Raphaël Pichon

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Raphaël Pichon, born in 1984 in Paris, is a French countertenor who also conducts choirs and orchestras. As a boy, he sang with the Maîtrise des petits chanteurs de Versailles and studied violin and piano at the Versailles Conservatory before moving to the Conservatoire de Paris to study singing and conducting. He performed as a countertenor under renowned early-music conductors and worked with Benjamin Lazar and Gabriel Garrido.

In 2006, while still a student, he founded Pygmalion, a choir and orchestra dedicated to period-instrument performance. He also directs the chamber choir OTrente. His recordings include Dardanus (2013) and a live Castor et Pollux (2015); Pygmalion staged Dardanus at the Bordeaux Opera in 2015.

Pygmalion’s releases have earned praise and prizes. Their Bach Missae Breves (BWV 234 and 235) won the Diapason d’Or and was an Editor’s Choice in Gramophone (2008). In 2012, their Missa, Bach’s Mass in B minor (first version), received a Télérama prize. Their Bach Motets won the Opus Klassik award in 2021. In 2023 their Monteverdi Vespro della Beata Vergine was well received, and Bach’s Mass in B minor was named Gramophone’s Record of the Year in 2025. Pichon is married to soprano Sabine Devieilhe.