« Gorgeous playing, lots of imagination – everything! Superb instrumentalist »
Robert deMaine, Principal Cellist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic
French violist Cynthia Blanchon divides her time between North America and Europe, dedicating herself to various artistic endeavors. Since 2023, Cynthia has been a viola professor at the University of Montreal and is an active chamber musician. As a member of the Myriade quartet, she will be participating in the Colorado Music Festival as the quartet in residence next summer.
Cynthia’s passion for chamber music developed early in her career when she performed at the CNSMD in Lyon with Marc Danel and Yovan Markovich from the Ysaÿe Quartet. Since then, she has collaborated with renowned musicians like Serhiy Salov, Rainer Küchl, Kevin Lin, and Scott St. John. Cynthia has been invited to perform at numerous chamber music festivals, including Music & Beyond, Festival Classica, ProMusica Serie, Concerts aux Îles du Bic, Rencontres Musicales de Laterrière, Rencontres Musicales de Haute-Provence, and Entre Vents et Marais festival. Regularly broadcasted on Radio Canada, she also recorded the Dvořák piano quintet under the ATMA classique label with the Quatuor de l’Agora and Nicolas Ellis, embarking on a West Canada tour in March 2023.
As an experienced orchestral musician, Cynthia holds the principal viola position with the Orchestra de l’Agora. She has also served as a guest principal with the Thirteen Strings Ensemble, the Welsh National Opera, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Her collaborations include performances with the London Symphony Orchestra alongside distinguished conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Valery Gergiev, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Kent Nagano. Her concert venues have included prestigious locations such as Suntory Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Musikverein, Elbphilharmonie, Sydney Opera House, and Philharmonie de Paris.
With a doctorate completed with distinction under the guidance of Jutta Puchhammer and Juan-Miguel Hernandez, Cynthia’s musical journey began at the age of 16 when she enrolled at the CNSMD in Lyon. She further refined her skills at the Colburn School in Los Angeles. Driven by a passion for learning, Cynthia had the privilege of working with renowned violists such as Hartmut Rhode, Gilad Karni, Hariold Schlichtig, and Maxim Rysanov. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic causing the cancellation of her participation in the Prussia Cove festival twice, Cynthia had previously performed at the Pacific Music Festival in 2018.
Recipient of several national awards, including the Lempdes, Toulouse, and Mouans-Sartoux competitions, Cynthia proudly won the Mécénat Musical Société Général competition in 2015. This prize granted her the opportunity to play on a Von Baehr viola for three years. Presently, Cynthia performs on a Kalata viola crafted in 2016 and on a bow made by Arnaud Suard in 2008.