Bertrand Chamayou artist-in-residence of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra 2026–27
French pianist Bertrand Chamayou will be the new artist-in-residence of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra for the 2026–27 season. Bertrand Chamayou is one of today's most strikingly brilliant pianists, recognised for his revelatory performances that are at once powerfully virtuosic, imaginative and breathtakingly beautiful. He is a leading interpreter of French music, particularly works by Ravel, Liszt, and Messiaen. Chamayou also has a deep passion for contemporary music and has collaborated with composers such as Pierre Boulez, Henri Dutilleux, Thomas Adès, and others. He performs regularly in many of the world's most prestigious concert halls and has received numerous awards for his recordings, including his complete recording of Ravel's works for solo piano.
Bertrand Chamayou will appear in four concerts with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra during the season. He will perform as soloist in two concerts with the orchestra under the direction of Barbara Hannigan, the new chief conductor and artistic director of the ISO. On those occasions, Chamayou will perform two major works for piano and orchestra: Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major and Scriabin's Prometheus: The Poem of Fire. In addition, he will give a solo recital and chamber concerts with Hannigan, with whom he has a long collaboration through both performances and recordings.
“We at the Iceland Symphony Orchestra are delighted that Bertrand Chamayou will be our artist-in-residence,” says Guðni Tómasson, Managing Director of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. “In recent years, we have admired Bertrand's playing and his boldness in programming concerts and recordings. He is both a lyrical and powerful musician with a clear artistic vision for all the music he performs. It will be wonderful to welcome Bertrand and hear him perform in concert this winter.”
“I've always dreamed of going to Iceland,”says Bertrand Chamayou. “Its landscapes—which I've only seen in photos so far—and its unique culture hold an irresistible appeal for me. What better way to make this dream come true than to be an artist-in-residence?
A residency is a vast playground. It will allow me, during this first visit, to sketch a sort of self-portrait that will express itself from different angles: the music of my native France, that of Ravel and Messiaen, the transcendence of the latter or that of Scriabin, the creative exuberance of a John Zorn or a George Crumb, the romanticism of Mendelssohn and Schubert juxtaposed with the sound of our time, and of course, as a cornerstone, my artistic partnership with Barbara Hannigan, an inexhaustible source of inspiration.
I am very much looking forward to finally meeting the Icelandic audience through these various projects, each one as exciting as the next!"
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