Maude Gratton

Maude Gratton has been passionate about early keyboard instruments and a wide range of repertoires since a very young age. Her earliest musical steps led her to the harpsichord, then the grand organ, and eventually into the rich and varied world of historical pianos.

In 2005, Maude founded the ensemble il Convito, grounded in a spirit of chamber music. The ensemble thrived independently for a decade—earning, among other distinctions, the “Déclic” prize from Cultures France and Radio France—before officially anchoring itself in La Rochelle in 2015. The diversity of early keyboard instruments forms the thread running through the ensemble’s many chapters, each one revealing an inner architecture shaped by and walking in the footsteps of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Deeply committed to sharing and transmission, Maude has initiated and now leads several cultural projects in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region: the Musiques en Gâtine festival, followed by the MM Festival (Festival de Musique en Mouvement in La Rochelle), the MM Season, and the MM Orchestra.

Maude is a member of Collegium Vocale Gent, under the direction of Philippe Herreweghe, and regularly performs alongside musicians such as Bruno Cocset & Les Basses Réunies, François Lazarevitch & Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien, Pierre Hantaï, Sophie Gent, Ageet Zweistra, Pablo de Pedro, and Claire Gratton. Since 2018, she has collaborated with choreographer Noé Soulier in the creation Faits et gestes.

Since 2011, Maude has taught at the Vannes Early Music Institute (directed by Bruno Cocset); she has also taught at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent (Belgium) and the Conservatoire de Versailles Grand Parc. In 2025, she is appointed professor of organ (specializing in historical instruments) at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. That same year, she launches the inaugural edition of the Académie il Convito.

Maude has recorded several solo albums for the Mirare label (featuring works by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, Georges Onslow, and Beethoven), and for the Phi – Outhere Music label (Bach’s Leipzig Organ Works). She has also appeared as a soloist in numerous recordings with Le Banquet Céleste, Ricercar Consort, Les Basses Réunies, Jean-François Novelli, L’Amoroso, and Les Siècles.

A graduate of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, Maude earned diplomas in harpsichord, organ, basso continuo, and Renaissance counterpoint. In 2003, she was awarded Second Prize at the International Organ Competition in Bruges and was named “Young Soloist of the Year 2006” by the Francophone Public Radios.