Jean-Yves Thibaudet

With his trademark shock of surfer-blond hair, pianist Jean Yves Thibaudet defies stereotypes. Playing repertoire from Debussy to Duke Ellington, and with a stage presence eliciting whoops from the audience, this Frenchman has style to burn, along with technique and artistry infusing his classical playing with the freedom and spirit of jazz. "Thibaudet's whispered phrases had the vast audience eating out of his hand." - The Washington Post