Philippe Muller

Philippe Muller (born 20 April 1946, in Mulhouse) is a French cellist.

Philippe Muller (born 20 April 1946, in Mulhouse) is a French cellist and pedagogue.

His first contact with the cello was under the guidance of Dominique Prete, professor at the National School of Music and soloist with the philharmonic orchestra of his native city.

His parents, although passionate about music, did not initially think of making him a professional musician, but they did not oppose his desire to attend the Paris Conservatoire.

With André Navarra, his mentor, Philippe Muller realized the importance of methodical and well-organized work.

The years he spends in his class prepare the basis for his own teaching.

Guy Fallot and Paul Tortelier will complete his training.

Philippe Muller has devoted an important part of his career to chamber music.

For a long time principal cello of the Versailles Chamber Orchestra, he founded in 1970 a trio with Jean-Jacques Kantorow and Jacques Rouvier, which rapidly acquired great national and international renown.

In 1976, he joined the Ensemble Intercontemporain where he became familiar with the music of his time.

He stayed there for seven years.

In 1979 he was appointed Professor of cello at the most prestigious Conservatoire de Paris, succeeding his teacher André Navarra.

A leading figure of the French cello school, he was passionate about teaching and for thirty-five years trained a large number of students, many of whom became renowned soloists.

In 2014, reaching retirement age, he emigrated to the United States and accepted a teaching position at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City.

Aside from his teaching duties, he is also frequently invited to serve as a jury member for the most prestigious international cello competitions, f.e. Concours de violoncelle Rostropovitch, International Paulo Cello Competition, Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann, Pablo Casals International Cello Competition, Isang Yun Competition, George Enescu International Competition, Beijing International Music Competition.

In order to maintain a balance between classes and concerts, he performs as a soloist as often as possible and collaborates with numerous ensembles.

He is a regular guest in major European, American and Asian cities.

His extensive discography, begun in the seventies, reflects his eclectic tastes and his love of chamber music.

Sophia Bacelar, Emmanuelle Bertrand, Gautier Capuçon, Marc Coppey, Blaise Déjardin, Bruno Delepelaire, Henri Demarquette, Katharina Deserno, Ophélie Gaillard, Anne Gastinel, Alexander Gebert, Christian-Pierre La Marca, Éric & Yan Levionnois, Hee-Young Lim, Dimitri Maslennikov, Edgar Moreau, Kenji Nakagi, Pablo de Naveran, Aurélien Pascal, Jérôme Pernoo, Romain Garioud, Xavier Phillips, Raphaël Pidoux, François Salque, Camille Thomas, Dominique de Williencourt, Sung-Won Yang, William Molina Cestari, Johan van Iersel.

In a trio with Jean-Jacques Kantorow and Jacques Rouvier

With the Heidelberg Chamber Orchestra

Within l'Octuor de Paris

Within l'Ensemble Intercontemporain