"This is one of the most intriguing yet bewildering recitals I have encountered in a long time. At her fines Hélène Grimaud is a truly remarkable artist capable of transcending the piano's essentially percussive nature to create magical worlds of tonal half-lights and ecstatic vocal metaphors." International Record Review (London), December 2008 (CD review Bach)Hélène Grimaud was born in Aix-en-Provence in 1969. She studied with Jacqueline Courtin at the conservatory there and subsequently in Marseille with Pierre Barbizet. At the age of 13 she was accepted by the Paris Conservatoire where she won the first prize in piano in 1985. In July, immediately after graduating, she recorded Rachmaninov's Sonata no. 2 and the complete Études-Tableaux op. 33 (Grand Prix du disque, 1986). She studied additionally with György Sándor and Leon Fleisher. The year 1987 marked a decisive turning point in her career with her first recital in Tokyo and Daniel Barenboim's invitation to perform with the Orchestre de Paris.  1988  First performs for pianist Dmitri Bashkirov, who becomes an important influence on her playing. Appearance at the Lockenhaus Festival at the invitation of Gidon Kremer; he and Martha Argerich become further important influences in her career 1990 Debuts with leading orchestras in the USA and Europe. Settles in the USA. New York recital debut; European debut with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic under Temirkanov at the Aix-en-Provence Festival 1993  Tours Germany with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra under Neeme Järvi 1995  Debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker under Claudio Abbado 1996  Highly successful tour of Spain with Jeffrey Tate and the English Chamber Orchestra; performs with the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra under Abbado at the Lucerne and Pesaro festivals 1997  Records Brahms's Concerto no. 1 with Kurt Sanderling and the Berlin Staatskapelle (Cannes Classical Recording of the Year, 1999) 1999  New York Philharmonic debut under Kurt Masur 2000  Debuts with the Boston Symphony and Philadelphia orchestras. European festival tour with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony. Performs Beethoven's Concerto no. 4 with the Berliner Philhar¬moniker and gives a solo recital in the Philharmonie which is filmed for telecast 2001 Debut in Amsterdam with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Riccardo Chailly. Beethoven's Concerto no. 4 in Paris, and at the London Proms with the Orchestre de Paris and Eschenbach 2002  She is appointed an "Offi¬cier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" by the French Ministry of Culture. Signs an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon.  2003  Gives world premiere of new work by Arvo Pärt at London's Tate Modern and performs Schumann's Piano Concerto with the Philharmonia at the Festival Hall. Festival appearances at the BBC Proms and Edinburgh. Records Pärt's Credo in the composer's presence; the recording also features Coriglia¬no's Fantasia on an ostinato and Beethoven's Choral Fantasy and "Tempest" Sonata (Choc du Monde de la Musique, Diapason d'or 2004). Publication of her autobiographical book Wild Harmonies ("Variations sauvages") 2004  Beethoven's Concerto no. 4 in San Francisco; US tour with the Russian National Or-chestra; Beethoven's Concerto no. 5 on a European tour with Michael Gielen. Records the Second Sonatas of Chopin and Rach¬maninov, plus Chopin's Barcarolle and Berceuse, and Bartók's Concerto no. 3 with Boulez and the London Symphony Orchestra (German Record Critics Award, Record Academy Prize, Tokyo, 2005; Midem Classic Award, 2006), both released in 2005 2005 Records Reflection - music inspired by Clara Schumann, including her husband Robert's Piano Concerto, songs by Clara herself, and solo and chamber music by Brahms (release: 2006). Echo Award in the category "Instrumentalist of the Year". In October 2005 her second book Leçons particulières is published  2006 Concerts with the London Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, St. Petersburg Philhar¬monic, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, San Francicso Symphony, Gul¬benkian Orchestra, Vienna Symphony and the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra (London Proms), as well as recitals at Carnegie Hall, with the LSO Chamber En¬semble and at festivals including Lucerne and Bremen 2007 Concerts include appearances with the Dallas, Chicago and Toronto Symphony orchestras, the New York Philharmonic, Russian National Or¬chestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Berliner Philhar¬moniker and Berlin Staatskapelle. She performs Beethoven's Concerto no. 5 with various orchestras on tour throughout Europe and the USA. Recitals in Los Angeles, Luxembourg, Vienna and Germany. Festival appearances at Caramoor Festival, Aix-en-Provence, Verbier (with Maisky and Quasthoff) and Salzburg. Release of Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto with the Dresden Staatskapelle under Vladimir Jurowski 2008 Concerto appearances include the Orchestra of St. Luke's (Carnegie Hall), San Francisco Symphony, Philharmonia, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester of Berlin, Dresden Staats¬kapelle and La Scala Orchestra. Concerts in Japan with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orches¬tra, on tour in Germany and Great Britain with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and on tour in Israel with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra performing Beethoven's Concertos nos. 4 & 5. Solo and chamber-music recitals in London, France and numerous German cities; festival appearances in Istanbul, Verbier, Lucerne and the "Last Night of the Proms" in London. Release of works by J. S. Bach, including the Harpsichord Concerto no. 1 and three Preludes and Fugues, and transcriptions of Bach by Busoni, Liszt and Rachmaninov 2009 This year's appearances include tours with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe under Jurowski in France, Frankfurt and Basle; concerts in Italy with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra under Harding and in London, Bremen and Bucharest with the Philharmonia under Ashkenazy; performances of Bach's Piano Concerto BWV 1052 in New York with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie and in Spain, Italy and Germany with the Bavarian Radio Chamber Orchestra; further concerts with the Houston Symphony, Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra (with Claudio Abbado in Caracas), Orchestre de Paris and Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks; solos recitals in New York, Germany, France, Korea and China; appearances at the Verbier, Lucerne and Gstaad festivals. DVD release: "A Russian Night" with Abbado and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra 2010 European tours with Harding and the Swedish Radio Symphony, with Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra and with Ashkenazy and the Sydney Symphony; further concerts with the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Israel, Oslo, London and Moscow Philharmonic orchestras, Detroit Symphony, Philharmonia and Gewandhaus Orchestra; chamber concert in Tel Aviv; festival appearances include Verbier and Salzburg (recitals with Villazón), Lucerne and Bonn (recitals with Quasthoff) and the Ruhr and Rheingau Musik Festival; solo recitals in Mannheim and Ramallah (West Bank) as well as a world tour of the Austro-Hungarian themed programme (Mozart Sonata in A minor K. 310, Liszt Sonata, Berg Sonata and Bartók Romanian Folk Dances) that she is recording live in Vienna in May for release later in the year