Deborah Nemtanu

Born in 1983 in Bordeaux into a keenly musical family, Deborah Nemtanu took up the violin at the age of four. Her career has been characterised by early success and a wide-ranging talent.

After being unanimously awarded a prize with the highest distinction at the Paris Conservatoire in 2001, her talent is soon recognised at an international level: first prize from the Académie Internationale de Musique Maurice Ravel, fourth prize and two special prizes at the 2002 Concours Jacques Thibaud, participation in the  Perlman Programme (USA) in 2007, second prize in the Benjamin Britten International Violin Competition in London in 2008 after a final-round performance of Britten’s concerto with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra that was universally hailed as remarkable.

In 2005 she was named the principal first violin of the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, a position of great responsibility that she still holds today. In this capacity, she regularly performs as a soloist at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, among others in Concerto no. 3 by Saint-Saëns, the Symphonie espagnole by Lalo, the Brahms concerto and the concertos of Bach, forging relations of great confidence with conductors such as Andris Nelsons, Louis Langrée, Juraj Valčuha and Sir Roger Norrington.

Her curiosity and passion push her ever further: by directing the orchestra herself, she can prioritise the collaboration between herself as soloist and the orchestral musicians, bringing to a concerto the sensibility of a true chamber musician.

In 2015–16 she conducted symphonies by Mozart at the Hôtel Sully in Paris (broadcast on France 3) and at Palazzo Farnese in Rome. As a soloist, she has performed at the Enescu Festival and the Augsburg Festival under the direction of Sir Roger Norrington. She has also appeared at the Folles journée de Nantes and in Tokyo, Salzburg Festival, Festival de Montpellier, Musée d'Orsay. Her first recital with the pianist Natacha Kudriskaya at the Festival des Midis-Minimes in Brussels was euphoric!

Over the course of the tours, Deborah Nemtanu made many fruitful musical encounters, among others with Boris Berezovsky, Stephen Kovacevich, Romain Descharmes, Jean-Frédéric Neuburger, Adam Laloum, François Leleux, Emmanuel Pahud, Fazil Say, Daniel Hope, not to mention her sister Sarah Nemtanu, also a violinist and her long-time partner.

Warmly received by the press, her first CD, devoted to Saint-Saëns and Fauré, was released in 2013, with the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris under the direction of Thomas Zehetmair (Mirare). In December 2014 she teamed up with her sister Sarah to record violin concertos by Bach and Schnittke (Naive) and in 2016 they release together a CD devoted to the complete duos of Bartók published by Decca.

September 2017 will see the first CD release from the Symphonie de Poche conducted by Nicolas Simon, with Deborah as soloist in Ravel’s Tzigane and Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole.

A highlight of Autumn 2017 will be her appearance on the programme Fauteuil d’orchestre, presented by Anne Sinclair on France 3.

Deborah Nemtanu was named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in February 2016.

Deborah Nemtanu plays a 1740 violin by Domenico Montagnana, generously loaned by Monceau Investissements Mobiliers, a company of the Monceau Assurances group. 

July 2017