Natalia Valentin

Natalia Valentin began musical studies at age six at the Juan Jose Landaeta Conservatory in Caracas, Venezuela. She studied piano with Diana Franklin, Arnaldo Pizzolante and Cesar Rangel. Parallel to her musical education, Natalia studied Art at Venezuela's Central University.

In 1998, Natalia Valentin settled in Paris where she began studies at the Conservatoire Régional (CRR° in Paris. At the CRR she studied with Billy Eidi and was awarded a Premier Prix in piano performance. Having successfully completed her piano studies, she began specializing in Fortepiano, studyin with Patrick Cohen at the CRR. In 2003, she obtained an Early Music Diploma, alongside a Premier Prix in chamber music at the Gustave Charpentier Conservatory. 

Natalia Valentin then completed her studies at the prestigious Paris Conservatory (CNSM) in June 2007; she obtained a Premier Prix in Fortepiano performance with high distinction, in a unanimous vote by the jury. While studying under professors Patrick Cohen, Pierre Cazes and Kenneth Weiss, Natalia Valentin worked to perfect her fortepiano technique under the guidance of Susan Alexander-Max and Arthur Shoonderwoerd. She has taken Fortepiano masterclasses with Malcolm Bilson, Alexei Lubimov, Andreas Staier, Claire Chevalie, Bart von Oort, Miklos Spanyi and Susan Alexander-Max. 

Natalia Valentin has performed both solo and chamber music repertoire in several prominent French music festivals, including: Courants d'Airs (Manosque), Musicancy (Bourgogne), Les Solistes de Demain (Auvergne), in addition to appearances at the Antigua Musica de la Laguna (Tenerife, Spain) and tours of the US and Mexico following the invitation from the Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra (Texas). She was recently invited by the National System of Youth and Children's Orchestras of Venezuela to perfomr with the Caracas Symphonic Youth Orchestra conducted by Dietrich Paredes at the Teresa Carreño Theater. 

She has lectured on period performance practice at the University of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO) in Brazil and the University Intitute of Musical Studies (IUDEM) in Venezuela. She is currently developin a pedagogical project on the history, evolution and performance techniques of the fortepiano. 

Natalia Valentin currently teaches fortepiano and piano at the Bobigny Conservatory in Seine St Denis and at the Vigneux-sur-Seine Conservatory, both suburbs of Paris.

She has recorded her first Cd for the record label PARATY. Dedicated to the Klavierstücke of Ludwig van Beethoven, this Cd was recorded on an original fortepiano from southerm Germany, restaured by Christopher Clarke. This Cd was awarded with 5 DIAPASONS in October 2009 and again 5 DIAPASONS in January 2010, it was also awarded in the TOP5 in 2009 in the Fanfare Magazine.