‘I see music as a journey, a suspended moment that transforms with each interpretation. In this way, the audience is drawn directly into a story that we create together.’ This vision of musical performance as an immersive, shared experience is at the heart of Violaine Despeyroux's artistic approach. A French violist trained at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München and the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, she stands out on stage with her unique presence and energy that is both controlled and incandescent. Her enthusiasm and determination have led her to perform in prestigious European and international venues, including Victoria Hall, Seiji Ozawa Hall, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels and Grand Théâtre de Provence. She has shared the stage with renowned partners such as Renaud Capuçon, Alexandre Kantorow, the Modigliani Quartet and Pierre Fouchenneret. The winner of several awards, she was unanimously awarded First Prize at the Concours National des Jeunes Altistes (National Competition for Young Viola Players), as well as Second Prize and the Prize for the Best Interpretation of Bach at the Cecil Aronowitz International Viola Competition. A multi-faceted musician, Violaine Despeyroux is equally at home in chamber music and as a soloist. Her season will be marked by the recording of an album devoted to English music, as well as new chamber music collaborations with leading artistic partners. It will also be marked by the addition of three new concertos to her repertoire, reflecting her desire to enrich and renew her musical journey. Always curious about new repertoires, she has a deep passion for chamber music and the dialogue it creates between musicians and audiences. She can be heard at major music events such as the Aix-en-Provence Easter Festival, the La Roque d'Anthéron Festival, the Radio France Occitanie Festival Montpellier Festival and the Folles Journées de Nantes. She is also a regular guest with major ensembles such as the Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Paris, the Orchestre de Paris, the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln and the Kölner Kammerorchester. But Violaine Despeyroux also likes to surprise, break free from conventions and explore unexpected paths. For her, classical music remains above all a living art: a vibrant art form whose colours and emotions she constantly explores, in a permanent search for nuances, encounters and intensity, in perfect harmony with her instrument — a 1863 Jacquot viola.