Sào Soulez Larivière

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 understanding of classical music.

He is the winner of the 2023 Prague Spring Competition, as well as a top prizewinner of the Tokyo Viola Competition '22, Oskar Nedbal Viola Competiton '20, Max Rostal Competition '19, Cecil Aronowitz Viola Competition '17 and Johannes Brahms Competition '17. He has also been featured at numerous renowned academies such as the Verbier Festival, Gstaad Menuhin Festival, Ozawa Academy and IMS Prussia Cove.

Born in Paris in 1998, Sào originally started playing the violin under the tutelage of Igor Voloshin, before receiving a scholarship to study with Natasha Boyarsky at the Yehudi Menuhin School in England. Having discovered the viola whilst playing chamber and orchestral music there, he decided to devote himself fully to the instrument towards the end of his studies. In addition, his musical development has been deeply enriched by working with many esteemed musicians such as Jean Sulem, Boris Garlitsky, and Steven Isserlis.

He currently resides in Berlin, where he obtained a Bachelor of Music degree with Tabea Zimmermann at the Hochschule für Musik ‘Hanns Eisler’. From autumn 2022, he will be pursuing a Master of Music degree at the Kronberg Academy.

In 2019, Sào was awarded the 'Ritter Preis' on behalf of the Oscar and Vera Ritter Foundation. The following year, he received the Fanny Mendelssohn Förderpreis, which enabled him to release his debut album ‘Impression’ in 2021. Most recently, he was presented with the 2023 ICMA 'Young Artist of the Year' Award.

https://www.saosoulezlariviere.com