JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET, LISA BATIASHVILI, AND GAUTIER CAPUÇON OPEN THE PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY OF ORANGE COUNTY’S 73RD SEASON
(IRVINE, CA, AUGUST 24, 2026)—The Philharmonic Society of Orange County presents
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Lisa Batiashvili, and Gautier Capuçon on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, 8pm, at Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, marking the group’s first appearance together in Orange County. Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Lisa Batiashvili, and Gautier Capuçon—each internationally celebrated for their distinguished solo careers and longstanding artistic collaborations with the world’s leading orchestras and conductors—officially formed their piano trio in 2018, launching their inaugural European tour that year. Prior to uniting as a trio, the three musicians had frequently collaborated in various duo partnerships and festival appearances. Among these earlier collaborations was a recital by Thibaudet and Capuçon presented by the Philharmonic Society of Orange County at Irvine Barclay Theatre in May of 2022. Their inaugural Orange County program will feature piano trios by Shostakovich, Debussy, and Dvořák. This concert is part of the Donna L. Kendall Classical Series, as well as the Henry T. and Elizabeth Segerstrom Foundation Select Series, with additional support from The Segerstrom Foundation. A pre-concert lecture will take place at 7pm by Kristi Brown-Montesano.
Through elegant musicality and an insightful approach to contemporary and established repertoire, Jean-Yves Thibaudet has earned a reputation as one of the world’s finest pianists. He is especially known for his diverse interests beyond the classical world, including numerous collaborations in film, fashion, and visual art. He is the first-ever Artist-in-Residence at the Colburn School, which awards several scholarships in his name.
Last season, Thibaudet appeared in concerts and recitals around the world in works ranging from Gershwin’s Concerto in F to Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 5, Bernstein’s Symphony No. 2, “Age of Anxiety,” Scriabin’s Prometheus, and Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie. A major champion of Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto, Thibaudet performed the piece with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and New York Philharmonic. In addition to his orchestral dates, Thibaudet joined violinist Lisa Batiashvili and cellist Gautier Capuçon on a fall trio tour, with stops throughout western Europe. He also continues his multi-season focus on Debussy’s Préludes, performing both books in their entirety at recitals around the world.
A prolific recording artist, Thibaudet has appeared on more than 70 albums and six film scores; his extensive catalog has received two Grammy nominations, two ECHO Awards, the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, the Diapason d’Or, the CHOC du Monde de la Musique, the Edison Prize, and Gramophone awards. Recent recordings include Khachaturian, a celebration of the Armenian composer including his Piano Concerto and several solo piano pieces; and Gershwin Rhapsody, a selection of Gershwin pieces recorded with Michael Feinstein, including four newly-discovered ones. He is the soloist on Dario Marianelli’s recently reissued score for Pride & Prejudice, which was certified Gold by the RIAA in 2025; his playing can also be heard on Marianelli’s score for Atonement, Alexandre Desplat’s scores for The French Dispatch and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, and Aaron Zigman’s score for Wakefield. His concert wardrobe is designed by Dame Vivienne Westwood.
Lisa Batiashvili, the Georgian-born German violinist, is praised by audiences and fellow musicians for her virtuosity. An award-winning artist, she has developed long-standing relationships with the world’s leading orchestras, conductors and musicians. In 2021, Batiashvili formed and continues to lead the Lisa Batiashvili Foundation, which serves her lifelong dream and commitment in supporting young, highly talented Georgian musicians to thrive in their musical careers.
Batiashvili began the 2025/26 season on tour alongside the Munich Philharmonic and Lahav Shani, before continuing her successful collaboration with Yannick Nézet-Séguin in Montreal and Philadelphia. 2026 began with a tour with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, directed by Klaus Mäkelä, with upcoming projects with the Filarmonica della Scala, the Kammerakademie Potsdam, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Swedish Radio Symphony, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra—and her passion project ‘City Lights’ with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra. As a chamber musician, she is set to tour extensively with Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Gautier Capuçon, forming for this project a bespoke piano trio. Further concerts together with the Georgian composer-pianist Giorgi Gigashvili, an artist supported by her foundation, are also planned.
