Félix Dervaux

International Visiting Professor of French Horn

Félix Dervaux began his musical training on the horn and piano. After completing his science-focused secondary education, Félix continued his studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon, where he furthered his horn playing under David Guerrier. The Erasmus programme enabled him to complete his training at the University of the Arts in Berlin under Christian-Friedrich Dallmann. He then joined the Karajan Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic, where he studied with Fergus McWilliam and Klaus Wallendorf.

Within a few months, he became principal horn with the Orchestre de l’Opéra de Lyon and shortly afterwards with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO) in Amsterdam, making him one of the youngest soloists in this renowned ensemble. A few years later, when he was offered the position of principal horn with the Cleveland Orchestra, he finally decided to move to Vienna and pursue a freelance career as a guest principal horn, chamber musician, soloist, teacher and composer. Félix is a prize winner of the ARD International Music Competition in Munich (Germany), the International Competition ‘Città di Porcia’ (Italy) and the International Tchaikovsky Competition (which has also been open to wind instrumentalists since 2019). He is also a prize winner of the former Juventus Festival.

Throughout his career, he has been grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the music world through his recordings. His contributions as a principal horn player include recordings with the RCO and the Berlin Philharmonic, including a CD recording of Olivier Knussen’s Horn Concerto with the RCO. Felix Dervaux has been teaching at the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna since 2023 and at the Zurich University of the Arts since 2024.