- Piano
- nationality
- USA
Born in Baltimore, Jeff Cohen won prizes for piano and chamber music at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris before continuing his training with Leon Fleisher in the United States and Peter Feuchtwanger in England.
Currently a professor at the Paris Conservatory, he has been a vocal coach at La Monnaie in Brussels, musical director at the Théâtre du Châtelet, and advisor to the Bibliothèque nationale de France for a series of concerts on French melody.
He has performed with numerous artists such as Roberto Alagna, June Anderson, Cecilia Bartoli, Yann Beuron, Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, Véronique Gens, Ivry Gitlis, Ida Haendel, Sumi Jo, Steve Lacy, Noël Lee, Ute Lemper, Pierre Lénert, Vincent Le Texier, Mady Mesplé, Didier Sandre, and others.
He has recorded several albums, including a live recital at La Scala in Milan with Angela Gheorghiu, melodies by Duparc, Fauré, Hahn, Gounod, and Loeffler with François Le Roux, and Mozart lieder on the fortepiano with Véronique Dietschy. He works as a vocal coach on opera recordings with Bertrand de Billy, Christopher Hogwood, John Nelson, Michel Plasson, George Solti, and others.
Jeff Cohen conducted the orchestra for Giorgio Strehler's production of L'Opéra de quat' sous at the Théâtre du Châtelet, assisted Myung-Whun Chung with Otello at the Opéra national de Paris, and collaborated with Patrice Chéreau on Hamlet and Lucio Silla. He performed in Peter Brook's Impressions de Pelléas and with Fanny Ardant in Masterclass, directed by Roman Polanski. He was director of musical studies for Kurt Weill's Street Scene with the Atelier Lyrique of the Paris Opera. He toured with choreographer Blanca Li in her show Le Jardin des délices.
He composes music for stage and film and has designed and hosted a children's program, Jeff d'orchestre, after collaborating with Philippe Meyer on Revenez quand vous voulez and Anicroches on French television. Jeff Cohen was named Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in 2006 and Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres in 2019.