A true servant of music, Anaël Bonnet is a pianist, performer and composer without artifice, a synesthete faithful to the musical discourse. From the black and white score to the movement, his playing offers a full and complete experience exuding the richness of a harmony in color. From his earliest childhood in Gard, Anaël Bonnet has shown an insatiable curiosity. Born in 1982, his appetite for the keyboard and then the organ - particularly baroque - led him to the CRR in Montpellier to study piano in Dominique Bouet's class, accompaniment with Laetitia Bougnol, harpsichord with Violaine Cochard, chamber music and erudition. A voracious sight-reader, he gives the musical text an incredible importance, constantly pushing him to a genetic questioning of the work. When he heard Le Sacre du Printemps for the first time, he grasped the grandeur of the rhythmic phenomenon, the ode to movement, to life, to harmony, ultimately "a timeless and telluric Whole exuding humanity". His entry into the CNSMD in Lyon allowed him to perfect his training in the classes of major professors such as Edson Elias, Michel Tranchant and with André Gorog. He also trained during master classes alongside Nikolaï Lugansky, Anne Queffélec, Elizabeth Leonskaya, the singers François Leroux and Udo Reinemann and the composer Sylvano Bussotti. Highly appreciated for the musical experience he provides, he obtained his piano and accompaniment diplomas, awarded very good honors by the jury unanimously. His talent extends beyond borders; In 2004, he won the Second Prize in the International Piano Competition "Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Meryem" as well as the Special Prize of the "Wilaya of Rabbat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaër". In 2007, he was noticed during the Olivier Messiaen competition. In 2010, he confirmed - particularly through the contemporary repertoire - by winning the Third Prize in the very prestigious International Piano Competition of Orléans, as well as the Ricardo Viñes Prize for the best interpretation of a work by a French composer, accompanied by a Special Mention from the Jury. The diversity of aesthetics he encounters, correlated with his multiple talents, lead him to perform with different groups. He is in turn a choirmaster, chamber musician, orchestral musician (Orchestre National de Lorraine, Orchestre National de Lille) and accompanies concerts around lied and melody as well as various musical groups, such as Les Percussions de Strasbourg or the horn player Hervé Joulain. His importance given to singing makes him a sought-after partner; he has notably accompanied the prestigious soprano Aurélia Legay, composed for voice and piano (for Klarthe editions) and designed with Anne Warthmann a musical show around childhood, performed in several Parisian venues. His musical curiosity and his natural penchant for the mix of aesthetics also led him to co-create a show around video games, or about Edith Piaf. Passionate about teaching, and sensitive to transmission, he has held the Certificat d'Aptitude since 2009. He teaches piano at the conservatory, also takes part in conferences (Royaumont Abbey, Caen CRR, APM conferences) and leads master classes and summer courses for young talents (Académie de Chanac, Musique en Savoie and Courchevel). Since October 2024, he has been a professor of piano and chamber music at the CRD d'Orléans. He regularly performs in concert or at festivals in France (Cité de la musique in Paris, Salle Molière, Théâtre l'Embarcadère, amphithéâtre de l'Opéra in Lyon, Un piano sous les arbres, Nancyphonies, Charité-sur-Loire, La Réole, Arsenal de Metz), and abroad (Nuremberg, Villa Wahnfried in Bayreuth, Turin, Rabat, Seoul Arts Center, Atlanta) where his playing offers a perfect equation in which his hands shape, throughout the interpretation, a space-time. He is one of the few pianists in the world who can play Ligeti's Three Books of Studies in their entirety in concert, which he demonstrated at the 24h Piano du Mans festival. He has recorded several albums, including one devoted to Gouvy's music, recorded with violinist Denis Clavier and cellist Claire Breteau, unanimously praised by critics: "A quality interpretation, (...) remarkable personalities composing homogeneous ensembles of great energy and refinement" (Classica). He is also artistic director of albums on eclectic musical aesthetics for the Audio Note Music label.
