Article

Jean-Paul Sévilla

Published Online June 12, 2008

Last Edited March 4, 2015

Jean-Paul Sévilla, pianist (b at Oran, Algeria 26 Mar 1934). A graduate of the Paris Conservatoire, he won the Geneva International Competition in 1959. He first appeared in Canada in 1961, at the invitation of the
Sévilla, Jean-Paul
Sévilla's repertoire encompasses music from Bach to contemporary composers, whose works he often premieres.

Jean-Paul Sévilla

 Jean-Paul Sévilla, pianist (b at Oran, Algeria 26 Mar 1934). A graduate of the Paris Conservatoire, he won the Geneva International Competition in 1959. He first appeared in Canada in 1961, at the invitation of the JEUNESSES MUSICALES DU CANADA, and his teaching career dates from 1970. Now Professor Emeritus at the University of Ottawa where his pupils have included Angela HEWITT and Andrew Tunis, he makes his home in Paris, returning to Canada for performances, master classes and adjudicating. His concert and teaching career has taken him to four continents, and he has performed in solo and ensemble recitals and with orchestra, in a repertoire that is virtually all-inclusive, with specific emphasis on the piano music of Fauré and Ravel. First performances of contemporary works include Complémentarité, which was dedicated to him by Jean PAPINEAU-COUTURE and featured on a recording issued by CBC/Radio-Canada. Also included in his discography are sonatas by Schubert, Etudes Symphoniques by Schumann, works by Vincent D'Indy and Albert Roussel, the Opus 103 Préludes of Fauré, two CDs devoted to music inspired by children (Debussy, Grovlez, etc.) and another featuring the world premier of Variations in C Minor by Gabriel Pierné. In 1997 he released a recording of the last six nocturnes of Fauré.