Renaud Capuçon

French violinist and conductor Renaud Capuçon is firmly established internationally as a major soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. He is known and loved for his poise, depth of tone, and virtuosity, and he works with the world’s most prestigious orchestras, artists, venues, and festivals.

Born in Chambéry, France, in 1976, Renaud Capuçon began his studies at the Paris Conservatory at the age of 14, winning numerous awards during his five years there. Following this, Capuçon moved to Berlin to study with Thomas Brandis and Isaac Stern and was awarded the Prize of the Berlin Academy of Arts. In 1997, Claudio Abbado invited him to become concertmaster of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, which he led for three summers, working with conductors including Pierre Boulez, Seiji Ozawa, Franz Welser-Möst, and Abbado.

Since then, Capuçon has established himself as a soloist at the very highest level. He performs with leading orchestras such as the New York, Los Angeles, Berlin, Munich, and Vienna philharmonics; Paris Orchestra and National Orchestra of France; Radio France and La Scala philharmonic orchestras; London and Yomiuri Nippon symphony orchestras. Highlights in the 2025-26 season include two appearances at Carnegie Hall, a European tour with the Budapest Festival Orchestra under Iván Fischer, and returns to the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Staatskapelle Berlin, and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.

A great commitment to chamber music has led him to collaborations many acclaimed artists, performing at major festivals across Europe. Capuçon has represented France at some of the world’s most prestigious international events. He has performed with Yo-Yo Ma under the Arc de Triomphe for the official commemoration of Armistice Day in the presence of more than 80 heads of state and played for world leaders at the G7 Summit in Biarritz. More recently, Capuçon performed at the reopening ceremony of the Notre-Dame Cathedral of Paris with his brother, cellist Gautier Capuçon, which was attended by more than 1,500 international dignitaries.

Since 2021, Capuçon has been the artistic director of the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, where he usually appears as conductor and play-director. He is regularly invited to conduct leading orchestras. Capuçon is the artistic director of three festivals: the Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad since 2016, the Easter Festival in Aix-en-Provence, which he founded in 2013, and the Rencontres Musicales Festival in Evian from 2023.

Capuçon has built an extensive discography. In September 2022, Capuçon announced the launch of his creative partnership with Deutsche Grammophon, and two months later released his first album with the yellow label — a collection of violin sonatas performed with Martha Argerich. More recent releases include a multi-CD album of Mozart’s 16 violin sonatas with pianist Kit Armstrong, a recording of the complete Mozart violin concerti with the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, and a collection of works by Gabriel Fauré to mark the centenary of the composer’s death. Capuçon’s latest album, released in 2025, presents a compendium of works by Richard Strauss.

Since 2014, Capuçon has taught at the University of Music Lausanne. In June 2011, he was appointed Knight of the National Order of Merit and in March 2016, Knight of the Legion of Honor by the French Government. In March 2020, he published his first book, titled Mouvement perpétuel.

Capuçon plays the Guarneri del Gesù 'Panette' (1737), which belonged to Isaac Stern.