That’s what I was telling myself on this November night at the Walt Disney Concert Hall when the cellist Gautier Capuçon and the pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet invited us to cover their concert. It was a big event for Californian classical music lovers since they both are big names on the music scene, probably 2 of the appreciated musicians in the world right now. And if you want to know why, you just have to watch the story in Rendez-Vous D’Amérique this week. You will have a glimpse of their tremendous talents. It was a real delight to listen to this duet play some Debussy, some Brahms, and some Rachmaninoff. A delight for any classical music lover…

And they are plenty in California… Off camera, we talked a lot with Jean-Yves about how California is crazy about classical music. I have noticed that in these last few years. My son has been playing the piano since he was 5. He’s 12 now and, as a proud daddy, I must say that he’s pretty talented.

Thanks to his experience, I had a front row seat to see how seriously Los Angeles takes his classical music education. There are plenty of music schools, plenty of very talented teachers, and California is one of the most active scenes in terms of concerts, including, of course, the nonstop efforts of the LA Philharmonic to bring the best music to the classical music lovers in the City of Stars.

Jean-Yves knows that well. He lives in Los Angeles, and even though he spends a lot of time traveling around the world to play on the most prestigious stages, he’s very involved in educating young Angelinos. He gives a lot of his time to the Colburn School, one of the best music schools in town. He gives master classes, seminars, and training for young student. He gives back as much as he can. Gautier does the same in Paris. Giving back is part of what makes a musician. They both know that.

Thibaudet was kind of amazed that, in the city of cinema, classical music has become important. He sees it every summer when he plays in a sold-out Hollywood Bowl. He sees it every time he works with the LA Philharmonic. He sees it each time he’s teaching at the Colburn School and he saw that during his concert with Gautier Capuçon at the Disney Hall. That night, the room was full, the audience captivated, the classical music lovers were in heaven.

Classical music lover paradise, aka California…

To learn more about cellist Gautier Capuçon and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, tune into this week’s episode of Rendez-vous d’Amérique – the French language TV show on TV5MONDE USA that covers cultural Francophone events throughout the United States.

Click here for more information about the next episode, which also features the performance En Plan Dans l’Oeil around the work of Georges Méliès and the red carpet screening of the film Capernaum by Lebanese director Nadine Labaki.

Rendez-Vous d’Amérique invites you to discover the world of Francophone culture in America, which includes classical music, modern performances, film festivals, and more. Your host on this cultural experience is Didier Allouch - reporter, cinephile, and a familiar face on the red carpet. Click here to learn how you can subscribe to TV5MONDE and watch Rendez-vous d'Amérique!