Biography
“With over 90 concerts a year, Nicolas Dupont (°1992) is one of the most active Belgian chamber musicians of his generation.” (El Diario Montanes)
As a member of the Kugoni Trio, the Roeland Hendrikx Ensemble and the Duo Andaluza, amongst others, he has performed in venues such as Wigmore Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, King’s Place, Colston Hall (UK), BOZAR, Flagey, AMUZ, deSingel (BE).
Based in Brussels since 2017, Nicolas frequently travels as a soloist or with his colleagues across Europe and Asia. Amongst the concert halls that have shaped his career, are Wigmore Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Queen’s Hall (VK), BOZAR, Flagey, deBijloke, AMUZ, deSingel, Concertgebouw Brugge (BE), la Seine Musicale (FR),…
“If I would have to vouch for a few young artists that deserve to be heard Nicolas is absolutely one of them.” (Itamar Golan)
Nicolas draws much inspiration from new musical collaborartions and performed alongside Yuzuko Horigome, Justus Grimm, Máté Szűcs, Mihaela Martin, Pascal Moragues, Frans Helmerson, Rohan De Silva, Michel Arrignon, Tatiana Samouil, Bruno Philippe, Bruno Delepelaire, Gaby Van Riet, Máté Szücs, Michel Béroff, Gérard Caussé and Vineta Sareika.
Although he has consciously avoided taking part in violin competitions, he was the recipient of a number of distinctions in recent years; the Kugoni Trio won first prizes at the Supernova (2013) and Forte Limburg (2015) competitions and was awarded the Fuga Trophy (2018) for the promotion of Belgian music. In April 2015, he was given the ‘Kolonel en Mevrouw Bisschop-Matthijssen’ prize by the Brussels Conservatoire for outstanding students and in London he was a laureate of the ‘Royal Academy of Music Club Award’ (2016), the ‘Sir Karl Jenkins Music Award’ (2016), and the ‘Concordia Foundation Artists’ Fund’ (2017). With the Urban Piano Quartet, he won the Supernova competition a second time (2019), and became a finalist at the Nordic Strings Competition (DK, 2019) and the Schoenfeld International String Competition in Harbin (CN, 2020).
Nicolas is a 2020 laureate of the ‘VOCATIO’ foundation (BE). Thanks to the National Lottery and it’s players, he has launched the composition competition “PRE LUDE” and will initiate a new concert series in close collaboration with composers, aiming to engage more musicians to give a place to new music in concert programming.
Nicolas Dupont has made several recordings for the BBC3, the Belgian radios Musiq3, Klara, the Swiss Radio Suisse–Romande, the Dutch Radio 4, the Italian RAI3 and Radio Vaticana and has appeared on Belgian national television (Stingray Brava and Canvas).
Despite his young age, Nicolas’ discography includes over fifteen CD’s with music by Brahms, Franck, Debussy, Saint-Saëns, Vasks, Piazzolla, Janáček, Poulenc as well as many Belgian composers.
“His great violinistic talent and exceptional musical personality deserve to be recognized by everyone.” (Michel Arrignon)
Nicolas is currently the leader of the Ataneres Ensemble and has worked as guest concertmaster with Orchestre National de Lille, Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Santander Festival Orchestra,… He gained experience during several years as member of the English Chamber Orchestra and the Brussels Chamber Orchestra and received great advice from his teacher Rodney Friend (ex. Concertmaster Londen and New York Philharmonic Orchestras).
Nicolas Dupont started studying violin with Dejan Mijajev at the age of four. After having gained solid technical bases, and the love of music and the violin from this great pedagogue, Nicolas continued his education with Yuzuko Horigome at the Royal Conservatoire of Brussels and with Rodney Friend at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He obtained both Master degrees with the highest honours for violin. Both professors deeply inspired Nicolas, helped him to develop his technique and musicality, and shaped the musician he is today.
In the meantime, he specialised in chamber music at the CNSM of Paris in the class of concert pianist Itamar Golan, who strongly influenced his musical view and approach to music. As a duo with pianist Olga Kirpicheva, he graduated from this school with ‘mention très bien à l’unanimité’.
Throughout his studies, Nicolas has worked on several occasions with Zakhar Bron and Mihaela Martin and he has participated in Master classes with Maxim Vengerov, Pierre Amoyal, Ana Chumachenko,… and for chamber music with A.R. El Bacha, Paul Badura-Skoda, Rudolf Buchbinder, Bruno Canino, Ralph Kirshbaum, Walter Boeykens,…and with quartets such as Talich, Chilingirian, Prazak, Enesco, Fine Arts, Ebène, Alban Berg etc.
“Nicolas Dupont plays with an unprecedented flexibility and musicality.” (Radio Klara)
Nicolas is very grateful for the support that was given to him during his studies abroad. Apart from his family’s and friends’ support, his musical development was generously made possible by the RotaryClub of Antwerp, Delen Private Bank, the Robus, Inspiratum, SWUK and Jovaro foundations and in the UK the Sir Richard Stapley Trust, the Stephen Bell Trust , the Drake Calleja Trust and the Albert Cooper Music Charitable Trust.
Passionate about teaching, Nicolas taught the violin for two years at King’s College London and at the Royal Conservatoire (Koninklijk Conservatorium) of Brussels as the assistant to Mrs Yuzuko Horigome.
He is now a violin Professor at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles (CRB).
Nicolas Dupont plays on a Giuseppe Pedrazzini violin, generously on loan by a sponsor.