Stéphan Sylvestre ranks among the most sought-after and brilliant Canadian pianists of the new generation and enjoys an active performing career as a recitalist, orchestra soloist, chamber musician, recording artist and pedagogue.  Critics on both sides of the Atlantic have bestowed lavish praise on his performances;  “…it is indisputable that his performance belongs to the category of 'spectacular piano playing'... his natural talent reminds one of the great Artur Rubinstein...” (La Presse, Canada); “…Sylvestre’s Chopin manages to move us through a simplicity only found in the greatest pianists.” (La Scena Musicale, Canada); “…masterly brilliant virtuosity and monumentality,” (Flovo Cultury, Czech Republic).

 

Stéphan Sylvestre’s performances have taken place in concert halls throughout Canada, the United States, Brazil, the Middle East, France, Spain, Italy, Scotland, Ireland, England, Czech Republic, Russia and Holland.  Notable venues include the Concertgebouw (Holland), St. Martin-in-the-Fields (UK), the St. Petersburg Conservatory (Russia), Place des Arts, the National Arts Centre and the Four Seasons Centre (Canada).  He has played with several Canadian orchestras and he has performed in all major international Canadian festivals including Lanaudière, Orford, the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival and the Festival of the Sound in Canada.  He can be heard on radio stations throughout North America, on Radio Suisse Romande, and he has performed live for the BBC in Edinburgh. 

 

One of Canada's most praised and sought-after chamber musician, Mr. Sylvestre has collaborated with world renowned musicians and ensembles such as James Campbell, James Sommerville, Ransom Wilson, Martin Beaver, Rivka Golani, Alain Trudel, Andrew Dawes, Corey Cerovsek, Susan Hoeppner, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the Penderecki String Quartet, the New Zealand Quartet, the Alcan Quartet, Quatuor Arthur-Leblanc, the New Orford String Quartet and first chairs of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Montreal Symphony Orchestra.  He has recorded under ATMA, CBC, Espace 21 Records, and Marquis Classics labels.  His numerous solo recordings of Brahms were placed alongside Murray Perahia’s Brahms recordings by WholeNote magazine and nominated for Recording of the Year in Quebec, Prix Opus.  A recording of the works for violin and piano by Karol Szymanowski, recorded at the Banff Centre for the Arts with violinist Jerzy Kaplanek, was released to critical acclaimed in 2013.  The famed Strad Magazine in the U.K. gave a stunning review of the duo’s recording.  A recording of Brahms’s middle period works for solo piano was recently release under Espace 21 Records.

 

He regularly gives master classes around the world and he has sat on juries of prestigious competitions such as the Montreal International Piano Competition, the Montreal Symphony Competition and the Canadian Music Competition.  He also regularly adjudicates for prestigious institutions including the Glenn Gould School, the Conservatoire de Montreal, and many others.  Stéphan Sylvestre has been Associate Professor and head of Keyboard Studies at Western University Canada since 2005.  He is one the most respected pedagogues of the new generation and highly sought-after by young pianists around the world.  His teachers have included Leon Fleisher, John Perry, Marc Durand and Marek Jablonski.