Jean-Yves Thibaudet wins the 2026 Avery Fisher Prize

The French pianist received the $100,000 award at New York’s David Geffen Hall on the evening he performed Liszt with the New York Philharmonic.

Jean-Yves Thibaudet was named the recipient of the 2026 Avery Fisher Prize on November 4 at David Geffen Hall. That evening, he played Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the New York Philharmonic under Rafael Payare.

Established in 1974, the prize recognizes artistic achievement and leadership in classical music. Past recipients include pianists Richard Goode and Jeremy Denk, violinists Midori and Hilary Hahn, and the Kronos Quartet. Thibaudet’s name will be added to the Avery Fisher Tribute Wall at David Geffen Hall.

From the concert hall to the screen

The award citation singled out Thibaudet’s work across genres. The Lyon-born pianist has recorded Debussy’s complete Préludes, explored jazz on albums devoted to Bill Evans and Duke Ellington, and played on film scores including Pride & Prejudice. He was also the Colburn School’s first artist-in-residence, and the school awards several scholarships in his name.

“I’ve spent my career chasing the music wherever it leads,” Thibaudet said in a statement, recalling collaborations he could scarcely have imagined as a young student in Lyon.

That range is on display in his 2026–27 residency with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In October, he joined violinist Lisa Batiashvili and cellist Gautier Capuçon for piano trios by Shostakovich, Debussy and Dvořák. He returns in February to play Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto under Fabien Gabel. The residency also includes a Gershwin program with singer and pianist Michael Feinstein.