Born in Paris on May 15, 1934, Bernard Ringeissen began playing the piano at the age of seven and entered the Conservatoire in 1947, where he won a first prize, before going on to perfect his skills with Marguerite Long and Jacques Février. He entered several competitions, winning 2nd prize in the Alfredo Casella Competition in Naples, 1st prize in the Geneva International Competition (1954), 4th prize in the Chopin Competition in Warsaw (1955) and 2nd prize ex-aequo in the Long-Thibaud Competition (1956). In 1962, he won 1st prize at the Rio de Janeiro Competition and the Villa-Lobos Special Prize. An interpreter of Saint-Saëns, Poulenc, Stravinsky, Chopin, Debussy, Liszt and many other composers, notably Russian and Polish, he became a specialist in the work of Charles-Valentin Alkan, to whom he dedicated several volumes. He also accompanies melodies, records chamber music with Frédéric Lodéon and Jean-Pierre Wallez, and symphonic music with the Concerto pour deux pianos with Gabriel Tacchino, conducted by Georges Prêtre. In addition to his performing career, Bernard Ringeissen is a member of competition juries and teaches at the Conservatoire de Rueil-Malmaison. He also gave master classes at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and summer seminars in Weimar. Bernard Ringeissen, aged 90, died in Gisors on April 4, 2025.
