Sébastien Hurtaud is a French classical

cellist The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

Life

Youth

Hurtaud was born in

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle'') is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime Departments of France, department. Wi ...

in a family of artists: an older brother

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

and

recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a newsp ...

player, Jean-Christophe Hurtaud and a sister pianist and art historian, Marie-Caroline Hurtaud. His older brother took him very young to listen to Bach's ''

St Matthew Passion The ''St Matthew Passion'' (), BWV 244, is a '' Passion'', a sacred oratorio written by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1727 for solo voices, double choir and double orchestra, with libretto by Picander. It sets the 26th and 27th chapters of th ...

'' conducted by

Philippe Herreweghe Philippe Maria François Herreweghe, Knight Herreweghe (born 2 May 1947) is a Belgian conductor and choirmaster. Herreweghe founded La Chapelle Royale and Collegium Vocale Gent and is renowned as a conductor, with a repertoire ranging from ...

at the . He describes this concert as a very memorable experience. He quickly decided to make the cello his vocation.

Training

Hurtaud began his studies at the Conservatoire de La Rochelle in Jacques Froger's class, followed by the cellist Erwan Fauré in the

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 of

Flaine Flaine is a ski area in the Haute Savoie region of the French Alps, and is a part of the linked Grand Massif domain. It is in the territory of the communes of France, communes of Magland and Arâches-la-Frasse. Flaine is linked to Samoëns, Mori ...

and then joined the

Schola Cantorum de Paris The Schola Cantorum de Paris ( being ) is a private conservatory in Paris. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Bordes, Alexandre Guilmant and Vincent d'Indy as a counterbalance to the Paris Conservatoire's emphasis on opera. History The Schola ...

in 1996 where he obtained the diploma with the congratulations of the jury in 1997. During this period, he met the conductor

Sergiu Celibidache Sergiu Celibidache (; ; 13 August 1996) was a Romanian people, Romanian Conducting, conductor, composer, musical theorist, and teacher. Educated in his native Romania, and later in Paris and Berlin, Celibidache's career in music spanned over fi ...

during the latter's last

es. He then entered 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 ...

in 1999 in Jean-Marie Gamard's class (a member of the Via Nova Quartet). Hurtaud obtained his prize with distinction, his master's degree in

cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

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 ...

. Between 2004 and 2007, he then studied at the

Hochschule für Musik Detmold The Hochschule für Musik Detmold is a university-level music school situated in Detmold, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Academics The Hochschule offers performance degrees in composition, all orchestral instruments, piano, voice, opera, ar ...

, the

Royal Northern College of Music The Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) is a conservatoire located in Manchester, England. It is one of four conservatoires associated with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. In addition to being a centre of music education ...

with the Russian cellist Karine Georgian and the music educator

Michel Strauss Michel Strauss (born 1951, in Paris) is a French cellist. Strauss was educated by Paul Tortelier and Maurice Gendron at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he won first prizes in cello and in chamber music, before continuing his studies at Yale Univ ...

of the . Hurtaud also obtained an Artist Certificate in Andrés Díaz's class and that of Christopher Adkins (soloist of the

Dallas Symphony Orchestra The Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Dallas, Texas. Its principal performing venue is the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in the Arts District, Dallas, Arts District of downtown Dallas. History The orchestra tr ...

) at the

Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a Private university, private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, ...

of Dallas. During his years of study, he followed different master classes, including one of the latest given by

Mstislav Rostropovitch Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian cellist and conductor. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was well known for both inspiring and commissioning new works, which enlarged the cello re ...

, which was important for the young artist's early career.

Career

Between 2009 and 2011, he moved to Dallas and played with the artistic director and pianist Charles Wadsworth, as well as with

Kim Chee-yun Kim Chee Yun (; born 1970) is a violinist from Seoul, South Korea. Her professional name is "Chee-Yun". Kim performed in Korea at the age of 13. She studied at the Juilliard School with Dorothy DeLay, Hyo Kang, and Felix Galimir. She won the Yo ...

