Laurent Camatte
Viola
Following studies at the Marseille Conservatory where he obtained five prizes (viola, chamber music, theory, harmony and counterpoint), Laurent Camatte was admitted to the Paris Conservatoire where he obtained prizes in viola (B. Pasquier) and analysis (M. Levinas). He is also a laureate of the international viola competitions of Epernay and Jean Françaix, as well as the International Edmund Pendleton prize.
He played in the best halls of the world with colleagues like Nicolas Angelich, Michaël Lévinas, Jean-Marc Luisada, Alexandre Gasparov, Jean-Marc and Xavier Phillips, and with conductors such as Pierre Boulez, Valery Gergiev or also Peter Eötvös.
Laurent Camatte gives masterclasses in France, China, USA, Germany, England. He’s teacher at the Paris conservatory XVIIe.
His early interest in contemporary music led him to join several ensembles, such as 2e2m from 1999 to 2010, or also Multilaterale from 2005 to 2016. Since 2014, he has been the solo violist of the Ensemble Proton in Bern (Switzerland), since 2016 too, he’s a full member of Court-Circuit Ensemble and, since 2018, of the Ensemble Linéa. He regularly performs with the Ensemble InterContemporain, notably under the direction of Pierre Boulez (Eclat-Multiples).
In May 2015, Sir Simon Rattle invited personally Laurent Camatte at the Berlin’s Philharmony for the German premiere of “Ruht Wohl” by Betsy Jolas.
Working in close collaboration with numerous composers such as György Kurtág, Pascal Dusapin, Martin Matalon or also Michael Jarrell, several have also written pieces for him: Betsy Jolas, Jacques Lenot, Michaël Levinas, Philippe Schoeller, Samuel Andreyev, Yann Robin, Gilles Schuehmacher, Robert Coinel…Among his critically-acclaimed recordings are “Moving” of Samuel Andreyev (Klarthe 2016); “B for Betsy” (viola works of Betsy Jolas, Hortus Records 2012); “Chiaroscuro” (Erinnern als Abwesenheit III de Jacques Lenot–Intrada 2011); Trio à cordes and Quintette avec Clarinette of Betsy Jolas (Accord 2006); Troisième Round and Turbulences of Bruno Mantovani (Aeon 2003).