David Fray

Described as “Perhaps the most inspired, certainly the most original Bach player of his generation,” David Fray maintains an active career as a recitalist, soloist and chamber musician worldwide. He has collaborated with leading orchestras and distinguished conductors such as Marin Alsop, Pierre Boulez, Semyon Bychkov, Christoph Eschenbach, Asher Fisch, Daniele Gatti, Paavo Järvi , Kurt Masur, Riccardo Muti, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Jaap van Zweden among others. Orchestral highlights in Europe have included performances with the London Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, Bayerische Rundfunk, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Deutsche Sinfonie Orchester, Salzburg Mozarteum, Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre National de France and Orchestre de l’Opéra national de Paris. David Fray made his US debut in 2009 with the Cleveland Orchestra which was followed by performances with the Boston Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Recital debuts followed in Carnegie Hall, at the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York and the Chicago Symphony Hall.

Recent and upcoming highlights include returns to the Orchestra de la Suisse Romande, Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse, and Monte Carlo Philharmonic, where he will be joined by Cecilia Bartoli in a program of Mozart’s works. He also accompanies baritone Peter Mattei in Schubert’s Winterreise at the Frankfurt Opera and Turku Music Festival in Finland. Fray continues to appear at the Hamburg Ballet, playing an all-Schubert program as an accompaniment to Ghost Light, by John Neumier, for which Fray won the Opus Klassik’s 2020 Award for “Innovative Concert of the Year.” He performed the Goldberg Variations at the Gulbenkian Festival in Lisbon, televised as part of “Pianomania II”; Bach keyboard concertos at the Firkušný Festival in Prague; a special recital with Fatma Said at the Eiffel Tower; and a recital tour of Asia. 

Fray, a Warner exclusive artist, has released many albums; his latest is the Bach Goldberg Variations. Previous recordings include Bach violin sonatas with Renaud Capuçon; music of Chopin; Schubert’s late piano works; and Bach keyboard concertos for 2, 3, and 4 pianos. His first album featured works of Bach and Boulez and was praised as the “best record of the year” by the London Times and Le Soir, and his disc of Bach keyboard concertos with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie received an award from the German Recording Academy. Other recordings include Schubert’s Moments Musicaux and Impromptus, as well as Mozart piano concertos with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Jaap van Zweden. In 2008, the TV network ARTE +7 presented a documentary featuring Fray, directed by the renowned French director Bruno Monsaingeon. The film Sing, Swing & Think was subsequently released on DVD.

David Fray started taking piano lessons at the age of four. He furthered his studies with Jacques Rouvier at the National Superior Conservatory of Music in Paris where he currently resides.