Grand Prix of the Emanuel Feuermann Competition 2014
2nd Prize of the Paulo Cello Competition 2013
‘Generation SPEDIDAM’ and ‘Revelation ADAMI 2014’

 
“In an extraordinary display of dazzling virtuosity and riveting music making, 19-year Aurélien Pascal confirmed that the future of music is in good hands.” –Laurence Vittes

At only 19 years old, French cellist Aurélien Pascal was awarded the Grand Prix, Audience Prize and Special Prize for the best performance of a concerto by Ernst Toch at the 2014 Emanuel Feuermann Competition under the patronage of Daniel Barenboim. Prior to that in 2013, he was 2nd Prize-winner at the International Paulo Cello Competition in Helsinki, the prestigious jury led by Arto Noras praised the emergence of a new French talent gifted with both rare power and superb elegance. These qualities were highlighted in his interpretation of Dutilleux «Tout un monde lointain» during the final performed with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by John Storgårds. Already, at the age of 11, Aurélien was named winner of the 1st Rostropovitch Junior Competition and in 2011 was awarded the Guy Bonnemain Prize for the best new talent at the International André Navarra Competition in Toulouse.

Born in 1994 into a family of musicians, Aurélien Pascal attended master classes given by the legendary János Starker in Paris, Basel and Bloomington, as well as studying with Frans Helmerson at the Prades Festival Academy and with Peter Wispelwey in Beauvais.

In 2012, Aurélien took part in the Kronberg Academy where he worked again with Frans Helmerson and he joined that of the Verbier Festival in July 2013. Also in 2013, Aurélien performed at the 7th edition of the Tons Voisins Festival in Albi, at the Orangerie de Sceaux Festival as well as at the Rencontres Musicales de Calenzana and La Folle journée de Nantes, after which he was immediately invited to give five concerts in several cities for La Folle Journée au Japon.

In 2014, Aurélien was invited to La Folle Journée in Japan (5 concerts) after his success in La Folle Journée de Nantes. Summer 2014 saw him give four highly acclaimed concerts at the Festival de Radio – France in Montpellier before he performs chamber music at La Roque d’Anthéron International Piano Festival, at Les Journées Ravel in Montfort L’Amaury, again at the Orangerie de Sceaux Festival and at the Casals Festival in Prades.

In 2015, Aurélien Pascal was accepted into the Sponsorship Programme of the Orpheum Foundation for the Advancement of Young Soloists. This featured a performance in the Zurich Tonhalle together with the Moscow Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra and Vladimir Fedoseyev and, following this, and invitation to record the Danci concerto with Howard Griffiths and the Munich Chamber Orchestra in May 2016. The same year saw his debut in Tokyo in May then in Osaka where he performed the Dvořák Concerto with the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestraunder Augustin Dumay.

During the summer 2015, Aurélien was invited to perform at the Beethoven Festival in Bonn, Russian Chamber Music Festival in Hamburg, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and many festivals in France such as those in Colmar, Reims, Prades, Albi. He has recently given concerts with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta and Christoph Poppen and a recital and concerto performance in the ARK NOVA mobile concert hall, Japan.

Since the beginning of 2016, Aurélien performed a series of concerts with the Orchestre national des Pays de la Loire and Pascal Rophé, the Hiroshima Symphony and Clemens Schuldt (Saint-Saens). He will soon play with the Nurenberg Symphony and Michael Helmrath (Rococo Variations) and realize performances of the Elgar concerto with the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrucken and the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra.

Aurélien Pascal plays a French cello made in 1850 by Charles-Adolphe Gand.