In 1997, Capuçon was invited by Claudio Abbado to become concertmaster of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, which he led for three summers, working with conductors such as Pierre Boulez, Seiji Ozawa, Daniel Barenboim, Franz Welser-Moest and Abbado himself.

Since this time, Capuçon has established himself as a soloist at the very highest level. He has played concerti with orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic under Haitink, the Boston Symphony under Dohnanyi and the Orchestre de Paris under Eschenbach. Other orchestras he has performed with include the Bayerischer Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester, NDR Hamburg, Orchestre National de France, La Scala Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, City of Birmingham Symphony, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Mahler Chamber Orchestra and LA Philharmonic. Other conductors he has collaborated with include Dutoit, Masur, Brüggen, Bychkov, Philippe Jordan, Krivine, Sawallisch, Ivan Fischer and Robertson. Capuçon also tours extensively as a solo recitalist and will undertake two major tours of the USA in the 09-10 season as well as appearances throughout Europe.

Upcoming UK engagements for Capucon include concerti with the London Symphony Orchestra with Daniel Harding, Royal Scottish National Orchestra with Stephane Deneve, Bournemoth Symphony Orchestra with Kirill Karabits, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra with Ludovic Morlot and a special three concert project at the Wigmore Hall focused on Brahms.

Capuçon has a great commitment to performing chamber music and has worked with Argerich, Barenboim, Bronfman, Grimaud, Kovacevich, Pires, Pletnev, Repin, Bashmet and Mørk, as well as with his brother and regular collaborator cellist Gautier Capuçon. These collaborations have taken him to the festivals of Edinburgh, London (Mostly Mozart), Berlin, Lucerne, Verbier, Aix-en-Provence, Roque d’Anthéron, San Sebastian, Stresa, Tanglewood and many others.

Capuçon records exclusively for Virgin Classics. His most recent release of Mozart Violin Concerti Nos. 1 and 3 and the Sinfonia Concertante for violin, viola and orchestra with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Louis Langrée led The Guardian to declare Capuçon “one of today’s outstanding violinists”.

Other recordings include the Mendelssohn and Schumann Violin Concerti with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Daniel Harding, the Brahms Double Concerto with Gautier Capuçon, Myung-Whun Chung and the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, and discs of Brahms and Schubert chamber music. Of his recording ‘Le Bœuf sur le toit’ with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, again with Harding, International Record Review declared “Not since the emergence of Vengerov and Repin has such an exciting young violinist come my way”.

Renaud Capuçon plays the Guarneri del Gesù “Panette” (1737) that belonged to Isaac Stern, bought for him by the Banca Svizzera Italiana (BSI).

Renaud Capuçon is represented by Intermusica.

August 2009 / 473 words. Not to be altered without permission. Please destroy all previous biographical material.

Royal Scottish National Orchestra / Stephane Deneve / Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto
“Renaud Capuçon hushed the packed Usher Hall audience with his spell binding performance.”
The Scotsman, December 2009

“Capuçon’s musical agility appared effortless, particularly in the demanding cadenzas”
The Scotsman, December 2009

“Renaud Capuçon’s playing of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto was astonishing in its polish, sophistication, precision and intensity”
The Herald, December 2009

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra / Kirril Karabits / Bruch Violin Concerto
"Awe was the response to the burnished gold sound produced by violinist Renaud Capuçon from the first bars of Bruch's Violin Concerto in G minor. Capuçon's instrument is the Panette Guarneri del Gesù, and his simple, unaffected delivery seemed designed to let the violin's characteristic sound speak for itself. It gave a calm serenity to a sometimes overly dramatised work. This was balanced by the high spirits of the Hungarian Gypsy finale, a potent reminder that it was partly inspired by the legendary violinist Joseph Joachim."
The Guardian, November 2009

Staatskapelle Dresden/ Daniel Harding / Schumann Violin Concerto
“Capuçon is a beautiful player, fully warm-toned but so clear and unfussy as to make it easy to imagine him playing Bach.”
The Irish Times, June 2009

Scottish Chamber Orchestra / Louis Langrée / Virgin Classics / Mozart
“Now in his early 30s, Renaud Capucon is one of today’s outstanding violinists – less flashy than some, but a fabuously musical player who is as remarkable a chamber player as he is a concerto soloist… A fine achievement”
The Guardian, April 2009

“…Violinist Renaud Capuçon's silvery tone and expressive phrasing of the slow movements (particularly so in the G Major No 3) beautifully balance his brisk and exhilarating takes on the allegros and prestos… Don’t miss this one.”
Sunday Herald, April 2009

Detroit Symphony Orchestra / Saint-Saëns
"Violinist Renaud Capuçon gave a ravishing account of Camille Saint-Saëns' Violin Concerto No. 1 linked with the composer's Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso. Capucon's dark sound glowed warmly and the bravura passages were all the more effective for his unwillingness to preen. The audience took to him like catnip, and he answered the repeated curtain calls with an encore, Gluck's Dance of the Blessed Spirits."
Detroit Free Press, October 2007

Royal Scottish National Orchestra / Stéphane Denève / Prokofiev
"The most riveting moment of the evening came with the appearance of Renaud Capuçon in Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No 1. This was a dazzlingly physical display in which the petit Capuçon literally arched his back at times like a recoiled spring, its backlash unleashing power that awoke every morsel of dynamism in the music, not least the searing intensity of Prokofiev's endless melodies and the sheer vivacity and virtuosity of the finale.
For an encore, Capuçon confirmed the astonishing sustaining power he has as a player, holding us rapt in his spell as he delivered a piece of unaccompanied Gluck with the same captivating magic."
The Scotsman, October 2007

Scottish Chamber Orchestra / Louis Langrée / Mozart
"Mozart's violin concertos are harder to play than they sound; the challenge lies in making them sound effortless without rendering them facile. Capuçon, with his sweet-toned but deceptively powerful playing negotiated this balance successfully. His playing was brilliant in the bravura passages without sounding like showmanship, while the slow movements, particularly of the G major Third Concerto, were spun out with unerring lyricism. "
The Guardian, September 2007

Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal / Kent Nagano
"The soloist was violinist Renaud Capuçon, whose professional history, despite his young age of 31, is already impressive. It is not surprising then that he has been hailed as one of the best violinists of his generation. His distinctive path and musical approach provided the perfect fit for Maestro Nagano. He lives the music, and never loses concentration, allowing the audience to appreciate the accuracy of each note, the emotion he brings to each piece with his Guarneri del Gesù, made in 1737, that was given to him by the BSI. You had to be there to believe it."
Canoë, Canada, August 2007

Lugano Festival / Lalo Symphonie espagnole
"Renaud Capuçon delivered Edouard Lalo's Symphonie espagnole with warmth and conviction. His pace was perfect, and the audience was seduced by the colours he brought to his performance."
Le Figaro, June 2007

Orchestre National de France / Kurt Masur / Tchaikovski
"Without a doubt, Renaud Capuçon is one of the greatest. He has already proven this with impressive recordings of Schumann and Mendelssohn's concertos. … Here, he demonstrates that he has reached musical maturity. The sound is handsome, and he brings a confidently magnificient purity to the higher notes. The clarity of his fingers and bow concur to the galloping pace, in a vertiginous mastery so fast that it sometimes sounds as if the orchestra is running after him. This is a beautiful and generous performance which deserves the best concert halls in the world and maybe even a recording."
Altamusica, June 2005