Emmanuel Pahud received his first flute lessons as a six-year-old in Rome. Later he studied in Brussels, then in Paris with Michel Debost as well as in Basle with Aurèle Nicolet. He gained orchestral experience playing with the Basle Radio Symphony Orchestra and Munich Philharmonic before joining the Berliner Philharmoniker as a principal flute in 1993. Following a period of teaching at the Geneva Conservatoire, Emmanuel Pahud returned to the Philharmonic in April 2002.
As a soloist he performs with the leading orchestras of the world – with the Berliner Philharmoniker his solo appearance was in Carl Nielsen’s, Marc-André Dalbavie’s, Elliott Carter’s und Jörg Widmann’s Flute Concertos – as well as in duos and larger chamber ensembles. He has won major prizes for his numerous recordings. In June 2009, Emmanuel Pahud was made a Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture for his contribution to French music. Since 2017, Emmanuel Pahud, who appears in many of the orchestra’s chamber ensembles and has won several ECHO awards for his CD recordings, has been honorary president of the national French flute association. He is also a winner of the Léonie Sonning Music Prize 2024.
