Philippe Raskin
Belgium
Born in Brussels, Philippe Raskin devoted himself to music at a very early age. His performances have been illustrated as a “model of radiant authority (...), solar, generous, committed and under control (MDM, La Libre Belgique) and plays “with an impressive confidence” (JK, Mundo Clasico).
Philippe began piano lessons with Aleksandr Friedland, a Russian conductor, and continued working with Bernadette Malter and Loredana Clini. He developed his artistry furthermore with Vincenzo Balzani, Ralf Gothóni, and Leon Fleisher on the piano in addition with Johannes Meissl and Hatto Beyerle for chamber music.
At the age of 16, he began studying at the Royal Conservatorium of Brussels in the class of Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden. In the same year, he obtained his first degree with the highest honours. He then joined the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel (still with Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden) and graduated again with the highest honours, receiving the diploma from H.M. the Queen of Belgium. During the same period, he completed his Master's degree at the Royal Conservatorium of Brussels in piano and chamber music.
In 2005 he entered the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofia in Madrid where he worked for four years under the tutelage of Dimitri Bashkirov and Claudio Martínez Mehner. As early as the first year, he received from H.M the Queen of Spain the Sobresaliente Prize at the Pardo Palace. In 2010, Philippe started studying at the Strasbourg Conservatory with Amy Lin for a “Diplome de Spécialisation” where he graduated with the highest honours. In 2012 & 2013, he worked with Leonel Morales.
Philippe has won several national and international competitions, amongst others: the J.S. Bach Competition, the Gretry Rotary Competition, the Paris International Piano Competition, the Lions Club Competition, and the André Dumortier International Piano Competition. In 2012, he became a prizewinner at the Lyon International Piano Competition and won first prize at the “Spanish Composers” International Piano Competition in Madrid.
Philippe has performed many recitals, as part of chamber groups and as a soloist with orchestras all over the world - in renowned concert halls such as the Grand Hall of Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Musikverein in Vienna, or at the Philharmonie in Berlin. He was also invited by the Chopin Foundation in Warsaw to perform in the birthplace of the composer.
Philippe regularly performs with orchestras, notably the Belgian National Orchestra, the Flanders Symphony Orchestra, and the Salzburg Chamber Soloists amongst many others. His chamber music partners include artists such as Clemens Hagen, Jérôme Pernoo, Miguel Da Silva, etc.
Philippe also regularly performs contemporary music and has taken part in several world premieres. Many composers have dedicated works to him, including "Stringent & Tremulation" from Belgian composer Jean-Marie Rens, "Piano Sonata" from Turkish composer Serkan Gürkan, "Sonata Der Hunt" from Austrian composer Christoph Ehrenfellner and "Talxochimaco" from Belgian composer Michel Béro. Philippe is invited each year to be a member of the jury in several international piano competitions including the International “Piano Talents” Competition Milan, the Lyon International Piano Competition, the "MozArte" Competition in Cologne and is the artistic director of the César Franck International Piano Competition and the International Music Festival (IMF) Paris. He is also a regular member of the jury at the "Spanish Composers" Competition in Madrid, "Valsesia Musica", "Cita de Cantu" etc.
In 2009, Philippe opened his piano school and also gives many masterclasses in Belgium and abroad. From 2016, Philippe was also the artistic director of the “Resonances Musique de Chambre” Festival in France and began teaching at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. Philippe is also a member of the international piano faculty in "Talent Music Master Courses" University of Music in Brescia and in the "Friedrich Gulda" Conservatory in Vienna.
