Biography
Renowned for his dazzling technique and vivid imagination, Jean-Philippe Sylvestre has been described as “a poet of the piano” by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Originally from Sainte-Julie, Québec, he has received numerous distinctions, including the Virginia Parker Prize — the highest honour awarded by the Canada Council for the Arts — as well as First Prize and the Audience Award at the Montreal Symphony Orchestra Competition. He is also a laureate of the CBC National Competition for Young Performers, where he received the People’s Choice Award, and of the Concertino Praga International Competition. He has won First Prize multiple times at the Canadian Music Competition, notably achieving the highest overall score in one edition of the competition.
Jean-Philippe Sylvestre has performed on many of the world’s most prestigious stages, including the Berlin Philharmonie, the Musikverein (Vienna), the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), the Warsaw Philharmonic, the Rudolfinum (Prague), Salle Gaveau (Paris), the Palais des Beaux-Arts (Brussels), and King’s Place (London), as well as the Sydney Recital Hall and Teatro Mayor (Colombia), among others.
He has recorded several albums, including one as a soloist with the London Symphony Orchestra on the CHANDOS label. His recent tours in China, South Africa, South America, Australia, and Europe have been met with great acclaim, and he regularly gives masterclasses around the world — notably in Paris at the École Normale de Musique and other conservatories.