Recording exclusively for Deutsche Grammophon, Batiashvili’s latest album, Secret Love Letters, was released in August 2022, with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and The Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as Franck’s Violin Sonata in A major with Giorgi Gigashvili. Her previous 2020 recording, City Lights, marks a musical journey that takes listeners around the world to eleven cities with an autobiographical connection with music ranging from Bach to Morricone, and Dvořák to Charlie Chaplin. A twelfth city was added in 2022 with the release of her single, “Desafinado,” celebrating Rio de Janeiro. At the renowned Concert de Paris on Bastille Day in 2020, she performed the title track, “City Memories” which was broadcast internationally.
An impressive discography also includes Visions of Prokofiev (Chamber Orchestra of Europe/Yannick Nézet-Séguin) which won an Opus Klassik Award and was shortlisted for the 2018 Gramophone Awards. Earlier recordings include the concertos of Tchaikovsky and Sibelius (Staatskapelle Berlin/Daniel Barenboim), Brahms (Staatskapelle Dresden/Christian Thielemann), and Shostakovich (Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks/Esa-Pekka Salonen).
She has won a number of awards: the MIDEM Classical Award, Choc de l’année, Accademia Musicale Chigiana International Prize, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival’s Leonard Bernstein Award and Beethoven-Ring. Batiashvili was named Musical America’s Instrumentalist of the Year in 2015, was nominated as Gramophone’s Artist of the Year in 2017, and in 2018 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Sibelius Academy (University of Arts, Helsinki). Between 2019 and 2022, Lisa was Artistic Director of the Audi Sommerkonzerte Ingolstadt. In 2025, she was honored with the Kaiser Otto Prize of the city of Magdeburg for her commitment against war and anti-semitism and for promoting European unity, as well as the ‘Pro Meritis Scientiae et Litterarum’ from the Bavarian State Ministry. Lisa lives in Berlin and plays a Joseph Guarneri “del Gesu” from 1739, generously loaned by a private collector.
Gautier Capuçon is a true 21st-century ambassador for the cello. Performing internationally with many of the world’s foremost conductors and instrumentalists, he is also deeply committed to education and support for young musicians from every background. In the summer of 2020, Capuçon launched “Un été en France,” a musical journey that brought live performances to families across the country. He repeated the project in 2021, this time also featuring young instrumentalists and dancers in his concerts. To date, the initiative has gathered more than 175.000 people in audience, presented 92 concerts in 76 towns and villages, and showcased 72 emerging artists alongside him. In January 2022, Gautier Capuçon launched Fondation Gautier Capuçon to support young and talented musicians at the beginning of their careers. Capuçon is also a passionate ambassador for the Orchestre à l'École Association which brings classical music to more than 42,000 school children across France.
Capuçon is acclaimed for his expressive musicianship, exuberant virtuosity, and for the deep sonority of his 1701 Matteo Goffriller cello “L’Ambassadeur.” He performs with world leading orchestras each season, working with conductors such as Semyon Bychkov, Lionel Bringuier, Riccardo Chailly, Gustavo Dudamel, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Andrès Orozco-Estrada, Pablo Heras-Casado, Paavo Järvi, Christian Măcelaru, Klaus Mäkelä, Ludovic Morlot, Andris Nelsons, Lahav Shani, Christian Thielemann, and Yu Long. Collaborations with contemporary composers include Lera Auerbach, Karol Beffa, Esteban Benzecry, Nicola Campogrande, Qigang Chen, Guillaume Connesson, Bryce Dessner, Ludovico Einaudi, Richard Dubugnon, Henry Dutilleux, Danny Elfman, Thierry Escaich, Philippe Manoury, Bruno Mantovani, Krzysztof Penderecki, Max Richter, Wolfgang Rihm and Jörg Widmann.
