Jorge Giménez is an accomplished cellist currently studying at the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel as an Artist in Residence in the class of Gary Hoffman and Jeroen Reuling. In June of 2023 he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Master’s Degree in Violoncello Performance from the Koniklijk Conservatorium Brussel with Jeroen Reuling and received the “Georges Octors Prize of the City of Brussels”.
Jorge holds two Bachelor Degrees from Conservatorio Superior de Música de las Islas Baleares (CSMIB), Spain, and the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, where he studied with Emmanuel Bleuse and Amit Peled, respectively. He graduated from both institutions commending his performance with the “James Winship Lewis Memorial Prize in Performance” from Peabody and the “Extraordinary End of Degree Award” from CSMIB. Since then, he is invited every year as a guest professor by the string department of the CSMIB to give masterclasses to the violoncello students. During his studies in Spain, Jorge also worked closely with Maria de Macedo.
Jorge has had the opportunity to work with several great cellists and musicians, such as Gary Hoffman, Frans Helmerson, Marc Coppey, Jens-Peter Maintz, Sol Gabetta, Daniel Müller-Schott, Jeroen Reuling, Antoine Lederlin, Amit Peled, Lluis Claret, Emmanuel Feldman, Adrian Brendel, Kyril Zlotnikov, Paul Badura-Skoda, Christoph Henkel, Clive Brown, Guy Danel, Cecylia Barczyk, María Kliegel, Claudio Bohórquez, Troels Svanne, Alban Gerhardt, Amparo Lacruz, Asier Polo, among others.
Throughout his career, he has been awarded in national and international competitions, among them the Juventudes Musicales de Madrid Scholarship award, 1st prize at Mount Vernon Virtuosi Cello Competition, 2nd prize at the “Gustav Mahler Prize Cello Competiton”, 2nd prize at Park Na competition for violin and cello. In July of 2024 he has been one of the three finalists of the “Prémio Internacional Suggia Casa da Musica” competition, held in Porto.
Since the age of 13, Jorge has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the Brussels Philharmonic, Orquestra Simfònica de les Illes Balears, Academia 1830, Orchestra Sinfonica Do Porto and Ensemble Malibran. In December of 2021 he went on tour in the United States as a soloist with the Mount Vernon Virtuosi where he performed the Concerto in D by Franz Josef Haydn.
Jorge has participated in many music festivals including the first edition of the Festival for Young Talents in Cannes, the Deia International Music Festival, the Schiermonnikoog Festival, the Kronberg Academy’s Cello Festival, the Festival Resonances in Belgium, and the Festival Pablo Casals in Prades where he performed a solo recital in tribute to Pau Casals on the 50th anniversary of his death.
Jorge is currently playing on a cello crafted by Alexandre Beaussart (2022), an instrument on loan from Strings For Talent, a fund under the patronage of the King Baudouin Foundation.
This cello was awarded the silver medal at the International Violin Making Competition of the Philharmonie de Paris. It is based on Antonio Stradivari’s Davidov of 1712.
Alexandre Beaussart makes violins, violas and cellos by reproducing the works of 18th century Italian masters.
Passionate about music and history, Alexandre began his professional education with a degree in Art History and Archaeology at the University of Lille, before turning to the manual practice of the arts that are the object of his passions. In order to prepare for his entry into the International School of Violin Making in Mirecourt, he then began a Certificate of Professional Aptitude in cabinet making in Paris, at the La Bonne Graine Institute.
In 2011, Alexandre was accepted at the International School of Violin Making and began his training at the Lycée Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume and obtained his Diplôme des Métiers d’Arts in 2014.
His professional experience at the Philippe Mitéran workshop and the various training courses held throughout France have enabled him to consolidate his techniques, to perfect his listening skills and the finesse of his adjustments, but also to make his first personal instruments, while continuing to perfect his art.
In his work and through his interest in certain trends such as Italian violin making, Alexandre Beaussart seeks to develop his own ethical line by paying particular attention to period methods.
In 2019, he opened his workshop in Vincennes, alongside Audrey Goepp, with whom he can now fully link two passions: modern and antique instruments.
In January 2022, he won second place in the Philharmonie de Paris international violin making competition.
This competition, exclusive to the cello, placed particular emphasis on the sound of the instruments played by the musicians of the Paris orchestra, and judged behind the screen during the final stages of the competition by a jury of three violin makers and three musicians:
President of the Jury: Raphaël Pidoux.
Violin makers: Jean-Jacques Rampal, Isabelle Wilbaux, Serge Stam.
Musicians : Tatjana Udhe , Chu Yi-Bing, Astrig Siranossian.
Patrons of the competition: Sol Gabetta , Raphaël Merlin.
In July 2022, he won the 3rd prize in the Sámuel Nemessányi International Violin Making Competition in Budapest.
Sámuel Félix Nemessányi is considered the most talented and famous Hungarian violin maker, known for his high quality copies and often compared to masters such as the Voller brothers, J.B Vuillaume or Lupot.
Each participant had to copy as faithfully as possible one of his violins inspired by Antonio Stradivari, as a tribute to the Hungarian luthier.
Six violin makers then judged the copies around the violin.
President of the jury: Florian Léonhard.
Members of the jury: Simeone Morassi, Philippe Girardin, Roland Baumgartner, Michael Remenyi and Peter Benedek.