François-René Duchâble, born in Paris, France, on April 22, 1952, is a French classical pianist. He studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, winning the institution's first prize in piano at age 13, before placing 11th at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 1968 and winning the Prix de la Fondation Sacha Schneider in 1973. Encouraged by Arthur Rubinstein, he launched an international concert career, performing as a soloist with ensembles including the Berlin Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic, and the Orchestre de Paris. His recording catalog on Erato Records includes Camille Saint-Saëns's Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 4 in 1982, Ludwig van Beethoven's complete piano concertos, and Frédéric Chopin's Polonaises in 1997, earning the Grand Prix du Disque from the Académie Charles-Cros in 1981 for his recording of Franz Liszt's transcendental études. In 2003, he ended his formal classical concert career in protest against elitism in classical music, subsequently giving informal outdoor performances on an electronic keyboard and using a mobile "pianocipède". He served as technical musical advisor and pianist for the 2006 feature film Orchestra Seats (Fauteuils d'orchestre) and was appointed a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2009.
