Ensemble Contraste

“One of the most active artists on the music scene” (Télérama)

A Classica Revelation in 2006, Arnaud Thorette has recorded some forty albums that have been acclaimed by the French and international press (Diapason d’Or, Choc Classica, RTL d’Or, Diamant Opéra, Choix France Musique, Classical Award…). Notable releases include: *Schubert in Love*, *Après un rêve*, *Miroir(s)*, *Bach-Transcriptions*, *Max Bruch/Viola Concertos*, *Songs*, *Fauré—Chamber Music*, *Tenebrae*, *Johannes Brahms/Sonatas and Trio*, *Café 1930/Tangos*, *Into the Dark/Concertos* - Karol Beffa, Schumann Fantasy, Besame mucho (Universal, Outhere/Alpha, Aparté, Naïve, La Dolce Volta, Cyprès...).

Born in New Caledonia, Arnaud Thorette spent his childhood traveling in Africa and the Middle East. He studied at the CRR in Versailles and then at the CNSMD in Lyon with violist Tasso Adamopoulos. In 2003, he was unanimously awarded the Diplôme National Supérieur d’Etudes Musicales with honors and went on to pursue graduate studies in viola and chamber music. He furthered his training in Rotterdam, London, Geneva, and Siena. He has won five international Grand Prix awards as well as the Ravel Academy Prize. Finally, he studied early music at the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles.

A socially engaged artist, Arnaud Thorette is supported in his many projects by major foundations: De la Musique avant toute chose, Orange, Singer-Polignac, SAFRAN, HSBC, Société Générale’s Mécénat Musical, and the Fonds Chœur à l’ouvrage.

For more than twenty years, Arnaud Thorette has served—alongside pianist Johan Farjot—as artistic director of the Ensemble Contraste, with which he has revitalized the “classical” concert experience. With his ensemble, he has written, conceived, and directed numerous performances, appearing to great acclaim on major stages throughout France and Europe.

In 2009, he founded the Contraste Productions label, an innovative venture in the world of music and audiovisual production.

Open to all musical genres, Arnaud Thorette has performed in some forty countries around the world. Passionate about chamber music, he collaborates with the Ebène, Modigliani, and Bennewitz quartets, as well as Marc Coppey, Henri Demarquette, François Salque, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Jérôme Pernoo, Karine Deshayes, Sandrine Piau, Jodie Devos, Philippe Jaroussky, Magali Léger, Jérôme Ducros, and Nicolas Angelich… He is sought after by artists from other musical worlds: Rosemary Standley, Albin de la Simone, Gaël Faye, Ben Mazué…

Arnaud Thorette has been invited to perform as a soloist with, among others, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Liège—with which he has recorded three albums—the Marseille Opera Orchestra, the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Auvergne Regional Orchestra, the Munich Radio Orchestra, the Geneva Chamber Orchestra, the Paris Mozart Orchestra, and the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra…

As the composer of some forty contemporary works, he has recorded viola concertos by Karol Beffa, Philippe Hersant, and Johan Farjot, with whom he has forged strong bonds.
A supporter of the SOS Children’s Villages association since 2012, he produced the charity event *Tous en cœur pour France 2* at the Théâtre du Châtelet in 2013, followed in 2016 by the musical tale *Georgia—Tous mes rêves chantent* (Gallimard Jeunesse). This book-and-CD set won the “7–12 Years Old” Pépite Award at the Montreuil Book and Youth Fair, a Fnac “Coup de Coeur,” and the Charles Cros Academy Prize. In 2020, he wrote the musical tale *Siam – Au fil de l’eau* (Flammarion Jeunesse), which in turn won the Charles Cros Academy Prize and was a huge hit with audiences and the media.

Deeply committed to education and outreach, Arnaud Thorette has been leading a large-scale educational project in the Pas-de-Calais region for the past eight years, reaching more than 3,000 children. He has been teaching the viola since September 2022 at the CRR/PSPBB in Boulogne-Billancourt.

November 2022