Romain Descharmes

Pianist Romain Descharmes has established an active career performing with orchestras and chamber ensembles and as a solo recitalist. His tours have been truly international, taking him as far afield as India, China, and Mexico. Descharmes is also an accomplished collaborative pianist and has recorded in that capacity. He has often recorded for the Naxos label, where he issued a recording of Poulenc's Piano Concerto in 2024. Descharmes was born in Nancy, France, in March of 1980. He attended the Conservatoire du Grand Nancy, studying piano with Hugues Leclère and winning a gold medal when he was 14. Descharmes moved to Paris at 18 and studied at the Conservatoire de Paris (CNSMDP) and Conservatoire National de Paris (CRR) with a variety of pianists, including Jacques Rouvier (throughout several stages of his education), Christian Ivaldi, and Bruno Rigutto. He also took masterclasses from Idil Biret, John O'Conor, and Oxana Yablonskaya, among others. Descharmes won first prize at the Dublin International Piano Competition in 2006 and launched his career with a series of recitals that took him to New York (at Carnegie Hall), London (Wigmore Hall), Tokyo, and Yokohama. In 2009, he made his recording debut on the Audite label with the album Ravel: Piano Works. Descharmes scored a critical breakthrough with a 2012 performance as a soloist with the Orchestre de Paris. He has appeared with orchestras in various countries beyond France, including the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland and the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also in demand as a chamber player; he is a member of the quintet Quai N° 5 and has recorded with that group. With violinist Pierre Fouchenneret, he recorded the complete violin-and-piano sonatas of Beethoven. Descharmes recorded several Saint-Saëns piano concertos with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra on the Naxos label. In 2023, he backed violinist Sarah Nemtanu on the album Impressions d'enfance on the Alpha label, and the following year, he recorded Poulenc's Piano Concerto with the Malmö Opera Orchestra for Naxos. ~ James Manheim, Rovi