Jean-François Latour, Piano

Biography

Hailed by critics for his "full command of the instrument, beautiful lyricism and poetry" (La Presse, Montréal), the 28 year-old French-Canadian pianist Jean-François Latour is gaining an international reputation. He has performed extensively in the major cities of Europe and North America, including Paris, Toulouse, Geneva, Hamburg, Brussels, Washington D.C. and Baltimore. He was recently named Young Soloist of the Year by the CRPLF, the French Language Public Radio Network. As a result, Mr. Latour's live performances have been broadcast by the Radio Suisse-Romande, Italian National Radio – RAI, Belgian
Radio-Television, and the Société Radio-Canada. He has also presented recitals which have been broadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Vermont Public Radio. He has performed throughout Canada at major venues such as the Institut Canadien in Québec City, the National Arts Center in Ottawa, the Place des Arts in Montréal. Recently, he served as a member of the jury for the Canadian Music Competition 2004.

Jean-François Latour made his orchestral debut at the age of eleven with the Orchestre Symphonique de Trois-Rivières. Since then, he has performed with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Victoria Symphony, the Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal, the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, the Hilton Head Orchestra and the Orchestre Symphonique de la Montérégie among others. In addition, Mr. Latour has performed at the Orford Music Festival, at the Festival d'été de Québec, in a benefit concert for the Theatre Chamber Players in Washington D.C, and has been a frequent guest at the Vermont Mozart Festival. He has played under the direction of Timothy Vernon, Christopher Wilkins, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Victor Pull, Agnes Grossman, Marc David, Christopher Warren-Green and Lara Webber. As a chamber musician, Jean-François Latour has collaborated with Alain Trudel, Philippe Magnan, Martin Limoge, Jens Lindeman and the Pacifica Quartet.

Mr. Latour's honors include several first prizes in the Canadian Music Competition, a top prize-winner in the Stepping Stones Competition, and first prize in the Concours National de Piano de Sucy-en-Brie in France. He was also a prizewinner and recipient of the Rotary International Prize at the Concours International de Piano held in Saint-Nom la Bretèche, France. In March 2003, Jean-François Latour won 3rd prize in the Hilton Head International Piano Competition held in South Carolina. He is the first Canadian to receive a prize in the finals of this competition.

In May 2002, Jean-François Latour completed the prestigious Artist Diploma program at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, where he was a
full scholarship student of Leon Fleisher. In addition, he holds an Artist Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, where he was a student of Marc Durand and Leon Fleisher. Mr. Latour has also worked with John Perry, André Laplante, Ellen Mack, Marek Jablonsky and Gilbert Kalish. Mr. Latour is a recipient of a Career Grant from the Canadian Council for the Arts. He currently resides in Montréal.