Age: 24
“I’m a very curious person, always in search of new inspirations, whether artistic or human.”
Thomas Briant is a graduate of the Haute École de Musique de Lausanne in the class of Renaud Capuçon, and of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris where he studied with Stéphanie-Marie Degand and Jean-Marc Phillips-Varjabédian. He has also worked closely with great masters such as Augustin Dumay, Vladimir Spivakov, Nemanja Radulović, as well as with members of the Trio Wanderer and Quatuor Ébène.
Thomas first started taking violin lessons at the age of five. “It was a really inspiring discovery which soon transformed into a passion.” Today, he is inspired by multiple performers, among them violinist Christian Ferras: “I admire the intensity of his playing, his profound artistic sincerity and the poetry that resonates from his instrument.”
A prizewinner of the Concours Appassionato Joël Klépal, of the Maurice Ravel Foundation, and of the Concours d’interprétation musicale de Lausanne, Thomas has already established himself as a compelling soloist and chamber musician. Recent highlights include a performance of Brahms’s Double Concerto with Anne Gastinel at La Seine Musicale, collaborations with Kit Armstrong and Anneleen Lenaerts, and invitations to prestigious internships such as those of the Festival de Pâques d’Aix-en-Provence, the George Enescu Festival, the Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad, and the Festival de La Roque d’Anthéron. The Concours 2026 marks Thomas’s debut in North America.
An avid chamber musician, he is a founding member of the Trio Zarathoustra, in residence at the Fondation Singer-Polignac, and performs regularly with accordion player Julien Beautemps, exploring new dialogues between classical and contemporary expression.
Thomas plays a 1735 Gagliano violin, generously loaned by Roger Zilber through the Talents & Violon’celles endowment fund.
Contact us to sponsor a competitor:
fondation@concoursmontreal.ca
