Alain Lefèvre was born on 23 July 1962 in Poitiers, France. The son of a Canadian clarinetist, Alain was exposed to great music from his earliest childhood, and by age five was already enrolled as a piano student in the École normale de musique in Montreal. His early promise flowered with dazzling results, as he went on to win first prize no fewer than nine times in the Concours de la musique du Canada. From 1979 to 1983, he attended the Paris Conservatory as a pupil of Pierre Sancan, garnering the prestigious Grand prix at the Concours international Alfred-Cortot in 1980. During the same period he began a series of recitals with violinist Christian Ferras and worked with composers Henri Dutilleux and Pierre-Max Dubois, premiering a piano sonata Dubois composed expressly for him in New York in 1985. In 1987 Lefèvre earned the distinction of becoming the first Canadian to perform at the Salle Pleyel in Paris with the Orchestre des Concerts Pasdeloup.
Lefèvre has concertized widely in Europe, North America, and Asia, and has appeared as soloist with some of the world's finest ensembles, including the Detroit Symphony, the Hambürg Symphony, the Montreal Symphony, the Moscow Virtuosi, the Nuremberg Symphony, the Royal Philharmonic (London), the SWR (Stuttgart), and the Toronto Symphony. He has made numerous recordings, and was twice accorded a Felix Prize for Best Classical Album of the Year (2001-2002).
An ardent champion of the late Quebec composer, André Mathieu, Lefèvre's impressively wide-ranging repertoire also includes the music of Addinsell, Bach, Gershwin, Liszt, Moussorgsky, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, and Wagner. His recording of John Corigliano's Piano Concerto is considered by many to be the definitive version.
In addition to his solo career, Lefèvre has written numerous original works for the keyboard in a highly accessible tonal style.
For further information / Autres renseignements:
Alain Lefèvre Biography in the Canadian Encyclopedia.
Biographie d'Alain Lefèvre dans l'Encyclopédie canadienne.
Site web officiel / Official web site.
Recordings / Enregistrements:
Illustrated Discography.