Maude Gratton

Maude Gratton is a frequent presence on the French early music scene, with expertise on harpsichord, organ, and various historical pianos. She is a founder and member of the ensemble Il Convito. Gratton was born in Niort in western France in 1983. She studied organ at the Conservatoire de Poitiers with Dominique Ferran and also took harpsichord courses there. Gratton went on to the Conservatoire de Paris, earning a degree with studies in harpsichord, organ, basso continuo, and Renaissance counterpoint. Two honors helped grow her career: a second prize at the Concourse Orgue at the Festival de musique ancienne in Bruges, Belgium, in 2003 and designation as Young Soloist of Radios Francophones Publiques in 2006. In 2005, Gratton, her cellist sister Claire Gratton, and violinist Stéphanie Paulet founded the ensemble Il Convito, which has made several recordings. Gratton made her solo debut on the Mirare label in 2009 with an album of keyboard works by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach; it earned a Golden Diapason award. She has also been a member of the Collegium Vocale Ghent choir. Gratton has a large repertory ranging from the Renaissance era to 19th century works performed on historically appropriate pianos. She has performed with various Baroque-oriented chamber groups and has collaborated with soprano Camille Poul. In 2014, she backed cellist Emmanuel Jacques on an album of cello-and-piano works by George Onslow, and in 2018, Baroque cellist Bruno Cocset in works by Boccherini. In 2022, she rejoined Cocset for the first album in a cycle of Beethoven's works for cello and piano. By that time, her catalog of recordings as a soloist and chamber player numbered about a dozen items. Gratton became the artistic director of the Festival Musiques en Gâtine (now the MM Festival) in 2012. She is on the faculty at Cocset's Vannes Early Music Institute. ~ James Manheim, Rovi