Géry Moutier (born 1957) is a French classical

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

, music educator, and director.

Life

Born in Normandy in 1957, Moutier explored the

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

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 (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 The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées () is an entertainment venue standing at 15 avenue Montaigne in Paris. It is situated near Avenue des Champs-Élysées, from which it takes its name. Its eponymous main hall may seat up to 1,905 people, while th ...

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 (; ; abbr. ONF) is a French symphony orchestra based in Paris, founded in 1934. Placed under the administration of the French national radio (named Radio France since 1975), the ONF performs mainly in the Grand ...

. Received at thirteen years old at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), or 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 Jean Ja ...

(piano and

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...

, writing), Moutier first studied with Lucette Descaves. She passed on to him the heritage of

Yves Nat Yves Philippe Avit Nat (29 December 1890 – 31 August 1956) was a French pianist and composer. Biography Nat was born in Béziers and showed an early aptitude for both piano and composition. By the age of seven he was allowed to improvise each ...

, 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 the a ...

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 Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

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 m ...

- to the work of

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

. 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 performed w ...

. 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 majo ...

Dmitri Bashkirov Dmitri Aleksandrovich Bashkirov (; November 1, 1931 – March 7, 2021) was a Russian pianist and academic teacher. Trained in his hometown Tbilisi and Moscow, he began an international career as a soloist when he won the Marguerite Long Piano Co ...

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

Cleveland International Piano Competition The Cleveland International Piano Competition is an American piano competition that takes place biennially in Cleveland, Ohio. The initial Competition in 1975 and the nine others that followed were sponsored jointly by the Robert Casadesus Society ...

, 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 media, generalist" station, featuring entertaining and informative talk mixed wi ...

. 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, whose family bore the title of Marquis in the city of Macera ...

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 Conservatoi ...

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

Maisons-Alfort Maisons-Alfort () is a Communes of France, commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. Maisons-Alfort is famous as the location of the National Veterinary School of Alfort. The Fo ...

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 The Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Lyon (; "Lyon National Superior Conservatory of Dance and Music"; CNSMDL), often simply the Conservatoire de Lyon, is a conservatory for the study of music and dance, located in Lyon ...

where he founded and developed the keyboard department. He participates in major academies in Europe and Asia, is a guest in

master class ''Master Class'' is a 1995 play by American playwright Terrence McNally, presented as a fictional master class by opera singer Maria Callas near the end of her life, in the 1970s. The play features incidental vocal music by Giuseppe Verdi, Giac ...

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 sixteenth-century Italian Mannerist villa and an architectural complex with 7-hectare Italian garden, contiguous with the more extensive Borghese gardens, on the Pincian Hill next to Trinità dei Monti in the historic c ...

), Prague, Moscow, Budapest, Vienna, Montreal, Seoul, etc. Moutier shared the stage with

Gérard Jarry Gérard Jarry (Châtellerault, 6 June 1936 – Saint-Eliph, 18 January 2004) was a French classical violinist. In June 1951, he won the "Premier Grand Prix" at the Concours-Long-Thibaud, at the age of 15. In 1959, he founded the String Trio Fr ...

Olivier Charlier Olivier Charlier (born 17 February 1961) is a French classical violinist. He plays on a violin by Carlo Bergonzi dated 1747. Biography Charlier was born in Albert, Somme and admitted at the age of 10 to the Conservatoire de Paris where he at ...

, Raphaël Oleg, Boris Garlitsky, Amy Flammer, Roland Daugareil, Laurent Korcia, Dong-Suk Kang, Gérard Poulet,

Tasso Adamopoulos Tasso Adamopoulos (June 1944 – 3 January 2021)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 Roland Pidoux (born 29 October 1946, in Paris) is a French contemporary cellist and conductor. Biography Roland Pidoux studied at the Conservatoire de Paris until 1966. His masters were André Navarra, Jean Hubeau and Joseph Calvet. He enter ...

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

Alain Meunier 2014 Alain Meunier (born 22 June 1942 in Paris) is a French cellist. Meunier was born in Paris, the third child among four siblings. Starting the cello at the age of 13 and received premier prix in chamber music at 15 and in cello at 16. He sudde ...

Jacques Di Donato Jacques Di Donato (born 27 August 1942) is a French musician and improviser. A clarinetist, saxophonist and drummer, he works in various fields ranging from jazz to contemporary music, classical music and improvised music. He was a clarinet teacher ...

Alain Marion Alain Marion (25 December 1938 – 16 August 1998) was a French flutist, and considered one of the world's best flute players of the late twentieth century. Biography Marion was born in Marseille on Christmas Day 1938. He studied at the Marseill ...

Vincent Lucas Vincent Lucas (born in 1967) is a French classical transverse flute player. International career Lucas began studying the transverse flute at the age of 8 at the . In 1981 joined the Conservatoire de Paris (CNSMDP) as a first appointed. In 1 ...

Philippe Pierlot Philippe Pierlot (born 1958) is a Belgian viola da gamba player and a conductor in historically informed performance. He is also an academic teacher at the royal conservatories of The Hague and Brussels. Career Born in Liège, Pierlot learned t ...

, and with the Rosamonde,

Ludwig Ludwig may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ludwig (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Ludwig (surname), including a list of people * Ludwig von Koopa, a character in Mario (the game) Arts and entertai ...

and Castagneri

string quartet The term string quartet refers to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two Violin, violini ...

s. 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 in ...

, 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 o ...

. Father of four children, including the trombonist

Nicolas Moutier Nicolas Moutier (born 3 March 1983) is a French classical trombonist, soloist at the Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg and teacher at the conservatoire de Strasbourg. Life Born in Paris, Moutier, son of pianist Géry Moutier, entered the ...

, Moutier is married to Hélène Bouchez, conductor.

Awards

By decree of August 31, 2018, Moutier was promoted to the rank of Officer of the

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

References

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 Academic staff of the Conservatoire de Paris Directors of the Conservatoire de Paris 20th-century French male classical pianists 20th-century French classical pianists 21st-century French male classical pianists 21st-century French classical pianists Officiers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres French music educators