Matthieu Petitjean

After winning first prize at the CNSMDP in Jacques TYS’s class, Matthieu PETITJEAN embarked on an intense orchestral career in Germany, where he was successively principal oboist of the Lower Saxony Opera in Hanover and of the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich. Over a period of 7 years, he acquired an in-depth knowledge of the German tradition while building up a solid reputation that saw him invited to play in major orchestras across the Rhine: the Frankfurt and Hamburg opera houses, the NDR, RSO and DSO Berlin orchestras and many others.

At the same time, he became the first Frenchman to win the Lady Barbirolli competition in England, giving him the opportunity to perform regularly as a soloist, notably in London’s prestigious Wigmore Hall.

He then joined the Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra as principal oboist, where his growing reputation led him to perform with a number of prestigious orchestras, including the Orchestre National de France, the Toulouse Capitole Orchestra, the Suisse Romande Orchestra and La Scala in Milan. For almost a decade he was a guest with the prestigious Saito Kinen Orchestra, founded and conducted by the legendary Seiji Ozawa, whose last concerts he played in Japan. During his travels, he had the chance to work with such prestigious names as Andris Nelsons, Ricardo Muti, Daniel Gatti, Fabio Luisi, Kyrill Petrenko, Tugan Sokhiev, Charles Dutoit, Valery Gergiev, Zubin Mehta, Antonio Papano, etc.

Alongside his career as a musician, Matthieu PETITJEAN taught at the Hochschule de Saarbrucken for many years and regularly gave master classes around the world: Japan, South Korea, China, Eastern Europe, Germany, etc. Since 2024 he is Professor in the famous Ecole Normale de Paris Alfred Cortot.