H%C3%A9l%C3%A8ne Grimaud
Hlne Grimaud is a French classical pianist.
Hlne Grimaud was born in AixenProvence, France. She described family nationalities in a New York Times interview with John Rockwell My father came from a background of Sephardic Jews in Africa, and my mothers ancestors were Jewish Berbers from Corsica., but, according to Luc Antonini and after genealogy researchs, her fathers ancestors would be from Trets in Provence and her patronymic is typical of this region. She has stated that, as a child, she was often agitated. She discovered the piano at seven. In 1982, she entered the Conservatoire de Paris, where she studied with Jacques Rouvier. In 1985, she won 1st Prize at the Conservatory and the Grand Prix du Disque of the Acadmie Charles Cros for her recording of the Sergei Rachmaninoff Piano Sonata No. 2. In 1987, she launched her professional career with a solo recital in Paris and a performance with the Orchestre de Paris under Daniel Barenboim.
Source: Wikipedia