The award signifies a promotion to the second rank of the French National Order of Merit
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French violinist Renaud Capuçon has been awarded the Officer’s Medal in the National Order of Merit, signifying a promotion to the second rank in the Order. The ceremony took place at the Élysée Palace in Paris, France, with the medal bestowed by French president Emmanuel Macron.
The National Order of Merit was established in 1963 by French president Charles de Gaulle, and rewards those who have distinguished themselves through over ten years in a public, civil or military service, or in the exercise of a private activity. Capuçon previously received the Knight of the French National Order of Merit in 2011, became a Knight of the French Legion of Honour in 2016, and was presented with the Officer’s Medal in the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Minister of Culture in 2021.
Born in Chambéry, Capuçon studied at at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris with Gérard Poulet and Veda Reynolds, before moving to Berlin to study with Thomas Brandis and Isaac Stern. Now a renowned soloist and chamber musician, Capuçon became a UNESCO Artist for Peace in 2020, and most recently won Artist of the Year at the 2024 International Classical Music Awards. He performs on the 1737 ‘Panette’ Guarneri del Gesù, which formerly belonged to his teacher Isaac Stern.
Capuçon celebrated his latest accolade in a post on social media:
‘Happy and proud to receive from the hands of President Emmanuel Macron the Officer’s Medal in the National Order of Merit at the Élysée Palace’
Read: Renaud Capuçon: Life Lessons
Watch: Renaud Capuçon and Martha Argerich perform Franck’s Violin Sonata
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