|
The French harpist, Chantal Mathieu's musical gifts were recognized early on and rewarded by numerous prizes: She won the first prize of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique of Paris when she was only 14 years old in the class of Jacqueline Borot. This was notably followed by the first prize of the very famous International Harp Contest in Israel and first prize of the International Contest of the Soloists' Guild of Paris, and the 2nd prize of the Geneva International Music Competition. She studied harmony, counterpoint and chamber music at the Paris Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique whilst working in several orchestras and continuing her schooling by correspondence.
Since, Chantal Mathieu has pursued an international career as a soloist as well as with famous orchestras (Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra notably), alongside well-known conductors and famous partners. She likes to interpret all classical music styles, from Baroque to contemporary and including romantic music. Furthermore, she contributes to the creation of future music by commissioning new pieces from her numerous composers and friends, whilst transcribing and arranging the pieces that she enjoys for the harp. Her numerous records or CD's. reflect the richness of her repertory (among others: Virtuose Harfe, Bach on the harp, Marcel Tournier Works for harp).
Chantal Mathieu worked in Germany for a while (Symphonic Orchestra of the Norddeutscher Rundfunk and Musikhochshule of Hamburg), before settling in Geneva to start a family. It is with great generosity that she transmits her knowledge to her students at the Lausanne Music High School (Switzerland). Most of them now hold important positions within the musical world. In the same spirit of sharing, she invests herself a lot in the associative life. Importantly, she chaired and organized the 8th World Harp Congress in 2002, which brought together more than 1000 harpists in Geneva. Today, she initiates and develops many projects in which music production and research hold a crucial place. |