In the 2026/27 season, Capuçon will tour with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and Jaap van Zweden through Europe, as well as with Gewandhausorchester Leipzig (Andris Nelsons), Netherlands Philharmonic (Lorenzo Viotti) and Orchestre de Paris (Andrés Orozco-Estrada). Further orchestral engagements include an appearance at the BBC Proms with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Alain Altinoglu, followed by performances with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin (Mark Elder), Filarmonica della Scala (Riccardo Chailly), WDR- Sinfonieorchester (Marie Jacquot), Sydney Symphony Orchestra (Simone Young), Boston Symphony Orchestra (Susanna Mälkki), National Symphony Orchestra (Chia-Hsuan Lin), and many others. Capuçon will also tour North America with Jean Yves-Thibaudet and Lisa Batiashvili, and Europe with Frank Braley—performing an all-Beethoven programme. He’ll also perform Beethoven trios with Evgeny Kissin and Maxim Vengerov at the Chicago Symphony Hall and Carnegie Hall. Capuçon is also set to tour Europe with the Capucelli throughout the season.
Recording exclusively for Erato (Warner Music), Capuçon has won multiple awards and holds an extensive discography featuring major concerto and chamber music literature. His album Destination Paris, released in November 2023 in the lead-up to the monumental Paris Olympics in summer 2024, celebrates Parisian music from classical repertoire to film scores as a testament to his home city. 2020’s Warner Classics album, Emotions, features music from composers such as Debussy, Schubert and Elgar while Sensations (released in Autumn 2022) explores short, popular pieces from a range of different genres. Both Emotions and Sensations have garnered the prestigious Disque D’Or selling more than 50,000 copies respectively in France. His most recent release, Gaïa (released in November 2025), features world premieres inspired by his passion for nature and the planet.
Born in Chambéry, Capuçon began playing the cello at the age of five. He studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur in Paris with Philippe Muller and Annie Cochet-Zakine, and later with Heinrich Schiff in Vienna. Now a household name in his native France, Capuçon appears on screen and online in shows such as “Prodiges,” “Now Hear This,” “Symphony Pour La Vie,” and “The Artist Academy,” and is a guest presenter on “Radio Classique” in the show “Les Carnets de Gautier Capuçon” since the 2019/20 season.
Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall is located at 615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Ticket prices start at $41 and are available at the Philharmonic Society box office at (949) 553-2422, or online at philharmonicsociety.org, and at the Center’s box office at (714) 556-2787.
All artists, dates, venues, programs, and prices are subject to change.
# # #
ABOUT THE PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY OF ORANGE COUNTY:
Founded in 1954 as Orange County’s first music organization, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County presents national and international performances of the highest quality and provides dynamic and innovative music education programs for individuals of all ages to enhance the lives of Orange County audiences through music.
Since its inception, the Philharmonic Society has evolved and grown with the county’s changing landscape, presenting artists and orchestras who set the standard for artistic achievement from Itzhak Perlman, Gustavo Dudamel, Yo-Yo Ma, and Renée Fleming to the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and many others. In addition, the Philharmonic Society celebrates multi-disciplinary performances under its Eclectic Orange brand and embraces music from a wide range of countries with its World Music performances. Its celebrated concerts introduce children to classical music with creative and inspiring performances, instilling music appreciation for future generations.
The Philharmonic Society’s nationally recognized Youth Music Education Programs, offered free of charge, engage more than 80,000 students annually through curriculum-based music education programs that aim to inspire, expand imaginations, and encourage learning at all levels. These programs are made possible by the Committees of the Philharmonic Society comprised of nearly 450 volunteer members who provide more than 50,000 hours of in-kind service each year. As a key youth program, the exceptional Orange County Youth Symphony and String Ensemble provide top-tier training to the area’s most talented young musicians through multi-level ensemble instruction, leadership training, touring opportunities, challenging professional repertoire, and performances in world-class venues. The Philharmonic Society also promotes life-long learning, connecting with colleges and universities to conduct masterclasses and workshops and providing pre-concert lectures to introduce audiences to program selections.
CONTACT:
Marie Songco-Torres Rosiana Falzon
(949) 553-2422, ext. 230 (949) 553-2422, ext. 105
marie@philharmonicsociety.org rosiana@philharmonicsociety.org