Great French Performer Gautier Capuçon at the San Francisco Symphony

Renowned cellist Gautier Capuçon presents Gaïa, a powerful new recital program dedicated to and inspired by the Earth. Featuring world-premiere performances of commissioned works by sixteen composers—including Bryce Dessner, Joe Hisaishi, Missy Mazzoli, Gabriela Montero, Nico Muhly, Max Richter, Ludovico Einaudi, and Ayanna Witter-Johnson—this project pays tribute to our planet in all its beauty, fragility, and strength. 

The seeds of Gaïa were planted in San Francisco, where Capuçon was set to perform with the San Francisco Symphony just as the COVID-19 pandemic brought live performances to a halt. Out of those conversations with friends came the vision for Gaïa: a global collaboration that unites contemporary voices to honor the intricate wonders of the natural world. Capuçon also draws inspiration from his childhood in France’s Savoy region, nestled in the heart of the Alps and home to Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest peak. There, amid sweeping valleys and towering mountains, his lifelong admiration for nature first took root—a sentiment vividly captured in the visual masterpiece accompanying the album’s opening track, Max Richter’s Sequence for Gaïa. 

About Gautier Capuçon

Winner of numerous awards, including the Victoires de la Musique Classique, Gautier Capuçon is celebrated for the depth and intensity of his interpretations, his dazzling virtuosity, and his rich, resonant tone. A graduate of the Conservatoire Supérieur de Paris, Capuçon has released five acclaimed albums since 2018 and is an exclusive recording artist with Erato (Warner Music). 

His 2020 release Émotions—featuring works by Debussy, Schubert, Elgar, and others—achieved gold status in France, topping the charts for more than 30 weeks and selling over 100,000 copies worldwide. His follow-up album, Sensations (2022), made history as the first classical recording to reach No. 1 on France’s all-genre charts.