Cécile Ousset facts for kids

Cécile Ousset is a famous French pianist. She was born on January 23, 1936.

Cécile Ousset was born in Tarbes, France. She started playing the piano very early, giving her first concert when she was just five years old! By the age of 10, she was studying at the famous Paris Conservatoire. She was so talented that she won first prize in her piano class when she was only 14.

A Star in Competitions

Cécile Ousset won many important music competitions as a young adult. When she was 17, she won the Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition. She also won the Prix du Concours International de Geneve at 18, and the Premier Grand Prix du Concours International Viotti at 19.

Later, she won the Premier Prix du Concours International Busoni when she was 23. She also received a prize at the Van Cliburn when she was 26. In 1956, she earned fourth prize in the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in Belgium. Other famous pianists like Vladimir Ashkenazy also competed there.

Performing Around the World

Cécile Ousset has played piano concerts all over the world. She has recorded many famous piano pieces, including concertos by composers like Brahms, Grieg, Saint-Saëns, Liszt, and Tchaikovsky. She worked with well-known conductors such as Kurt Masur and Simon Rattle.

She won a special award called the Grand Prix du Disque of the Académie Charles Cros. She received this award for her recording of the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 with Kurt Masur.

Sharing Her Knowledge

Cécile Ousset enjoys teaching and helping young musicians. She has taught special classes called Master Classes in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and the Far East. Since 1984, she has held annual Master Classes in a beautiful old village in France called Puycelsi.

She is also often asked to be a judge for major piano competitions. Some of these include the Van Cliburn, Rubinstein, Leeds, and the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition. She is especially known for her recordings of music by Ravel, Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, and Debussy.

Later Years

Cécile Ousset is an Honorary Patron of the Yaltah Menuhin Memorial Fund. This fund helps support music education.

In December 2006, she stopped performing in public concerts. This was due to health issues with her back.

See also

In Spanish: Cécile Ousset para niños