Emmanuelle Bertrand

Emmanuelle Bertrand is one of France’s most prominent and adventurous cellists, with a strong commitment to contemporary music, including avant-garde works. She is also active as an educator.
Bertrand was born November 5, 1973, in the mining and manufacturing town of Firminy in the Loire region of southeastern France. She attended the Lyon and Paris Conservatories, studying with Jean Deplace and Philippe Muller. Although she proclaims herself “not one of those competition animals who get drunk on the race for international prizes,” she has won a number of them, including the Rostropovich International Competition and first prize at the Japan Chamber Music Competition. Bertrand has appeared as a soloist with a large variety of orchestras internationally, including the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, the Greater Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra of Wales. Championed by Henri Dutilleux early in her career, Bertrand has emphasized contemporary music in her repertory to an unusual degree. She has performed works by major contemporary figures, including Dutilleux, Boulez, and Berio, as well as works composed for her by Nicolas Bacri, Edith Canat de Chizy, Thierry Escaich, and others. Bertrand also performs lecture-concerts based on music and events of the World War I and World War II eras. Since 1999, she has performed with pianist Pascal Amoyel in a duo, and with the Altair Quartet.
Since a 2000 release devoted to works for solo cello, Bertrand has recorded exclusively for the Harmonia Mundi label. She has recorded more than 15 albums, including, in 2019, a complete cycle of Bach's Suites for solo cello. Her albums have been honored with the Diapason d’Or, the Choc de Classica, Gramophone Music Award, the Cannes Classical Award, and the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik. She teaches chamber music at the Paris Conservatory. Bertrand is a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor. ~ James Manheim