Biography :

Pianist, conductor and composer, François Weigel studied piano and composition at the Cologne University of Music, conducting at the Ecole Normale de Paris, and analysis, piano and chamber music at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris (CNSM). He is invited internationally as soloist in a wide range of concertos, throughout Europe as well as the Americas, with the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio-France, Orchestre National de Lille, Orchestre National de Lorraine, Orchestre National d'Île de France, Orchestre Philharmonique de Montpellier, Nouvel Orchestre de Saint-Etienne, Orchestre Symphonique de Mulhouse, the Mexico National University Philharmonic Orchestra, the Serbian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cairo Symphonic Orchestra, the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, the Saint-Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra.

He has collaborated with distinguished conductors such as Nicolai Alexeev, Gisèle Ben-Dor, Peter Burian, Enrique Diemecke, Ahmed El-Saedi, Patrick Fournillier, Marek Janowski, Daniel Klajner, Alexei Kornienko, Jacques Mercier, Ingo Metzmacher, Marc Piollet, Paul Polivnick, Carlos-Miguel Prieto, Pinchas Steinberg, Emil Tabakov, Antoni Wit.

He regularly performs in Vienna, Salzburg, Graz, Klagenfurt, Berlin (Philharmonie), Bonn, Essen, Hamburg, Brussels, Geneva, Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger, Warsaw (Philharmonie), Katowice, Saint-Petersburg (Philharmonie), Riga, Tallinn, Belgrade, Zagreb, Ljubljana, Naples, Verone, Stresa, in Paris, Salle Gaveau, Théâtre du Châtelet, Salle Pleyel, in the international festivals of Evian, Radio-France-Montpellier, Flâneries de Reims, Aix-en-Provence, La Roque d’Anthéron, Peralada, Ravello, but also in the french operas of Avignon, Lille, Marseille, Nancy, Nice, Toulon, Tours, Versailles.

He has considerable experience in chamber music, partnering the Belvedere Trio (members of the Wienner Philharmonic) and the Amarcord Quartet (soloists from the Berliner Philharmonic). He also gived numerous recitals with singers such as Laurence Dale, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Ruggero Raimondi.

He has also conducted the Chamber Orchestra from Bratislava, the Latvia Chamber Orchestra, the Ankara Bilkent Symphonic Orchestra, and the Zagreb Chamber Orchestra with his own orchestra transcriptions. The Paris Bastille Opera has regularly invited him as chorus master, to prepare notably contemporary repertoire including Adriana Mater by Kaija Saariaho, Saint François d'Assise by Messiaen, and also the german repertoire : Wozzeck, Ariadne, Die Frau ohne Schatten.

Difficult to categorize, François Weigel is an recognized exponent of baroque music which he particularly loves, but also can be heard sharing the stage with DJ Doctor Bone (the darling of New York dance floor music) or in live improvisation on radio France Musique on themes created by notes given by the public. He gives two pianos sessions with the french jazzman player Pierre de Bethmann or the performer of rare instruments Thomas Bloch.

François Weigel appears regularly on radio and television across Europe, on TF1 with Patrick Poivre d’Arvor, France Télévision with Eve Ruggieri, Patrick de Carolis, LCI, die Deutsche Welle, France Inter with Frédéric Lodéon, Stéphane Bern. He has given piano recitals on Radio Suisse Romande, Deutschlandfunk Kultur, the Norvegian National Radio, Radio Classique and France Musique.

His Messiaen’s Turangalila CD for Naxos with the Polish Radio National Orchestra has been universally acclaimed in the international press as the recording of reference. Equally highly praised by the Monde de la Musique (Choc) and Repertoire (10/10), and elected "best month’s CD" by Rondo, "Editor’s Choice "by Gramophone. The recording also won the international "Classical Music Award" from the Midem.

François Weigel has received several distinctions among which the prizes of the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation, the Philip Morris Foundation, the Yves Saint Laurent Foundation, the french Academic Palms for his artistic action in the high schools.

"A complete artist, at once pianist, composer and conductor. Irresistible !" Le Figaro 20/01/2010
"A smooth as silk playing, a spine tingling sensitivity, the soul's touch…" Ouest France 12/11/1999
"A splendid soloist, as technically secure and musically as any. An incredible delight." BBC Music Magazine 12/2000