Léo Ispir, cello
At the age of 23, Léo Ispir was nominated in the Révélation soliste instrumentale category at the Victoires de la Musique 2026 and was named Révélation classique by ADAMI in 2023 at the age of 21. He also reached the semi-finals of the 2026 Queen Elisabeth Competition for Cello. He received a fourth prize at the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition Leipzig, won first prize at the Tremplin International Cello Competition, and was awarded both first prize and the Grand Prize at the Gustav Mahler International Cello Competition.
He began studying the cello at the age of seven with Isabelle Loubaresse at the Conservatoire de Rouen. After three years at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Paris in the class of Hélène Dautry, he was admitted to the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris, where he studied with Jérôme Pernoo.
Léo has received guidance from Anne Gastinel – within the Académie Jaroussky – as well as from distinguished musicians including Steven Isserlis, Frans Helmerson, Sol Gabetta, Julian Steckel, Christophe Coin and the Quatuor Ébène.
As a soloist, he has performed with various orchestras, including Hagen Philharmonic, Orchestre Appassionato, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien, l’Orchestre de Picardie, the Pauliner Barockensemble and Young Belgian Strings. He has also collaborated in chamber music with artists such as the Quatuor Modigliani, Gautier Capuçon, Augustin Dumay, Pierre Fouchenneret, Claire Désert, Franck Braley, Lucas Debargue, Raphaël Pidoux, Emmanuel Strosser, Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden and Anne Gastinel.
He has appeared at the George Enescu Festival, La Folle Journée de Nantes, the Flâneries Musicales de Reims, the Schiermonnikoog Festival and the Festival Ravel.
Léo Ispir is a laureate of the Fondation Gautier Capuçon, through which he recorded a duo album in 2024 with his brother, violinist Luka Ispir, for the Warner Classics/Erato label. In January 2025, the Ispir brothers recorded an album with the ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien conducted by Howard Griffiths for Berlin Classics.
Passionate about early music, Léo also studies viola da gamba with Philippe Pierlot at the Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles.
Léo Ispir performs on a cello by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, generously loaned to him by Michael Guttman.
Since 2023, Léo Ispir has been an Artist in residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, in the class of Gary Hoffman.
Last updated: 20 May 2026