directors of the Conservatoire de Paris 20th-century French male classical pianists 21st-century French male classical pianists Officiers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres French music educators