, Stephen Prutsman and Courtnay Budd. Winner of several international cello competitions (see awards), he met, thanks to the Adam Prize, the German conductor

Werner Andreas Albert Werner Andreas Albert (10 January 1935 – 10 November 2019) was a German-born Australian conductor. Personal life Albert was born in Weinheim. He began his studies in musicology and history, and later studied conducting with Herbert von Karaja ...

who became his mentor in his solo career. They played together with the

Christchurch Symphony Orchestra The Christchurch Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is the largest professional orchestra in the South Island of New Zealand, based in the city of Christchurch. It was established in 1958 as the John Ritchie String Orchestra, due to the vision and encoura ...

Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No.1. Hurtaud was invited by the New Zealand National Orchestra (NZSO) for a national tour under the direction of the Polish conductor

Antoni Wit Antoni Wit (born 7 February 1944) is a Polish conductor, composer, lawyer and professor at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music. Between 2002 and 2013, he served as the artistic director of the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra. Life a ...

to play Haydn's Cello Concerto No. 2. Hurtaud has been invited to various festivals in France and abroad: United Kingdom, Slovenia, Slovakia, United States, Panama, Greece, Malta, Russia, Japan, New Zealand. Among the works performed were Saint-Saëns's concertos with

Edmon Colomer Edmon Colomer is a Spanish conductor from Barcelona. He conducted Joaquín Rodrigo's ''Concierto de Aranjuez'' in 1991, in which Paco de Lucia Paco is a Spanish nickname for Francisco. According to folk etymology, the nickname has its origins in ...

conducting Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or Choir, choral concert. It has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture." The primary d ...

at the Festival de violoncelle de Beauvais,

Friedrich Gulda Friedrich Gulda (16 May 1930 – 27 January 2000) was an Austrian pianist and composer who worked in both the classical and jazz fields. Biography Early life and career Born in Vienna the son of a teacher, Gulda began learning to play the piano ...

with

Arie van Beek Arie van Beek (born 1951) is a Dutch music teacher and conductor. Biography Arie van Beek was born in Rotterdam in 1951, the son of Joost van Beek, conductor and long-term secretary of the Association of Orchestra Conductors. He studied percussi ...

conducting at the festival Classique au Vert and Leoš Svárovský conducting with the Philarmonie Slovaque, Shostakovich at the Festival du Vexin conducted by Dimitris Saroglou with the . He was invited back to New Zealand by the NZSO in 2017 to perform the premiere of the "

Chemin des Dames In France, the Chemin des Dames (; literally, the "ladies' path") is part of the route départementale (local road) D18 and runs east and west in the Aisne department, between in the west, the Route Nationale 2 (Laon to Soissons), and in the eas ...

" concerto dedicated to World War I veterans in Wellington and Auckland. In

, the cellist maintains a privileged relationship with pianists Pieter-Jelle Deboer,

Bruno Canino Bruno Canino (born 30 December 1935) is an Italian classical pianist, harpsichordist and composer. Early life Bruno Canino was born in Naples, Italy in 1935, where he studied piano with Vincenzo Vitale. He continued his musical education in ...

and Jérémie Honnoré, as well as with pianist Pamela Hurtado, his wife. The collaboration with the latter also led to a disc dedicated to

Hindemith Paul Hindemith ( ; ; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German and American composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major ad ...

's music at

Naxos Naxos (; , ) is a Greek island belonging to the Cyclades island group. It is the largest island in the group. It was an important centre during the Bronze Age Cycladic Culture and in the Ancient Greek Archaic Period. The island is famous as ...

"Hindemith Music for Cello". Hurtaud is also called to give master classes. In particular, he was able to give advanced courses to students at the

University of Waikato The University of Waikato (), established in 1964, is a Public university, public research university located in Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton, New Zealand. An additional campus is located in Tauranga. The university performs research in nume ...

, the Conservatoire de Laon, the Conservatoire de La Rochelle, the summer academies of Musicalta, at the , in Flaine and the Conservatoire de Paris.

