Valère Burnon

Born in 1998 in Marche-en-Famenne, Valère Burnon is a pianist of remarkable promise whose reputation continues to grow internationally. A prizewinner at numerous international competitions—including Épinal (First Prize, 2019), Bremen (First Prize, 2021), Viotti (Second Prize, 2023), and the Queen Elisabeth Competition (Third Prize and Audience Prize, 2025)—he captivates audiences worldwide with performances that combine passion and precision, driven by a strong musical maturity and a constant search for lyricism and expressive depth.

A versatile musician, he commands a wide-ranging repertoire that allows him to perform as a soloist, chamber musician, and concerto soloist alike. He has collaborated with the Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, Sinfonia Varsovia, as well as orchestras in Brussels, Liège, Antwerp, Milan, and Metz, working under conductors such as Augustin Dumay, Kazushi Ono, and Marc Albrecht.

He has appeared in prestigious venues including the Philharmonie Köln, Philharmonie de Liège, Philharmonie Luxembourg, Salle Cortot in Paris, Studio 4 at Flagey and Bozar in Brussels, Queen Elisabeth Hall in Antwerp, Concertgebouw Bruges, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, and Yamaha Hall in Ginza, Tokyo.

To date, his discography includes two recordings. His debut album, released in 2020 on Azur Classical in collaboration with Belgian pianist and composer Luc Baiwir, features works by Claude Debussy, Sergei Prokofiev, and Sergei Protopopov—a little-known Russian futurist composer whose Preludes, op. 32 had never previously been recorded. In 2021, he released Neoteric on Musicaphon, a duo recording with German clarinetist Andreas Hermanski, dedicated to Francis Poulenc, Ernest Chausson, Claude Debussy, and Scandinavian composers Magnus Lindberg, Arvo Pärt, and Rolf Martinsson.

Valère discovered music at the age of six through the violin, before his parents noticed his ability to reproduce by ear, on a keyboard, everything he heard. He was then enrolled in piano lessons with Émilie Chenoy in Marche-en-Famenne, who soon introduced him to her former teacher, Marie-Paule Cornia. He studied with her for nearly ten years at the Conservatoire de Huy and later at the Conservatoire Royal de Liège. At the same time, he continued studying the violin with Valérie Cantella at the Conservatoire de Ciney and performed in various orchestras, including the Orchestre Terra Nova in Namur under Étienne Rappe and the Louvain-la-Neuve Student Symphony Orchestra under Philippe Gérard.

In 2016, he joined the classes of Jean Schils and Marie-Paule Cornia at the Conservatoire Royal de Liège, where he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in 2018, having also worked with Étienne Rappe and François Thiry. He then continued his studies at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln with Florence Millet, earning a Master’s degree with highest distinction in 2021. That same year, he was admitted to the Accademia Incontri col Maestro in Imola, where he refined his artistry under Leonid Margarius, obtaining a Diploma Master in 2024.

A complete artist, Valère Burnon pursues a path where virtuosity, poetic sensitivity, and musical curiosity converge in the service of a demanding repertoire, always in dialogue with the audience.

Valère Burnon has been an Artist in residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel since 2022, in the piano section under the direction of Frank Braley, Avedis Kouyoumdjian and Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden.

Last updated: 21st April 2026