Biography
Jean-Sélim enjoys a busy and varied musical life both as a pianist and composer.
During the 2023/24 season he gave concerts across the world, highlights including the Vancouver Recital Society, Wigmore Hall, Kronberg Caslas Forum, Winterthur Stadthaus, and Unione Musicale Torino.
He recorded Janáček’s complete solo piano music on the composer’s own piano with previously unrecorded works, due for release very soon.
As a composer, he was commissioned in 2023 a new work for piano trio by the Orpheus chamber music competition and he wrote the soundtrack for the feature film "Colombine" directed by Dominique Othenin-Girard.
This season Jean-Sélim returns to the Wigmore Hall, Heidelberger Frühling and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern festivals and will play Schumann Concerto at the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham.
Born in Switzerland, Jean-Sélim studied at the HEMU Lausanne with Christian Favre, Guildhall School of Music & Drama with Ronan O'Hora, the Royal Conservatory in Toronto, Kronberg Academy with Sir András Schiff and Ferenc Rados, and at the Barenboim-Said Akademie with Jörg Widmann. He has participated in masterclasses with Richard Goode, Mitsuko Uchida and György Kurtag, among many others.
“Not only is Jean-Sélim Abdelmoula a fine pianist with great sensitivity and imagination, he’s also a major talent in composition. When he plays Bach, Chopin and Schubert, he does it with a composer’s understanding.”
Awards include the Guildhall Wigmore Prize, the Lili Boulanger Memorial Fund Award (Boston), and top prizes at the Ciurlionis Piano Competition (Vilnius), Grieg Composition Competition, YCAT International Auditions, and the Lausanne Concours d’Interpretation.
Jean-Sélim has performed widely internationally, both as soloist and chamber musician, appearing at venues such as the Barbican, Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, Koerner Hall (Toronto), Banff Music Centre, 92nd Street Y and Weill Recital Hall (New York), and at festivals including the Lucerne, Prussia Cove IMS and Düsseldorf Schumannfest.
His works are performed by musicians including Heinz Holliger, Antje Weithaas, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Sylvia Nopper, Gilles Colliard, and Einar Steen-Nokleberg, and ensembles like the Orchestre de Chambre de Toulouse, Swiss Chamber Soloists, Camerata Bern, Zürcher Kammerorchester, Sine Nomine Quartet and the Ensemble Séquence.
Jean-Selim travels whenever possible with an 88-key electric keyboard which he carries as a backpack and plays for free, bringing music into the heart of the community in schools, hospitals or retirement homes.