Noé Inui
Violin
For anyone new to violinist Noé Inui, the wide variety of influences that have shaped his character and career may surprise. To Noé, born in Brussels in 1985 to a Greek mother and a Japanese father, it is as logical and organic as breathing.
Having started to play the violin at the tender age of 4, he chose to study at the conservatories of Brussels, Paris, Karlsruhe and Düsseldorf. This made him understand the various ‘schools of playing’; the Franco-Belgian, the German and the Russian tradition, and the vision of pedagogues Galamian and Stoliarsky.
These insights meet with Noé’s balanced personality, always searching for profound musicality beyond his considerable virtuosity. His talents have been recognized internationally, at the 2005 Sibelius Competition (Special Prize for Young Talents), the 2007 Louis Spohr Medal and the 2009 Young Concert Artists/New York, among others. He received the Incentive Prize for Young Artists from the German federal state of Nordrhein-Westfalen. At the Verbier Festival Academy in 2012, he was awarded the coveted Prix Julius Bär, presented to a musician of exceptional talent. It led to an invitation to the festival’s 2013 edition. In 2020, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam selected Noé as one of their ‘Classical Futures Europe Artists’.
Noé acknowledges with gratitude the invaluable guidance and inspiration he has received from his mentors, including Ulf Hoelscher, Rosa Fain, Helga Thoene, Olivier Charlier, and Jacques Dupriez.
Orchestral collaborations
Noé chooses his concerts and collaborations with care, allowing the music to guide his path in development. This approach has given opportunities to perform all the main violin concertos, but also less often played concertos like Bartók No. 2, Korngold, Milhaud, Weill and K.A. Hartmann.
On a regular basis, Noé tours Japan and collaborates with orchestras such as the Japan Philharmonic, Tokyo Symphony, Kaohsiung Symphony, National Orchestra of Belgium, Athens State Symphony, Philharmonic Orchestra Bremerhaven, and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra. He has worked with distinguished conductors including Alexander Lazarev, Andrei Boreyko, Alexander Joel, Daniel Inbal, Paul Meyer, Dennis Russell Davies, Pablo Gonzalez, Ken-David Masur, and Nikolai Alexeev.
Special projects have given him unique experiences. Noé has worked with the Dutch National Opera & Ballet as a concerto soloist in live music ballet performances.
Chamber music
Close to his way of working, Noé is a committed chamber musician, collaborating on a frequent basis with pianists Vassilis Varvaresos and Mario Häring. After having played in the Trio Carlo van Neste for many years, Noé co-founded the successful Corneille Collective, which includes Varvaresos, viola player Daniel Palmizio and cellist Ella van Poucke. A rising ensemble gaining attention is Trio Nomada, in which he performs alongside violist Marc Sabbah and cellist David Cohen.
Invitations by various festivals worldwide enable him to participate in larger ensembles with musicians such as Martha Argerich, Leonidas Kavakos and Julien Quentin.
In addition to his international concert activities, he teaches at Robert Schumann University of Music Düsseldorf and the Mannheim University of Music and Performing Arts. Noé gives regular masterclasses in Japan, the USA, Greece and Belgium.
Recordings
Noé Inui has recorded many CDs, a recent one of which is dedicated to the solo sonatas by Eugène Ysaÿe. It contains, as a bonus, the world première recording of an Étude Poème by the same composer and has received worldwide critical acclaim.
In 2023, he took part in a Bach-focused recording as a member of the Apollon Ensemble, led by Leonidas Kavakos.
Noé Inui plays a Tomaso Balestrieri violin from 1764 (Mantua).
— Text: Green Room Creatives
More information at www.noeinui.com