About this Artist

Born in Toulon, XAVIER DE MAISTRE studied the harp with Vassilia Briano at his local conservatoire, before perfecting his technique with Catherine Michel and Jacqueline Borot in Paris. He also studied in Sciences-Po Paris and then at the London School of Economics. In 1998, he was awarded the first prize (and two interpretation prizes) at the prestigious U.S. International Harp Competition (Bloomington), and in the same year he became the first French musician to be admitted at the Wiener Philharmoniker. 

As a soloist, Xavier performs under the baton of many conductors, among which Sir André Previn, Sir Simon Rattle, Riccardo Muti, Daniele Gatti, Philippe Jordan, Kristjan Järvi, Bertrand de Billy, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Daniel Harding, and Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla. He was recently invited by important orchestras such as Chicago, Montreal, Sao Paulo, City of Birmingham, Finnish Radio symphony orchestras; London and China philharmonic orchestras; Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester Hamburg, Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, and Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. He also performed in recitals at KKL Lucerne, Festspielhaus in Baden-Baden, Liederhalle in Stuttgart, Boulez Saal in Berlin, and on the main stage of Hamburg Elbphilharmonie. 

In addition, he plays in major festivals, including Schleswig-Holstein, Rheingau, Salzburger Festspiele, Wiener Festwochen, Verbier Festival, Spring Festival in Budapest, Würzburg Mozartfest, and Mostly Mozart in New York. Passionate about chamber music, he performs with Diana Damrau, Daniel Müller-Schott, Baiba Skride, Antoine Tamestit, Mojca Erdmann, and Magali Mosnier. 

In 2008, Xavier de Maistre became an exclusive Sony Music artist and recorded his first album, Nuit d’Etoiles, devoted to Debussy. Echo Klassik subsequently awarded him Instrumentalist of the Year Award. Hommage a Haydn (2009) and Aranjuez (2010) followed, performed with Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra and Bertrand de Billy. Notte Veneziana (2012) featured important works of the Baroque. 2013 saw the release of a DVD of his performance with Diana Damrau in Baden-Baden, and a recording of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 9 (transcribed for harp) with Mozarteum Salzburg under the baton of Ivor Bolton. After Moldau (2015), a selection of solo-harp pieces by Slavic composers, Xavier recorded Music from the Court of Marie-Antoinette with Les Arts Florissants and William Christie. In March 2018, he released a duo album with legendary Lucero Tena (castanets) featuring all-Spanish repertoire. 

Since 2001 Xavier teaches at Musikhochschule Hamburg. He plays on a Lyon-Healy instrument.