Photo: Robert Bared

BILLY EIDI is a French pianist of Lebanese origin. He studied in Paris under Magda Tagliaferro, Jacques Coulaud and Jean Micault. He is currently a professor at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional (CRR) in Paris and the Schola cantorum, after having taught 15 years at the Conservatoire National Supérier de Musique  (CNSM) in Lyon and the École normale-Alfred Cortot. He gives regular master-classes at the International Summer Academies in Nice and Nancy, as well as in Spain, China, Japan and South Korea. In his concerts throughout the world (France, England, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Greece, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Sweden, the USA, Canada, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the Middle East) Billy Eidi has particularly championed the romantic repertoire as well as 20th century French music, giving first performances of piano works such as Satie’s Sixth Nocturne, Sauguet’s “Ombres sur Venise” which is dedicated to him, and works by  M. Jaubert, N. Bonet, J.-D. Krynen, K. Beffa, R. Steptoe and by Guy Sacre with whom he gives lecture-recitals on literary and musical themes. For his recordings of works for piano (Sauguet, Milhaud, Poulenc, Satie, Scriabin, Séverac Hahn, Fauré and Sacre) and French song (Ravel, Debussy, Fauré, Roussel, Poulenc, Sacre, Honegger,  Auric,  Delage,  Chausson)  Billy Eidi has been awarded high distinctions, amongst which are the Grand Prix de l’Académie Charles Cros, the Nouvelle Académie du Disque Français, the BBC “Music Choice”…  His recording of  Poulenc’s Histoire de Babar with the 95 year-old Hugues Cuénod as narrator has since become a touchstone for imaginative interpretation and warmth of expression. He was awarded in 2009 le “Grand Prix ‘Gerald Moore'”, by the french “Académie du disque lyrique” after a new release of Sacre’s songs. His very recent recording of Fauré’s 13 Barcarolles was awarded the supreme distinction “Choc de l’année” of the Classica magazine.