Awards

* Gold medal from the Conservatoire de La Rochelle (1994) * First Prize of the International Cello Competition under the presidency of Christian Manen, in Paris (1997) * Finalist of the

Aldo Parisot Aldo Simoes Parisot (September 30, 1918 – December 29, 2018) was a Brazilian-born American cellist and cello teacher. He was first a member of the Juilliard School faculty, and then went on to serve as a music professor at the Yale School of Mu ...

International Competition, under the presidency of Aldo Parisot himself, in Yongpyong, (South-Korea) (2007) * Third prize in the International Cello Competition "Naumburg Foundation" under the chairmanship of

Robert Mann Robert Nathaniel Mann (July 19, 1920 – January 1, 2018) was a violinist, composer, conductor, and founding member of the Juilliard String Quartet, as well as a faculty member at the Manhattan School of Music. Mann, the first violinist at Jui ...

, in New-York (2008) * First prize and best Bach performance of the

Adam International Cello Festival and Competition The Adam International Cello Festival and Competition took place in Christchurch, New Zealand, every two or three years between 1995 and 2009, on the initiative of Professor Alexander Ivashkin and Professor Natalia Pavlutskaya while on the staf ...

under the presidency of

Alexander Ivashkin Alexander Vasilievich Ivashkin (), (17 August 1948 – 31 January 2014) was a Russian cellist, writer, academic and conductor. He was a professor of music and the Chair of Performance Studies at Goldsmiths, University of London since 1999, the d ...

, in

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

(New-Zealand) (2009) * Prize of the "Creative New Zealand" Foundation, in conjunction with

Gareth Farr Gareth Vincent Farr (born 29 February 1968) is a New Zealand composer and percussionist. He has released a number of classical CDs and composed a number of works performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO) and Royal New Zealand Ball ...

(2015) * Prize of the Label of the centenary of the First World War (2017).

Premieres

Hurtaud is the dedicatee of several solo pieces, chamber music and concerto: * Jonathan Grimbert-Barré: ''Sonate "Caractères"''. With Paméla Hurtado (piano), premiere at the Salon de Musique in

Franche-Comté Franche-Comté (, ; ; Frainc-Comtou dialect, Frainc-Comtou: ''Fraintche-Comtè''; ; also ; ; all ) is a cultural and Provinces of France, historical region of eastern France. It is composed of the modern departments of France, departments of Doub ...

(2007). * Jonathan Grimbert-Barré : ''Trio avec piano''. With Ryoko Yano (violin) and Paméla Hurtado (piano), premiered at the Salon de Musique en Franche-Comté (2008). * Thomas Schwan: ''Trio & Sonate''. Premiere at the Meadows Museum (2009). *

Simon Sargon Simon Arthur Sargon (April 6, 1938 – December 25, 2022) was a composer, pianist, conductor, music educator, and major creative figure in contemporary American Jewish music. His compositions include liturgical and secular pieces; opera and musical ...

: ''Three Tangos''. Premiere at the Caruth Auditorium, Dallas (2010). * Youli Galperine: ''Duo Violon Violoncelle''. Parisian premiere with violinist Alexis Galpérine (2014). * Youli Galperine: ''Pas de Deux'' dedicated to Sébastien and Paméla Hurtaud. Premiere at the Centre de Russie pour la Science et la Culture, Paris (2015) * Lucas Debargue: ''Sonate pour violoncelle et piano,'' premiere at Dom-Musiki, Moscow (2015). * Gareth Farr : ''Concerto Chemin des Dames'', premiere at Wellington and Auckland with the NZSO then with the Orchestre de Lorraine in

Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne Departments of France, department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History Early history The Ancient Diocese of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held s ...

. (2017)

References

External links

Official website

Sébastien Hurtaud
(Opera Musica)
Sébastien Hurtaud et Pamela Hurtado en récital - Un duo de caractère

Sébastien Hurtaud, violoncelle
(Op. 74 Flaine)
Gallic music for cello and piano by French cellist Sebastien Hurtaud and Italian pianist Bruno Canin
(Independent)
Debussy cello sonata 1st mvt, Sébastien Hurtaud cello
(YouTube) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hurtaud, Sebastien Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from La Rochelle Conservatoire de Paris alumni French classical cellists 21st-century French cellists