Winner of the Thirteenth International Frederic Chopin Competition in Warsaw, Philippe Giusiano is considered the reference with regard to the works of the Polish composer. After coming eighth when he first entered the competition at the age of 17, he won first place five years later in 1995, being a public and press favorite. When his second Chopin CD came out, the following was said: “…one has the feeling that this is how Chopin played” (O. Bellamy – Le Monde de la Musique).
This success at one of the world’s most famous competition placed Philippe Giusiano among the top pianists and led to appearances at some of the greatest concert halls, among other the Carnegie Hall in New York, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Verona Theater, the Scala in Milano, the Théâtre des Champs- Elysées and the Salle Gaveau in Paris, the Suntory Hall in Tokyo…
He has taken part in many festivals in France – La Roque d’Anthéron, la Chaise- Dieu, Aix-en-Provence, “Chopin chez George Sand” in La Châtre, Chopin Festival in Bagatelle, La Folle Journée, Berlioz Festival… and also abroad – the Ravello Festival in Italy, the Ruhr Festival in Germany, the Duszniki Chopin Festival and the Antonin Chopin Festival in Poland… He has made extensive tours through Germany, Japan, Austria, Poland, Italy, Portugal, Morocco, Denmark, Lithuania, Canada and Middle-East (Jordan, Syria). He has performed with some of the most outstanding orchestras and conductors such as Antoni Wit, Kazimierz Kord, Yutaka Sado, Grzegorz Nowak, Klauss Weiss, Petr Vronsky, Philippe Entremont, Laurent Petitgirard, Krzysztof Penderecki…
Philippe Giusiano has recorded several compact discs, in France and in Japan. His deep and sincere interpretation of Chopin and Rachmaninoff works has received high recognition from the critics and had a big success among the auditors.
Philippe Giusiano was born in 1973 in Marseille, where he began studying the piano at the age of 5. He studied at the Conservatoire de Région de Marseille under Odile Poisson and Pierre Barbizet. At the age of 12, he obtained the Ville de Marseille Gold Medal and at thirteen became the youngest prizewinner at the Liszt Competition (1986). The following year, he won First Prize at the Darius Milhaud Competition (1987). He continued his studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris under Jacques Rouvier where he obtained First Prize by unanimous decision at the age of 16. In 1993, he received a scholarship that enabled him to study with professor Karl-Heinz Kämmerling at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and later on with reknown Polish pianist and composer Milosz Magin. At present, his main guide is Lithuanian professor Inesa Leonavi i t. Philippe Giusiano currently performs all over the world and goes share strong moments with his audience, always emphasising the music and the spirit of the composer. “An impeccable, precise pianist, who never seeks to add any superfluous subjective elements.” (Georges Gallician – La Provence). Beside his artistic career, Philippe Giusiano is regularly invited to give masterclasses in Poland and in Japan.
