Emmanuel Pahud

Emmanuel Pahud ranks among the leading flutists working in present-day France, distinguished by both his remarkable productivity and his commanding presence on the international stage. His musical interests range widely, covering repertoire from the Baroque era through recent compositions and extending into jazz idioms.

Born in Geneva, Switzerland, on January 27, 1970, Pahud first encountered the flute at age four and immediately insisted on receiving instruction. His family, lacking any musical background, moved repeatedly because of his father’s professional duties, spending portions of his childhood in Baghdad, Paris, Madrid, and Rome. In Rome the household of flutist François Binet occupied the same building, allowing Pahud to begin lessons with the fifteen-year-old Philippe Binet before progressing to François Binet himself. After the next relocation to Brussels, he studied with Michel Moinil and Carlos Bruneel, appearing at thirteen as soloist in a Mozart concerto with the National Orchestra of Belgium.

He entered the Paris Conservatory, capturing several prominent prizes as a student. Upon completion of his studies he was appointed principal flutist first with the Basel Radio Symphony in Switzerland and then with the Munich Philharmonic. Additional guidance came from Aurèle Nicolet, the former principal flutist of the Berlin Philharmonic, who prepared him for an audition with that orchestra. The effort succeeded when Claudio Abbado invited Pahud to join the Berlin Philharmonic as principal flutist in 1992. His debut recording, Flötenmusik, followed the next year on the Musikszene Schweiz label.

Pahud remained with the Berlin Philharmonic, periodically requesting sabbaticals or accepting co-principal status while his solo schedule expanded. He has performed concertos with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, and the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, among other leading ensembles. Chamber music has occupied a central place in his activities through a sustained partnership with pianist Eric Le Sage, alongside collaborations with Hélène Grimaud, Yefim Bronfman, and many additional musicians. Jazz has also formed an important strand of his work, including performances with pianist Jacky Terrasson and appearances in big-band contexts.

His catalogue now exceeds fifty recordings, issued on EMI Classics, Naïve, Warner Classics since 2013, and assorted smaller labels. The 2003 jazz album Into the Blue was recorded with Terrasson, while his classical projects have encompassed rarely heard Baroque and Classical-era concertos as well as contemporary scores. The chamber release Vienne 1900 appeared on Alpha in 2020. He returned to Warner Classics for the concerto album Mozart & Flute in Paris in 2021 and for the 2023 recital disc Romances, again accompanied by Le Sage. In 2009 the French Ministry of Arts and Culture named him Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.