It was her husband Jean-Jacques Voisin who announced the sad news on social networks. Valérie Duchâteau, guitarist with golden fingers, died at the age of 55 following a long illness. An outstanding musician and virtuoso, she gave her favorite instrument its letters of nobility. “You left yesterday, in the arms of your son and squeezing my hands with the little strength you had left after this long fight against the illness that you and I knew was lost for a long time. These magical hands that made your audience dream from your first concert given at the age of 11 until October 22, 2023 when you went on stage, for the last time, in Narbonne, at the gates of your dear Catalonia to your heart“, he writes delicately.
International career
Born in Metz, Valérie Duchâteau immersed herself very early in Catalan culture in Céret where she arrived at the age of 4. At nine years old, her first teacher, Angel Iglesias, brought her to Barcelona where she immersed herself a little more in this art. Alexandre Lagoya will succeed her two years later: he makes her his privileged student and she will obtain in 1985, the 1is prize from the National Superior Conservatory of Music of Paris.
It will then be New York, with the 1is d’Addario Foundation Prize. Enough to open the way to an international career as a classical guitarist. She began composing, recorded a series of albums and wrote the music for several television shows, notably Special Envoy. While launching a series of magazines dedicated to the guitar.
After a stint as first soloist at the Paris Opera, she successively paid tribute to Barbara (The Guitar sings Barbara), Django Reinhardt (Django Parfum), Jacques Brel (The Guitar Sings Jacques Brel). While initiating the series Classical guitar masterpieces. There are no less than 14 albums released. And thousands of performances for this now eternal Queen of the guitar.
Belgium
