If there exists a circle of poet-musicians, Clément Lefebvre is the standard-bearer of his generation. His authentic personality and poetic sensibility were widely noted at the 2019 Long-Thibaud-Crespin International Competition, where he was a prizewinner. Earlier, he had already been distinguished in the United Kingdom, winning First Prize and the Audience Prize at the 2016 James Mottram International Piano Competition in Manchester. This double recognition crowned a journey that began when, at just ten years old, he moved to Paris. There he was introduced to the fundamental principles of musical art by Billy Eidi, before continuing his studies with Jean-Michel Dayez and Hortense Cartier-Bresson and, at the Paris Conservatoire (CNSMDP), with Roger Muraro and Isabelle Dubuis.
He also benefited from the guidance of Claire Désert, Alain Planès and Pierre-Laurent Aimard. The Banque Populaire Foundation, the Safran Foundation and Société Générale Corporate Philanthropy—of which he is a laureate—have all supported him.
His first recording, Rameau/Couperin, released in 2018, revealed his unique artistic signature and earned immediate and unanimous acclaim: a “masterstroke” crowned with a Diapason d’Or Découverte award. Three years later, his Ravel album received a shower of distinctions (Choc de Classica, Five Diapasons…). “At last, we have found the Ravelian pianist of the coming decades—and we will not let him go!” exclaimed Philippe Cassard.
Inspired, elegant and sensitive, his artistry rests on a strong aesthetic vision and the rigor of a clearly defined musical thought. These qualities won over La Dolce Volta, the label whose “family” he joined for a duo recording with Philippe Bianconi. New projects followed: with violinist Eva Zavaro, he recorded works by Fauré and Szymanowski, while his most recent album devoted to Scriabin was awarded a Diapason d’Or upon its release and selected by Le Monde.
The circle of French festivals and concert halls that host him continues to expand year after year, from the Auditorium du Louvre to the Auditorium of Radio France, from La Roque d’Anthéron to the Lyon Opera, from the Arsenal in Metz to La Folle Journée in Nantes, and to La Côte-Saint-André, where in 2024 the Berlioz Festival invited him, alongside Philippe Bianconi, to perform the complete works for solo piano and two pianos by Ravel.
In 2023, he made his debut at the Philharmonic Hall of Liège in the prestigious “Piano 5 Stars” recital series. He has performed in Dublin, Beijing, Brussels, Berlin, Amsterdam, Greece, Poland, Switzerland and Japan (tour in 2024). On tour in Brazil, he appeared with the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra and the Minas Gerais Symphony Orchestra, continuing his collaborations with major orchestras such as the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre National de France, the Orchestre de la Garde Républicaine and the Orchestre National de Metz.
Alongside his concert career, he is active as a pedagogue at the Paris Conservatoire, where he serves as assistant professor to Marie-Josèphe Jude. Committed to guiding and inspiring the next generation, he also gives masterclasses. Whether performing Schumann and Chopin, Fauré and Ravel, or Rachmaninov and Scriabin, his sincere and refined playing touches both mind and heart, achieving a perfect balance between tenderness and determination, reverie and energy, with musical discourse constantly renewed.
Clément Lefebvre possesses a noble eloquence—and poetry at his fingertips.
