Performance
Chantal Balestri performs across the full spectrum of piano music, from intimate solo recitals to grand orchestral stages. Her versatility spans solo concerts, concerto performances, and collaborative projects that push the boundaries of traditional repertoire.
Solo Piano
In the solitude of the concert hall, Chantal Balestri engages with a wide spectrum of piano literature. Her repertoire spans from the Baroque to the present day, with a particular affinity for the Classical tradition, especially Haydn and Mozart, alongside the poetic worlds of Liszt and Schubert, and the Russian and French twentieth century. It encompasses both core classical works and more experimental repertoire, including atonal and minimalist music, as well as projects involving live electronics.
Soloist with Orchestra
Chantal Balestri has performed as soloist with orchestras across Europe, the Americas and the Middle East, engaging with a wide range of concerto repertoire. Her performances include concertos by Mozart and Beethoven, as well as major works of the Romantic tradition such as Liszt’s Second Concerto, Schumann, and Brahms’ First. Her repertoire also extends into the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, with works by Prokofiev, Shostakovich, and Carl Vine.
Voices joined in musical conversation
Chantal Balestri approaches chamber music as a space for experimentation and dialogue, engaging in a wide range of formations from duo to septet, with both string and wind players.
Alongside numerous duo collaborations with different instruments, her work has frequently focused on ensembles such as piano, clarinet and cello; piano, flute and clarinet; piano with string quintet; and piano with wind quintet. Her repertoire spans all historical periods, with a particular affinity for the richness and color of mixed ensembles.
She is also deeply engaged in French and German Lied repertoire, and has worked with composers in the field of film music, further expanding her interest in diverse musical languages.
Supporting the orchestra from within
Chantal enjoys performing with orchestras, drawn to the richness of the symphonic repertoire and to the experience of being part of a larger musical collective. Her repertoire includes music of Bernstein, Copland, Bartok, Shostakovich, Mahler, Respighi, Adams, Martinu and others. She has performed with several orchestras, including the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra, the Garden State Symphony Orchestra, the Symphony of the Americas, the Park Avenue Symphony Orchestra, the American Modern Orchestra, and the Symphonyorchester Crescendo, under the direction of Felipe Tristan, Alessandro Calcagnile, Ruth Reinhardt, Ward Stare, David Bernard, and Felix Mildenberger.
She was the pianist for the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra under Vladimir Jurowski and Lorenzo Viotti, performing in twelve of Europe’s leading venues, including the Vienna Musikverein and the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg.
