Cécile Ousset

Cécile Ousset (born 23 January 1936) is a French pianist. Cécile Ousset was born in Tarbes, France, and gave her first recital at the age of five, subsequently studying at the Paris Conservatoire at the age of 10 with Marcel Ciampi (who had formerly taught Yaltah and Hephzibah Menuhin) where, aged only fourteen, she was awarded first prize in the piano graduation class of 1950. In 1953 she won the Claire Pages prize and went on to amass a formidable list of competition credits, including the Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition in Geneva at the age of 17; the Prix du Concours International de Geneve at 18; the Premier Grand Prix du Concours International Viotti at 19; the Premier Prix du Concours International Busoni at 23 and a Van Cliburn Prize when 26. She gained the fourth prize in the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in Belgium in 1956 (other contestants included Vladimir Ashkenazy, who won first prize, John Browning, Lazar Berman, Tamás Vásáry and Peter Frankl), the Busoni and the Van Cliburn.

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