Renaissance woman Hélène Grimaud is a deeply passionate and committed pianist, wildlife conservationist, human rights activist, and writer.
Born in 1969 in Aix-en-Provence, she began her piano studies at the local conservatory and was accepted into the Paris Conservatoire at age 13 where she won first prize in piano performance three years later. In 1987, she gave her well-received debut recital in Tokyo. That same year, she performed with Daniel Barenboim and the 
Orchestre de Paris, marking the launch of her musical career, characterized by concerts with most of the world’s major orchestras and celebrated conductors.
In 1995, she debuted with the Berliner Philharmoniker under Claudio Abbado, and in 1999 with the New York Philharmonic – just two of many notable musical milestones. Personal milestones mark her establishment of the Wolf Conservation Center to protect the endangered species and her membership in Musicians for Human Rights. She has published three books in various languages: Variations Sauvages, Leçons particulières, and Retour à Salem.
Matthias Pintscher is the Music Director of the Ensemble Intercontemporain, the world’s leading contemporary music ensemble founded by Pierre Boulez. In addition to a robust concert season in Paris, he tours extensively with them throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States, this season leading concerts in Berlin, Hamburg, and Zurich. Known equally as one of today’s foremost composers, Mr. Pintscher will have two works premiered in the 2018/19 season: Nur, a new concerto for piano and ensemble will be performed by Daniel Barenboim and the Boulez Ensemble conducted by the composer in January; and a new work for baritone, chorus, and orchestra will 
performed by Dietrich Henschel and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich conducted by maestro Kent Nagano in June.
Mr. Pintscher is the 2018/19 Season Creative Chair for the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, the Artist-in-Residence at the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and finishes a nine-year term as the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra’s Artist-in-Association. This season, Pintscher makes his debuts with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, and the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, where he conducts the world premiere of Violetter Schnee, a new opera by Beat Furrer. Return guest engagements include the symphony orchestras of Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, the New York Philharmonic, as well as the New World Symphony in Miami. In Europe, having begun the season conducting the Scottish Chamber Orchestra at the Edinburgh International Festival, Pintscher also returns to the Orchestre de Paris, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, and Helsinki Philharmonic.
