“Served by a masterly technique (an unbelievably supple left hand and an inexhaustible wealth of phrasing), Théo Ould’s interpretations show a personality expressing itself naturally in terms of the imagination, with all the enchanting freshness that word implies.” – Pierre Gervasoni - Le Monde
At the age of 24, Théo Ould became the first accordionist to be nominated as a Newly Discovered Talent at the Victoires de la Musique Classique awards. "His playing wonderfully fuses virtuosity, refinement and fantasy, pulling on all the sonic strings of the machine, all delivered with a confounding naturalness. The accordionist succeeds in this tour de force of aligning baroque, electro and complex contemporary writing in the same concert without it turning into a catch-all.” Sébastien Porte – Télérama
“The Stromae of the accordion” (Le Figaro) began his training at the Marseille Conservatory at the age of 6; “When I held the accordion between my hands for the first time, I was fascinated both by the sound it made and by the object itself, halfway between a computer keyboard and a spaceship: a machine to play with in every meaning of the word.”
In 2018, while still a student at the Paris Conservatory (CNSM), together with his friend and fellow-student, cellist, Lisa Strauss, he founded the Philia Trio (violin, cello and accordion). The ensemble recorded its first album, Madness, in 2022 under the auspices of the Festival d'Auvers-sur-Oise.
The same year, he launched his podcast series - ON/OFF – discussing sound, interpretation and the musical profession in general with guest artists including Lucile Boulanger, Théotime Langlois de Swarte and Erik Orsenna.
The history of the accordion is still in the making, as its repertoire, technique, and even its construction continue to evolve. Following in the footsteps of his teachers at the Paris Conservatoire, Théo is fully engaged in the same artistic debate: how best to make sure that the instrument takes its rightful place in the classical repertoire.
And so as a soloist he freely plays the music he loves, Bach, Haydn, and Mozart, without feeling at all constrained by the burden of tradition – at the same time collaborating with composers of today such as Regis ́ Campo, Tomaś Gubitsch and Philippe Hersant, to expand the instrument’s work catalogue and exploit all its capabilities.
In 2023, he signed an artist contract with the Alpha Classics label and recorded his first solo album: Laterna Magica.
Passionate about opera as well as the UK rock scene, he has freely rewritten the conventions of the classical concerts - not in any way to sacrifice the music, but rather to let it be heard in a different way, one in tune with our time
April 24
Accordion
