Trained at the Conservatoire of Nice in the class of Simone Delbert-Février, Philippe Bianconi continued his musical education in Paris under Gaby Casadesus, and later in Germany with Vitalij Margulis in Freiburg-im-Breisgau.
He won First Prize at the Jeunesses Musicales International Competition in Belgrade in 1977 and at the Robert Casadesus International Competition in Cleveland in 1981, before earning the Silver Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1985.
Philippe Bianconi has appeared in recital at many of the world’s most prestigious venues across North America (New York, Chicago, Washington, San Francisco, Montreal, Toronto), Europe (Paris, London, Berlin, Vienna, Milan, Madrid, Amsterdam), as well as in Japan, China, and Australia.
He has performed with leading orchestras — including those of Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, the Orchestre de Paris, the Orchestre National de France, and the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra — under the direction of distinguished conductors such as Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Christoph von Dohnányi, James Conlon, Marek Janowski, Georges Prêtre, and Michel Plasson.
A passionate chamber musician, he has shared the stage with Jean-Pierre Rampal, Janos Starker, Pierre Amoyal, Gary Hoffman, Tedi Papavrami, the Guarneri String Quartet, and the Talich Quartet. With baritone Hermann Prey, he recorded Schubert’s three great song cycles.
In 2012, Philippe Bianconi began a collaboration with the label La Dolce Volta. His recording of Debussy’s complete Préludes, nominated for the Victoires de la Musique Classique, received both the Charles Cros Academy Prize and a Diapason d’Or de l’Année. Continuing this partnership, he has since released albums devoted to Chopin and Schumann, and returned to Debussy with the Études.
His recent recording of Ravel’s complete works for solo piano was unanimously praised by critics on both sides of the Atlantic and was selected by The New York Times as one of the best albums of the year.
Philippe Bianconi has also recorded both Brahms concertos with the Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Michal Nesterowicz, for the Printemps des Arts de Monte Carlo label.
From 2014 to 2017, he served as Director of the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau.