« Raphaël Jouan with his outstanding technical abilities and enveloping warm tone has expressed a deep understanding for the music and the composer in his performance. Aside from his musical abilities, he possesses the qualities that we associate with great musicians. » (North International Music Competition)

Raphaël Jouan is a French cellist acclaimed for his engaged and refined playing. Named Révélation Classique de l’Adami, he is equally distinguished by his eclecticism and artistic curiosity. With the same joy and commitment, he explores chamber music, major concerto repertoire and improvisation, performing on prestigious international stages as well as in intimate or unconventional settings and jazz clubs.

He has been invited to play in venues such as the Philharmonie de Paris, Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, Salle Gaveau, Arsenal de Metz and Wigmore Hall, and has appeared on France Musique, Arte Concert and Medici.tv. Raphaël regularly performs at leading festivals in France and abroad, including Les Folles Journées, the Festival des Arcs, La Belle Saison, Rencontres Musicales d’Évian and the Festival Pablo Casals. He is also deeply committed to the association Hors Saison Musicale, which brings classical music to rural communities.

Chamber music lies at the heart of his artistic life. In 2014, he founded the Trio Hélios, formed at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris and the ECMA – European Chamber Music Academy. The trio has won numerous international competitions (Lyon, Joseph Joachim, Trondheim, Kammermusikpreis Hasselburg, among others) and has released two recordings on the Mirare label: D’un matin de printemps (Saint-Saëns, Ravel, Boulanger) and Bohemia (Novák, Fibich, Smetana), the latter awarded a CHOC Classica. Trio Hélios is ensemble-in-residence at the Singer-Polignac Foundation and is represented by the Claire Laballery Agency.

His discography also includes Facéties, recorded in duo with cellist Thibaut Reznicek, and Sérénade with pianist Flore Merlin, an album widely praised by critics (5 stars Classica, 5 Diapason, Supersonic Award, ICMA nomination).

Strongly drawn to improvised music, Raphaël Jouan performs regularly in jazz clubs and alternative festivals such as Uzeste Musical, Café de la Danse, Jazz Contreband Festival, Fête de l’Humanité, Atelier du Plateau and Opéra Underground de Lyon, notably with his duo alongside accordionist Bruno Maurice. Their latest project, “Au fil du Vent”, premiered in Paris in early 2025 and was followed by performances at the famous jazz club Sunset-Sunside with violinist Gilles Apap.

Raphaël studied at the Metz Conservatory with Jean Adolphe, then at the Boulogne-Billancourt Conservatory with Xavier Gagnepain, before entering the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, where he studied with Michel Strauss and Guillaume Paoletti. He also pursued piano studies with Zhu Xiao Mei, baroque cello with Bruno Cocset, and received guidance from Gary Hoffman, Jérôme Pernoo, Gustav Rivinius, Jens Peter Maintz, Yo-Yo Ma... Following his Master’s degree, he was selected for the prestigious Classe d’Excellence of Gautier Capuçon at the Louis Vuitton Foundation. He later completed the Diplôme d’Artiste Interprète (DAI) at the CNSM and further advanced his studies at the UdK Berlin with Danjulo Ishizaka.

Raphaël Jouan performs on the “ex-Meneses” cello by Matteo Goffriller (Venice, 1700–1710) and a bow by André Richaume (1955), graciously provided by the company CANIMEX INC., of Drummondville (Quebec), Canada.

Since the 2024–2025 season, he has been artist-in-residence at the Cité Musicale de Metz. His recording of Dvořák as soloist with the Orchestre National de Metz Grand Est, conducted by David Reiland, has been released on 13th February 2026 on the La Dolce Volta label and has received a Gramophone Editor’s Choice.