Biography

Born in France, Maxence Bretel completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s studies at the Royal College of Music, benefitting from the guidance of Radu Blidar for the last six-years. As both an orchestral player and soloist, Maxence has played with some of the most notable musicians and conductors, such as Maxime Vengerov, Antonio Pappano, Nicola Benedetti, and the late Bernard Haitink. He has also enjoyed performing at both national and international venues such as The London Barbican Centre, The Royal Albert Hall, Abbey Road Studios, Shanghai Symphony Hall, and Paris’ Cite de la Musique to name but a few.

Maxence enjoys a wide-ranging repertoire, believing each period of time to complement each other well. In this respect, many of his concerts will include late-Baroque compositions alongside contemporary and experimental music. In particular, Maxence has developed a strong interest in contemporary violin repertoire, recently performing masterpieces such as Luciano Berio’s Sequenza VIII and Pierre Boulez’s Anthèmes 1. Alongside his solo and orchestral work, Maxence is an active chamber musician. In this respect, he has played at festivals such as Festival de Saint-Denis in Paris, Westport Festival of Chamber Music in Ireland, and around the UK with the Occam quartet, which he co-founded in 2020.

Looking ahead, a highlight of the 2022/2023 season will include a production of Pierre Boulez’s Anthèmes 2 in partnership with RCM’s studio, a solo appearance in Astor Piazzolla’s Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas.

Maxence currently performs upon a Circle of Carlo Antonio Testore from 1731, kindly on loan from the RCM.

Musicians’ Company Prize: Lambert Fellowship

Page Updated: Nov 2022

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