Aurélien Pascal | Cello

Aurélien Pascal, born into a family of musicians in Paris, is an internationally recognized cellist who has studied with renowned musicians such as Philippe Muller, Franz Helmerson, Gary Hoffman, Janos Starker, and Gautier Capuçon. He gained international recognition in 2014 after winning the First Prize and Audience Prize at the Emanuel Feuermann Competition held at the Berlin Philharmonic. Since then, he has achieved significant milestones in his career.

In 2016, Aurélien Pascal’s recording of Franz Danzi’s Cello Concerto with the Münich Chamber Orchestra and conductor Howard Griffiths for Sony Classical received critical acclaim. Pizzicato praised his playing as “wonderfully natural,” and the interpretation as “sovereign, musically and technically perfect.” The Strad also commended his “unparalleled virtuosity and intuitive musicality.” Aurélien is also a laureate of the Banque Populaire Foundation, the Paulo Cello Competition in Helsinki, and the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. In 2023, he won the ‘Instrumental Soloist Revelation’ award at the Victoires de la Musique Classique.

Aurélien Pascal has performed as a soloist with various orchestras, including the Orchestre de Paris, Monte Carlo Philharmonic, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, Norddeutsche Philharmonic, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Hangzhou Philharmonic, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Orchestre Victor-Hugo Franche-Comté, Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra, and Kansai Philharmonic. He has collaborated with conductors such as Stanislav Kochanovsky, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Okko Kamu, Christoph Poppen, Lio Kuokman, Lawrence Foster, Clemens Schuldt, Corinna Niemeyer, Gilbert Varga, Andreas Spering, Emil Tabakov, and Marcus Bosch.

In addition to his solo career, Aurélien Pascal is also a sought-after chamber musician. He has performed with notable musicians such as András Schiff, Renaud Capuçon, Tabea Zimmerman, Alexandre Kantorow, Liya Petrova, Gérard Caussé, Gidon Kremer, Pavel Kolesnikov, Clara Jumi-Kang, and Emmanuel Pahud. He has recorded works by Brahms, Schubert, Ravel, Nino Rota, and Enesco, among others, with artists such as Augustin Dumay, Henri Demarquette, Eric Le Sage, Paloma Kouider, Svetlin Roussev, Alexandre Pascal, Paul Meyer, Denis Pascal, and Miguel Da Silva. His recordings have been released by labels such as Onyx, Alpha, and La Música. He also recorded Zoltán Kodály’s Sonata for cello solo, which received a Choc Classica and a Diapason découverte in 2019.

Aurélien Pascal’s performances have taken him to various music festivals, including La Roque d’Anthéron, the Festspiele of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (where he received the Audience Prize at his first visit in 2015), the Easter Festival of Aix-en-Provence, La Folle Journée, the Marvão Music Festival, Musique à l’Emperi, the Berlioz Festival, the Chaise-Dieu Festival, the Rencontres Musicales de Nîmes, and the Calenzana Festival. His passion and dedication to music continue to inspire audiences around the world.