Hailed by critics as "the reincarnation of Liszt" (Fanfare), he has since accumulated numerous accolades and performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages. In 2024, he made history once again by becoming not only the first French but also the youngest recipient of the prestigious Gilmore Artist Award, one of the most prestigious international piano prizes, awarded every four years.

Alexandre Kantorow regularly collaborates with the greatest conductors of his generation, including Ivan Fischer, Antonio Pappano, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Klaus Mäkelä, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Manfred Honeck, Teodor Currentzis and John Eliot Gardiner. He is invited to perform with the world’s leading orchestras, notably the Berlin Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris and the Budapest Festival Orchestra, with whom he performs on international tours.

As a recitalist, Alexandre Kantorow has also been a guest at some of the world’s most prestigious venues, including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, the Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Philharmonie de Paris, Wigmore Hall in London, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Bozar in Brussels.

The 2026/2027 season will take him across four continents on several international tours. In China, he will reunite with Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra; in Japan, he will perform with the NHK Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Tugan Sokhiev. In Europe, he will perform with Antonio Pappano and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, as well as with Ivan Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra, before joining the latter in the United States for a tour that includes, notably, the New York Philharmonic. Also in the United States, he opened the Philadelphia Orchestra’s season alongside Yannick Nézet-Séguin. He also performed with the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of Semyon Bychkov, as well as with Klaus Mäkelä and the Orchestre de Paris.

A passionate chamber musician, Alexandre has shared the stage with Sergey Khachatryan and Janine Jansen on two European tours, as well as with Liya Petrova.

He is also co-artistic director of the Musikfest, the Rencontres Musicales de Nîmes and the Pianopolis festival in Angers.

Alexandre Kantorow records exclusively for BIS. His recordings have been unanimously acclaimed by international critics and have won numerous awards, notably the 2025 Gramophone Piano Award for his album dedicated to Brahms and Schubert.

In 2024, he was appointed a Knight of the National Order of Merit by the President of the Republic, having previously been named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the Minister for Culture. In July of the same year, he performed Ravel’s “Jeux d’eau” at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games.

Alexandre Kantorow studied with Pierre-Alain Volondat, Igor Lazko, Frank Braley and Rena Shereshevskaya.

2026/2027