Béatrice Muthelet began studying violin at the Versailles Conservatoire. At age 19, after studying with Prof. Haim Taub in Israel, she decided to concentrate on the viola. She received a scholarship to study in New York and went on to become the only violist in Pinchas Zukerman’s class at the Manhattan School of Music. Upon returning to Europe she joined the Karajan Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic and remained a member until 1999.
Béatrice is now principal violist in the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. She is regularly invited to lead in orchestras such as Bamberger Symphoniker, Scala in Milano, Munich Philharmonic and the Gewandhaus Leipzig, and is a founding member of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra created by Claudio Abbado. As a chamber musician, Béatrice attends festivals such as Aix-en-Provence, Festival St Denis, Verbier, Berliner Festspiele, Heimbach, Luzern, Edinburgh and Schubertiade. Her fellow musicians include Lars Vogt, Hélène Grimaud, Bruno Canino, Sarah Chang, Joshua Bell, Victoria Mullova, Isabelle van Keulen, Kolja Blacher, Gerard Caussé, Wolfram Christ, Emanuel Pahud, Paul Meyer, Steven Isserlis, Clemens Hagen and Alois Posch.
In 2001 Béatrice created a string quartet with Renaud and Gautier Capuçon, Aki Saulière, and has recorded the Carnaval des Animaux and Septet by Saint Saens for Virgin Classics with them. She is also featured on two EMI recordings, one of the Mozart String Quintet in G and the other of the Schoenberg Chamber Symphony with Christian Tetzlaff and Boris Pergamenchikov. In 2007 the Quartet recorded the Brahms Clarinet Quintet for EMI with clarinetist Paul Meyer. Since 2007 her Quartet has performed in halls such as the Salle Pleyel,Paris, Auditorio Reina Sofia in Madrid and the Musikverein Vienna.
