Louis Lortie

For over three decades, French-Canadian pianist Louis Lortie has continued to build a reputation as one of the world’s most versatile pianists; he extends his interpretative voice across a broad spectrum of repertoire, and his performances and award-winning recordings attest to his remarkable musical range.

In demand on five continents, Lortie has established long-term partnerships with orchestras such as the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Dresden Philharmonic, and The Philadelphia Orchestra. In his native Canada he regularly performs with the major orchestras in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, and Calgary. Further afield, collaborations include the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, and Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo in Brazil.

In recital and chamber music, Louis Lortie appears in the world’s most prestigious concert halls and festivals, including London’s Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, and Beethovenfest Bonn. Together with fellow pianist Hélène Mercier, as the Lortie-Mercier duo, he has also shed new light on the repertoire for four hands and two pianos both in the concert hall and on several best-selling recordings.

A prolific recording artist, Louis Lortie’s 30-year relationship with Chandos Records has produced a catalogue of over 45 recordings on the label, covering repertoire from Mozart to Stravinsky, including a complete Beethoven sonata cycle and the complete Liszt Années de pèlerinage. Lortie was Master-in-Residence at The Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel of Brussels from 2017 until 2022 and he continues to mentor exceptionally talented pianists. In 1984, he won First Prize in the Busoni Competition and the same year he was a prize-winner at the Leeds Competition. Louis Lortie is co-founder and Artistic Director of the LacMus International Festival on Lake Como, taking place annually every July since 2017.