Caroline Haffner

Princess Caroline Murat was born in Paris, France and started to play piano at the age of 4 years. A member of the Imperial family of France, Caroline is descended from Marechal Joachim Murat, the Emperor Napoleon's chief of cavalry, and his wife Caroline, the youngest sister of the Emperor. Marechal Murat became King, and his wife Queen of Naples and Sicily. Caroline Haffner takes her stage name from her mother's maiden name 'Haffner', descendents of the Haffners of Salzburg – friends and patrons of Mozart, for whom he wrote the Haffner Serenade No. 7 for orchestra in D major, K. 250 and the Haffner Symphony (No. 35), in 1782.

As a child prodigy Caroline took lessons with Alfred Cortot and was deeply influenced by the fluidity and spontaneous expression of his style. Later she studied with Samson Francois, Pierre Sancan, and with David Oistrakh's accompanist, the Russian teacher Lev Oborine in Moscow. All these varied and individualistic musicians strongly influenced her artistic understanding and development.

Since her youth, the technical and musical skills of Caroline Haffner have brought her a string of prestigious awards. After a number of first prizes at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique (CNSM) in Paris, a Licence de Concert at the age of 14 years at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, recognition from Charles Munch, a 'virtuosité' at the Conservatoire de Genève, she continued her studies in Vienna with Leonid Brumberg. The first student from Western Europe to attend the Conservatoire Tschaikovsky in Moscow, she was received by Leonid Brejnev, and also received a Fullbright Scholarship from the hands of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of President J.F. Kennedy which allowed her to finish her studies in the United States.

Caroline Haffner was also the first Frenchwoman after the Second World War to win an international prize during the period when Soviet hegemony was complete and was presented to Général de Gaulle as"un grand éspoir de la France". Solist with the ORTF, invited to Jacques Chancel's "Grand Echiquier", youngest lauréate at the Marguerite Long international competition in Paris, Grand Prix at the Genève International Competition, the Terni Casagrande competition and third prize at the international Busoni prize in Bolzano: these achievements marked the start of an international career as a concert and soloist performer.
Making her debut at the Théatre des Champs Elysées in Paris with Tschaikovsky's Concerto No 1 conducted by Emmanuel Krivine, she then played in all the major music festivals (Verbier Festival, Moscow Spring Festival, Ludwisbourg Festival), and on the main stages of the world - such as Carnegie Hall, The Albert Hall, Tschaikovsky Great Hall. Caroline worked with conductors such as Pierre Dervaux and Lawrence Foster and orchestras including the Russian National Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic and the New York Symphony.

The style of Caroline Haffner - a powerful energy with a highly disciplined temperament - has brought her a reputation as a romantic pianist among fellow musicians as well as critics. She is also recognized as an interpreter of contemporary music and has inspired a number of composers - including Yves Prin, Renaud Gagneux and Philippe Fénelon - to write works for her. She has recorded with the Ensemble Intercontemporain and was awarded a "Diapason d'Or". She was also pianist in residence at the "Casa de Velazquez" in Madrid. Caroline Haffner is much in demand as a chamber orchestra musician, and spends a large part of her time collaborating with artists of international renown such as Maxim Vengerov, Teresa Stich-Randall, Bruno Pasquier and Alain Marion. Her recording of Mendelssohn's sonatas and variations acclaimed in reviews by 'Fanfare' and 'Intune' among many others. She has been invited as Maître de Chant by the Opéra of Paris, the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the St. Gallen and Monte-Carlo Operas. She has also been the accompanist at a number of opera recitals.

Dedicated to teaching throughout her career she began at the age of 17 years in Paris. She has been teacher or assistant to the great pédagogues and for centres including the CNSM in Paris, the Vienna and Geneva Conservatoires. Caroline Haffner is responsible for, and co-founded the Académie de Piano at the annual Festival de Verbier in Switzerland. Invited as jury member for a number of international competitions (for violin, piano and voice). Caroline Haffner participated in the Europe Symposium of the 'Foret des Livres' Festival in France in August 2006 speaking about the composer and in 2007 on the subject of Marie Antoinette’s musical interests.

Caroline Haffner founded a number of Festivals herself including the "Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad" (Switzerland), The Festival d'Art Lyrique de Beausoleil, The "Festival Caribéen de Piano" , "Ski & Music in Veysonnaz" (Switzerland), "Le Piano fait son Cinema" (La Baule) and the Gstaad Music Promenade. She is supported by some of the world's great musicians including Cecilia Bartoli, Maxim Vengerov, Vadim Repin and Jean Yves Thibaudet. Appointed artistic director for the 60th anniversary United Nations in Geneva for the musical celebrations she is the artistic director for a number of charity galas in Europe and the USA: in December 2006 and 2007 for the Gala for Madame Giscard d'Estaing's Fondation pour l'Enfance at the Palace of Versailles.

In 2006 Caroline Haffner focussed on recitals of Mozart's music and presentation of his music in her festival activities. Celebrations of Mozart continued into 2007 with performances in Istanbul, Paris, Ravenna Festival, as well as the second edition of the Music Promenade Festival in Gstaad, Lauenen and Rougemont (Switzerland). For 2008 recitals in Zurich, Switzerland started the year. The recital was recorded and added to the University’s website as a podcast. Further recitals in France, Belgium and Italy follow in the spring.

In March 2008, Caroline Haffner visited PETROF company in Hradec Kralove.