The Olivier Music Barn, 5:30 PM
Program
GRACE
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH / CHARLES GOUNOD: Ave Maria, CG 89
JULIEN BROCAL / CAMILLE THOMAS: Reflection No. 1 (Paix – Shanti)
FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN: Introduction et Polonaise brillante, Op. 3
CHIMERA
CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS: The Swan
ERIK SATIE: Gymnopédie No. 1
BROCAL / THOMAS: Reflection No. 2
EDVARD GRIEG: Cello Sonata, Op. 36
Allegro agitato
Andante molto tranquillo
Allegro molto e marcato
Camille Thomas, cello
The Franco-Belgian cellist Camille Thomas has been making music with radiant, instinctive joy since age four. Her deeply expressive performances—marked by a rare blend of technical refinement and emotional immediacy—have made her one of the most compelling artists of her generation. Highlights of the 2025–26 season include performances with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Orchestra della Svizzera italiana, Taiwan Philharmonic, Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Residentie Orkest, Bochum Symphony Orchestra, and a five-city tour with Euskadiko Orkestra. In October 2025 Thomas curated a week of Paris-inspired concerts at the Viva Cello Festival in Switzerland. She embarked on a North American recital tour with pianist-composer Julien Brocal and continues to tour with clarinetist YOM.
Since signing exclusively with Deutsche Grammophon in 2017, Thomas has released several critically acclaimed albums. Released in partnership with UNICEF, Voice of Hope (2020) features the world-premiere recording of Fazil Say’s Never Give Up, composed for her in the wake of the terror attacks in Paris and Istanbul. She recorded The Chopin Project (2021) in Paris and Warsaw during the pandemic.
Born in Paris in 1988, Thomas studied with Marcel Bardon before moving to Berlin to work with Stephan Forck and Frans Helmerson at the Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik. She continued her training with Wolfgang-Emanuel Schmidt at the Franz Liszt Hochschule für Musik in Weimar.
Julien Brocal, piano
Julien Brocal is a French pianist, composer, and improviser whose poetic and contemporary voice has distinguished him on the international stage.
Trained by Erik Berchot and later by the renowned pedagogue Rena Shereshevskaya, Brocal developed a playing style marked by depth, narrative intensity, and tonal refinement. A decisive encounter with Maria João Pires further shaped his artistic path; she invited him to tour internationally alongside her, nurturing a profoundly humanistic vision of interpretation.
His recordings devoted to Chopin, Ravel, and Mompou have been widely acclaimed by the international press. Gramophone praised his artistry, calling him “a singular talent.”
Alongside his solo career, Brocal maintains a close collaboration with cellist Camille Thomas. Together they created and recorded Rendez-vous at Tippet Rise Art Center, an iconic American arts center with which Brocal has formed a deep artistic bond.
As the founder of Jardin Musical in Brussels, Brocal has created a space dedicated to artistic creation and dialogue, where music meets other disciplines and new formats emerge. Through performance, composition, and cultural initiatives, he reimagines music as a living, shared experience.
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH / CHARLES GOUNOD: Ave Maria, CG 89
JULIEN BROCAL / CAMILLE THOMAS: Reflection No. 1 (Paix – Shanti)
FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN: Introduction et Polonaise brillante, Op. 3
CHIMERA
CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS: The Swan
ERIK SATIE: Gymnopédie No. 1
BROCAL / THOMAS: Reflection No. 2
EDVARD GRIEG: Cello Sonata, Op. 36
Allegro agitato
Andante molto tranquillo
Allegro molto e marcato
Camille Thomas, cello
The Franco-Belgian cellist Camille Thomas has been making music with radiant, instinctive joy since age four. Her deeply expressive performances—marked by a rare blend of technical refinement and emotional immediacy—have made her one of the most compelling artists of her generation. Highlights of the 2025–26 season include performances with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Orchestra della Svizzera italiana, Taiwan Philharmonic, Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Residentie Orkest, Bochum Symphony Orchestra, and a five-city tour with Euskadiko Orkestra. In October 2025 Thomas curated a week of Paris-inspired concerts at the Viva Cello Festival in Switzerland. She embarked on a North American recital tour with pianist-composer Julien Brocal and continues to tour with clarinetist YOM.
Since signing exclusively with Deutsche Grammophon in 2017, Thomas has released several critically acclaimed albums. Released in partnership with UNICEF, Voice of Hope (2020) features the world-premiere recording of Fazil Say’s Never Give Up, composed for her in the wake of the terror attacks in Paris and Istanbul. She recorded The Chopin Project (2021) in Paris and Warsaw during the pandemic.
Born in Paris in 1988, Thomas studied with Marcel Bardon before moving to Berlin to work with Stephan Forck and Frans Helmerson at the Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik. She continued her training with Wolfgang-Emanuel Schmidt at the Franz Liszt Hochschule für Musik in Weimar.
Julien Brocal, piano
Julien Brocal is a French pianist, composer, and improviser whose poetic and contemporary voice has distinguished him on the international stage.
Trained by Erik Berchot and later by the renowned pedagogue Rena Shereshevskaya, Brocal developed a playing style marked by depth, narrative intensity, and tonal refinement. A decisive encounter with Maria João Pires further shaped his artistic path; she invited him to tour internationally alongside her, nurturing a profoundly humanistic vision of interpretation.
His recordings devoted to Chopin, Ravel, and Mompou have been widely acclaimed by the international press. Gramophone praised his artistry, calling him “a singular talent.”
Alongside his solo career, Brocal maintains a close collaboration with cellist Camille Thomas. Together they created and recorded Rendez-vous at Tippet Rise Art Center, an iconic American arts center with which Brocal has formed a deep artistic bond.
As the founder of Jardin Musical in Brussels, Brocal has created a space dedicated to artistic creation and dialogue, where music meets other disciplines and new formats emerge. Through performance, composition, and cultural initiatives, he reimagines music as a living, shared experience.