Sophie Raynaud, coach

Sophie Raynaud is one of today’s most sought-after collaborative pianists.
She has worked as a coach in major opera houses of Europe, including the Vienna State the Opera, Zurich Opera, Théâtre du Châtelet, Theater an der Wien, Teatro La Fenice and Salzburger Festspiele, to name but a few.

In 2006, she was called upon to join the Bavarian State Opera as one of their main répétiteurs, a position she still holds today.

Her work behind the scenes is counterbalanced by her appearances on stage as a pianist. She has played in concerts in the main concert venues in Europe, including the Wigmore Hall London, Edinburgh Festival, Opéra de Paris, Kölner Philharmonie, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Schloss Elmau, Cuvilliés Theater Munich, Bavarian State Opera, Villa Medici in Rome, Teatro Zarzuela in Madrid and Festival Castell de Peralada and recently at the Carnegie Hall, New York.

In concert, she has collaborated with members of the Bavarian State Orchestra, the Munich Chamber Orchestra and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Sophie Raynaud appears regularly with the most reputed soloists in the business in concerts and song recitals, including Angela Brower, Diana Damrau, Lise Davidsen, Samantha Hankey, Jonas Kaufmann, Sophie Koch, Michael Volle, Okka von der Damerau, Elena Tsallagova, amongst others.

Sophie Raynaud also actively supports the development of the new generation of musicians by teaching the young pianists of the opera studio at the Bavarian State Opera, for example, as well as coaching singing students at important institutions in Europe, such as the Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth in Brussels, the conservatories of Bremen, Bern and Munich, to name but a few.

Sophie Raynaud has accompanied masterclasses, including at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and Christa Ludwig’s masterclasses at the Volkstheater in Vienna, one of which has been filmed and has subsequently been published as a DVD under the Arthouse label.

Thanks to her outstanding musicianship, the pianist has often been asked to act as a vocal coach and sound engineer for CD-recordings, for Sony with Jonas Kaufmann or for Prima Classic with Marina Rebeka, to name the two latest collaborations.

Sophie Raynaud also recorded two CDs together with mezzo-soprano Sophie Koch for the label Le Chant du monde.