Sào Soulez Larivière

Franco-Dutch violist Sào Soulez Larivière is quickly building himself a thriving career as a versatile musician. Captivating audiences with his playing and original programming, he endeavours to broaden the accessibility and perception of classical music in our modern world.

He was named as the 2023 'Young Artist of the Year’ by the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA), and was nominated as ‘Rising Star’ by the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO), which will see him perform in Europe’s most prominent concert halls during the 2024/25 season. 

These achievements build on his growing international career, propelled by recent competition successes, including first prize at the 2023 Prague Spring International Competition, along with top prizes at the Tokyo, Oskar Nedbal, Max Rostal, Cecil Aronowitz, and Johannes Brahms competitions.

Chamber music has always been at the heart of Sào’s musical upbringing, sharing his love for music with his sister, violinist Cosima Soulez Larivière, with whom he still regularly performs. He is also a member of the Frielinghaus Ensemble, which has released several critically acclaimed albums.

An advocate for expanding the horizons of the viola repertoire, he enjoys arranging works for his instrument as well as promoting contemporary music. Collaborating with renowned composers such as Fazil Say, Thomas Adès, Olli Mustonen and Julia Wolfe has given him the unprecedented opportunity to delve deeper into the creative side of music.

Born in Paris in 1998, Sào began his musical journey playing the violin, and at a young age received a scholarship to study with Natasha Boyarsky at the Yehudi Menuhin School in England. It was there that he discovered the viola through chamber and orchestral music, deciding to fully commit to the instrument in his later school years. 

His artistic development has been deeply enriched by working with many distinguised musicians such as Jean Sulem, Nobuko Imai, Antoine Tamestit, Boris Garlitsky, and Steven Isserlis.

Based in Berlin, Sào completed his Bachelor of Music under Tabea Zimmermann at the Hochschule für Musik 'Hanns Eisler'. He earned a Master’s Degree at the Kronberg Academy, where he is currently enrolled in the Professional Studies programme.

Teaching has become a great passion in Sào’s musical life, and he is thrilled to have been appointed professor of viola from autumn 2023 at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg.

He has been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the 'Ritter Preis' on behalf of the Oscar and Vera Ritter Foundation and the Fanny Mendelssohn Förderpreis, which enabled him to release his debut album, Impression.

Sào is also a scholarship holder of the Yehudi Menuhin 'Live Music Now' e.V. Berlin, and served as a Classeek Ambassador for the 2023/24 season. He has received generous support from the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes and the Villa Musica Rheinland-Pfalz Foundation. For 2024-26, he will participate in the Günther Caspar-Stiftung Career Advancement Programme.

Sào plays a viola made in Montpellier in 2013 by Fréderic Chaudière.

Since 2022, he has been studying at Kronberg Academy with Tabea Zimmermann, funded by the Leber patronage.