Winner of the Maurice Gendron International Cello Competition in France in 2005, Blaise Dejardin was praised by The Strad for his “grace and charm” and his “ elegant account of the Schumann Concerto” while Le Monde de la Musique noticed his “noble playing”.
Born in Strasbourg, France, in 1984, Blaise Dejardin started to play the cello at the age of 8, and later pursued formal studies at the conservatories of Montpellier and Paris. In 2005 he earned the Higher Training Diploma and the First Prize of Cello with highest honors from the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique of Paris, in the class of Philippe Muller. He pursued his studies with Laurence Lesser at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where he earned the Master of Music Diploma with honors in 2007.
As a soloist, he performed with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra, the French Camerata, and various orchestras.
Among his numerous awards and honors, Mr. Dejardin was the youngest laureate at the Lutoslawski International Cello Competition (2003) in Warsaw, and won First Prize at the Maurice Gendron International Cello Competition (2005) in France. In 2006, he became the youngest top prizewinner at the 6th Adam International Cello Competition in New Zealand and was invited to play for a masterclass of Colin Carr at the Chamber Music Society of the Lincoln Center in New York. In 2007, he was invited at the Steans Institute of the Ravinia Festival in Chicago and played a recital at the “Petit Palais” in Paris. The same year, he was a laureate of the program “Declic” in France. His performances were broadcast on various radio stations (France-Musique, Radio New Zealand, YLE… ).
A recipient of scholarships from the Adami, the Gregor Piatigorsky Fund, the Fondation Singer-Polignac and Culturesfrance, Mr. Dejardin is currently studying with Laurence Lesser at the New England Conservatory in Boston, supported by a Fulbright scholarship and the Florence Gould Foundation.
Having attended an international school in his hometown, Blaise took from this education a particular curiosity towards different cultures. Besides playing concerts, he has had some thrilling experiences like speaking against racism at the European Parliament in Strasbourg and playing a soccer game at the municipal stadium of Sao Paulo, in Brazil. As a musician, he doesn’t stick only to cello and was the first cellist ever to burn the stage of the auditorium of Paris Conservatoire as a blues harmonica player. He also loves mixing humor with classical music and was a member of a comic string quartet. In this spirit, he composed a piece for the Cello ensemble of the CNSM of Paris, which is now in their current repertoire. Finally, he is a also a skillful magician, specializing in close-up magic. Give him a deck of cards and you will witness miracles, right before your eyes…
Blaise was a founding member of A Far Cry. He retired in 2007 to join the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s cello section.
