Xavier de Maistre

Xavier de Maistre belongs to an elite category of soloists who are redefining what is possible with their instrument. Aside from commissions from composers such as Kaija Saariaho, he performs works like Smetana’s Má Vlast presenting masterful arrangements of works that are usually played by an entire orchestra. The interpretation of these works has contributed to his reputation as one of the most creative and extraordinary musicians of his generation.

De Maistre has an exclusive recording contract with Sony Music. Releases have included music by Haydn, Rodrigo, Ginastera and Debussy – the latter for which he was awarded the Echo Klassik Award 2009 as “Instrumentalist of the Year”. In 2012 “Notte Veneziana” was released and entered the top ten in the classical music charts. Most recent releases include a DVD with Diana Damrau and a CD recording of Mozart piano concertos arranged for harp. In 2015 “Moldau – The Romantic Album” was released, a recital CD featuring Slavonic repertoire, which received high critical acclaim.

Xavier de Maistre was born in Toulon and began studying harp at the age of nine. He studied in Paris and in 1998 he was awarded first prize at the International Harp Competition in Bloomington, Indiana. He was the first French musician to join the ranks of the prestigious Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Since 2001 he has taught at the Hamburg Academy of Music. He gives regular masterclasses at New York’s Juilliard School, Tokyo’s Toho University and London’s Trinity College of Music.