Description
Marc Coppey captured the attention of the musical world at the age of 18 by winning the two highest awards at the Leipzig Bach Competition – the first prize and the special prize for the best interpretation of Bach – when he was noticed by Yehudi Menuhin. He then made his debut in Moscow and Paris in Tchaikovsky’s trio with Yehudi Menuhin and Victoria Postnikova, in a concert filmed by Bruno Monsaingeon. Rostropovich invited him to the Evian Festival, and from then on, his international solo career unfolded with leading orchestras conducted by Eliahu Inbal, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Yan-Pascal Tortelier, Emmanuel Krivine, Alan Gilbert, Christian Arming, Lionel Bringuier, Alain Altinoglu, Michel Plasson, Jean-Claude Casadesus, Theodor Guschlbauer, John Nelson, Raymond Leppard, Erich Bergel, Philippe Entremont, Pascal Rophé, Philippe Bender, Paul McCreesh, Yutaka Sado, Kirill Karabits, and Asher Fisch.
His career, marked by great eclecticism, distinguishes him. Passionate about chamber music, he explores the repertoire with renowned artists and performs on major stages worldwide. He is often invited to festivals such as Radio-France, Montpellier, Strasbourg, Besançon, La Roque d’Anthéron, Aix-en-Provence, Stuttgart, Musica, Midem, Printemps des arts de Monte-Carlo, Kuhmo, Korsholm, West Cork, Kaposvar, Campos do Jordao, Prades, and the “Folle Journée” of Nantes or Lisbon.
Marc Coppey’s repertoire illustrates his great curiosity: while frequently performing the complete Bach Suites and the major concert repertoire, he also introduces many rare works. He has premiered pieces by various composers and ensured the French premiere of concertos by Carter, Mantovani, and Tüür. In November 2009, Marc Coppey was chosen to perform Bach in Paris, at Place de la Concorde, on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
In 2015, he undertook an extraordinary challenge for Arte Studio: performing the complete 6 Suites for solo cello by Bach, totaling 2.5 hours of music, in a single evening in Lyon. In March 2015, Marc Coppey premiered about ten solo cello works by leading contemporary composers at the Philharmonie de Paris in tribute to Pierre Boulez on his 90th birthday. This program was recorded and released in January 2017 on the Megadisc label.
Marc Coppey has recorded works by various composers for labels such as Auvidis, Decca, Harmonia Mundi, and K617. His recordings include the complete Bach Suites, a disc dedicated to Dohnanyi, a Brahms sonatas album with Peter Laul, and concertante works by Dutilleux and Caplet with the Liège Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.
Marc Coppey combines his solo career with a commitment to education, teaching at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris and conducting masterclasses worldwide. He serves as the artistic director of the “Musicales” festival in Colmar and has been the musical director of the Solistes de Zagreb orchestra since 2011. In recognition of his contributions to music, he was appointed Officer of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture in 2014.
Born in Strasbourg, Marc Coppey studied at the Conservatoire of his hometown, the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris, and the University of Indiana, Bloomington (USA). He plays a cello by Matteo Goffriller (Venice 1711).
