Born in Rennes, France, Vanessa Wagner began playing the piano at the age of seven. A prodigious talent, she earned First Prize at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris at just 17. In 1999, she was named “Instrumental Solo Revelation” at the Victoires de la Musique Classique, marking the beginning of an international career distinguished by artistic curiosity.
Since then, Wagner has performed on prestigious stages worldwide. Her rich discography showcases both the diversity of her repertoire and the uniqueness of her musical vision.
Wagner’s career reflects a personality as bold as it is inquisitive. Effortlessly bridging the classical canon with contemporary compositions, she frequently ventures into interdisciplinary collaborations involving electronic music, dance, and visual arts.
A pioneer in championing new repertoires, Wagner has spent several years exploring the minimalist canon. For the InFiné label, she has recorded four albums dedicated to major minimalist figures—John Adams, Meredith Monk, Brian Eno, and Ryūichi Sakamoto—as well as to emerging composers such as Caroline Shaw, Bryce Dessner, and Nico Muhly.
Alongside countless hours performing these works live, Wagner felt compelled by an urgent artistic calling: to fully record one of the seminal contemporary landmarks bridging the musical legacies of the 20th and 21st centuries—the twenty piano Études by Philip Glass. This decision not only underscores the Études as a cornerstone of modern piano literature but also situates them within the grand tradition of étude cycles by masters like Ligeti, Debussy, Dusapin, and, further back, Chopin and Liszt.