Born in 1997, Gaspard Thomas was immersed in music from an early age by his parents who were both passionate amateur musicians. An inquisitive and avid artist, his discovery of Debussy’s Préludes and Chopin’s Ballades definitively led him to the pianistic world.
He holds a Master’s degree in piano performance from the Paris CNSMD, where he studied with Claire Désert and was awarded a unanimous special mention (‘very good’). He also obtained other Master’s degrees in composition, orchestration, chamber music and accompaniment. His career was shaped by encounters with such artists as Thierry Escaich, Fabien Waksman, Anne Le Bozec, Marc-André Dalbavie and Jean-Frédéric Neuburger. Having participated in masterclasses given by Sir András Schiff, Bruno Rigutto and Bernard d’Ascoli, he is currently furthering his musical studies with Benedetto Lupo at the Academia Santa Cecilia in Rome.
After winning a First Prize at France-Amériques Competition (2019), a Second Prize as well as seven Special Prizes at the Piano Campus Competition (2019), Gaspard won Third Prize and two Special Prizes at the Szymanowski Competition in Katowice (Poland, 2023). An artist-in-residence at the Singer-Polignac Foundation since 2021, his name features among the Adami Talents, 2024. He is also a laureate of the Banque Populaire, Safran and Charles Oulmont foundations, as well as the Philippe Jaroussky and Villecroze academies.
Gaspard has performed the two Chopin’s Concertos, which regularly appear in his solo repertoire, as well as Szymanowski’s Symphonie Concertante he recorded with the Polish Radio Orchestra. He has also performed Beethoven’s Concertos Nos. 3 and 4, Saint-Saëns’s No. 1, Tchaikovsky’s No. 1, Rachmaninoff’s Nos. 1 and 2, and Shostakovich’s No. 1, under the baton of Mathieu Herzog, Lucie Leguay and Victor Jacob, just to name a few. A regular guest at festivals in France – Deauville, Chopin Festival in Paris, Solistes aux Serres d’Auteuil, Chopin Festival in Nohant, Lisztomanias and Pianissimes – Gaspard Thomas has performed in prestigious venues such as the Radio France Auditorium, La Seine Musicale, Philharmonie de Paris, Orangerie de Bagatelle and Salle Cortot. From an international perspective, he has given recitals at the French Embassy in Washington D.C. and the French Consulate in New York City.
He is a highly sought-after chamber musician, having formed a duet with the violinist and composer Élise Bertrand since 2020, with whom he regularly appears in concert halls across France and Europe. Their collaboration extended to trio performances with cellists Jérémy Garbarg and Hermine Horiot.
As a composer, his piece entitled Poème, intended for 96 pianists, was premiered at the Philharmonie de Paris in 2019.
