« A young man who already ranks among the masters of the cello »

Hailed by Gramophone as ‘a master of his instrument and a musician of lyrical elegance and good taste’ and by Le Monde as belonging to ‘the French cello elite’, Christian Pierre La Marca has, in a few years, distinguished himself by his radiant presence in the world’s leading concert halls and his award-winning recordings.

After making his debut in Aix-en-Provence, he studied in Paris with Jean-Marie Gamard and Philippe Muller, before continuing with Frans Helmerson in Cologne and Steven Isserlis in London. He rounded off his training with masterclasses under Mstislav Rostropovich, Heinrich Schiff, Anner Bylsma, Natalia Gutman and Gary Hoffman, and benefited from the advice and encouragement of such musical personalities as Itzhak Perlman, Philippe Jaroussky, Thomas Quasthoff, Leif Ove Andsnes, Maria João Pires, the Artemis Quartett, François-Xavier Roth and Seiji Ozawa. His trajectory was crowned with success at international competitions in Osaka, Frankfurt, London (Philharmonia), New-York (YCA) and Vienna (Haydn) and he has several times been invited to appear at the French Grammies.

Christian-Pierre has performed across the world : Paris (Philharmonie, Louvre, Orsay, Salle Pleyel, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Châtelet, Seine Musicale), Londres (Southbank Center), Bruxelles (Bozar, Flagey), Vienna (Musikverein, Konzerthaus), Amsterdam (Concertgebouw), Berlin (Philharmonie), Hamburg (Elbphilharmonie, Laeizshalle), Frankfurt (Alte Oper), Schwarzenberg (Kaufmann Hall), Genève (Victoria Hall), Monaco (Opéra Garnier), Venice (La Fenice), Saint-Petersburg (Mariinsky Concert Hall), Moscow (Conservatory), New York (92nd), Delhi (Imperial), Osaka (Izumi Hall), Tokyo (Oiji Hall), Melbourne (Arts Center) and Sydney (Angel Place) among others.

In concerto, he plays regularly with many leading orchestras : Philharmonia Orchestra, London Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, musiens from Orchestre de Paris, Brussels Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Sinfonia Varsovia, Latvian National Symphony Orchestra and with barock ensembles (Le Concert de la Loge, Les Ambassadeurs-La Grande Ecurie, Les Siècles) under the baton of François-Xavier Roth, Emmanuel Krivine, Julien Chauvin, Augustin Dumay, Jacques Mercier, Oksana Lyniv, Gérard Korsten, Christopher Warren-Green, Clemens Schuldt, Alexis Kossenko… 

Christian-Pierre has appeared in major festivals (Verbier, Ravinia, Santander, Schleswig Holstein, Bad Kissingen, Meklenburg Vorpommern, Schwetzingen, Trondheim, Oxford, Printemps des Arts in Monaco, Pablo Casals, Aix-en Provence, La Roque d’Anthéron, La Grange de Meslay, La Folle Journée in Nantes, Saintes, Montpellier, Menton…). He actively promotes contemporary music collaborating with composers including Jörg Widmann, Peteris Vasks, Gyorgy Kurtag, Thierry Escaich, Philippe Hersant, Olivier Greif, Jean-Louis Florentz or Nicolas Bacri.

Highly sought after in chamber music, Christian-Pierre plays with Kit Armstrong, Itzhak Perlman, Renaud Capuçon, Nicholas Angelich, Didier Lockwood, Augustin Dumay, Lawrence Power, Michel Portal, Thierry Escaich, Lise de la Salle, Igor Levit, Jean-Frédéric Neuburger, Adam Laloum, Cédric Tiberghien, David Kadouch, Jean Rondeau, Thibaut Garcia, Thibault Cauvin and Quatuors Ebène, Van Kuikj, Modigliani, Carducci, Hermès, Danel. His love for voices led to collaborations with singers Sabine Devieilhe, Philippe Jaroussky, Roberto Alagna, Bernarda Fink, Stéphanie d’Oustrac, Julie Fuchs, Karine Deshayes or Patricia Petibon (with who he recorded on DG « La Belle Excentrique »).

His discography reflects his curiosity as well as his loyalty to the great repertoire. It has won numerous international awards. His album Cello 360 wins the prestigious Gramophone Award 2021. Christian-Pierre La Marca records exclusively for naïve. The latest addition to the catalog – Wonderful World – presents an ode to nature, humanist and committed, with a host of of international artists and the musicians of the Orchestre de Paris. His next concerto album – Legacy- shows the classic filiation of his instrument around Porpora, Haydn and Mozart. It will be released in 2023.

Christian-Pierre La Marca is a socially committed artist who initiated in 2018 the ‘Concert for the Planet’ with the GoodPlanet Foundation and photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand, a solidarity event intended to raise funds for the environment. He is also for 10 years, joint artistic director with his brother of the Forez Festival in France, and teaches at cello masterclasses of the Jaroussky Academy.

Christian-Pierre La Marca is a Larsen Strings Official Artist and an ambassador for Gewa cello cases and Henle Verlag Library. He is wearing clothes by ‘Agnès b’ and supported by ‘ADAMI’. He plays a unique golden period Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume cello (1856). The Vocation Foundation allows him to play a rare Jacob Eury cello bow (1825). 

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