As a composer, Escaich embraces a wide range of genres and forms in a relentless quest for new sonic horizons. His catalogue includes over a hundred works that attract a wide audience thanks to a deeply personal universe: drawing from the French line of composition of Ravel, Messiaen and Dutilleux, while also incorporating elements of popular music and sacred inspiration, his sonic world is defined by incandescent lyricism, obsessive rhythmic drive, and powerful structures.
Escaich’s works are performed by leading orchestras in the world and by musicians such as Lisa Batiashvili, François Leleux, Andris Nelsons, Alain Altinoglu, Louis Langrée, Semyon Bychkov, Paavo Järvi, Alan Gilbert, Olivier Latry and Paul Meyer.
Major recent works in Escaich’s catalogue include Shirine, an opera premiered at the Opéra de Lyon in 2022, a violin concerto, Au-delà du rêve, written for Renaud Capuçon and the Münchner Philharmoniker, a piano concerto, Études symphoniques, for Seong-Jin Cho and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, and a cello concerto, Les Chants de l’aube, for Gautier Capuçon, commissioned by Leipzig Gewandhaus and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Besides his symphonic, operatic, and chamber output, organ works occupy a prominent place in his catalogue. His Organ Concerto No.1 was selected as a highlight of the genre in Gramophone magazine.
As an organist and improviser, Thierry Escaich is a guest at major concert halls and festivals, such as Berlin Philharmonie, Vienna Konzerthaus, Philharmonie de Paris, Müpa Budapest, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Madrid Auditorio, Auditorium de Radio France, Hong Kong Cultural Center, Lotte Concert Hall, Mariinsky Theater, Moscow Philharmonie, Helsinki Musiikkitalo, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Bremen Festival, BBC Proms.
Escaich was Organist and Composer in Residence at the Dresdner Philharmonie in the 22/23 season. He is also a guest of such orchestras as the Berlin Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre National de France, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, and Concerto Budapest.
During the 2024/25 season Escaich is Composer in Residence at the Frankfurt Radio Symphony. Besides several other concerts, his new work Ballade, for big band and orchestra, receives its world premiere at the Alte Oper Frankfurt. One of the major highlights of this residency and of the season is the world premiere of Escaich’s Te Deum pour Notre-Dame in June, composed to celebrate the reopening of the cathedral. It will be performed, among others, by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony conducted by Alain Altinoglu.
His artistic versatility is featured in a highly praised discography, partly published on Universal Music. His album Les Nuits hallucinées was crowned with many distinctions, including a ‘Choc de l’année’ from Classica magazine as an outstanding release of the year. The premiere of Claude, his first opera, was released on DVD by BelAir Classics. Other releases include Baroque Song on Sony Classical, Aria with Richard Galliano, Fusion with the Ellipsos Saxophone Quartet, Vocalise with Romai Leleu and Cris with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.
Escaich received five ‘Victoires de la Musique’ awards (2003, 2006, 2011, 2017 and 2022), and in 2018 he took the prestigious role of Featured Composer at the Radio France Présences festival.
In 2013 he received the honour of being appointed to the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He teaches composition and improvisation at Conservatoire de Paris (CNSMD), where he himself studied and earned eight first prizes.
