Egyptian Pianist Ramzi Yassa Awarded France’s Order of Arts and Letter

Egyptian pianist Ramzi Yassa has been awarded the Order of Arts and Letters by France, recognising his contributions to music across an international career spanning several decades.

Egypt’s Minister of Culture Gihane Zaki congratulated Yassa on the distinction, describing it as recognition of his longstanding artistic work in Egypt and abroad, as well as his role in representing Egyptian music on international stages.

Born in Cairo in 1948, Yassa graduated from the Cairo Conservatoire before continuing his studies at the Tchaikovsky Institute in Moscow. He later settled in Paris, where he combined a performing career with academic work, teaching music at universities in France.

Over the course of his career, Yassa has performed with leading orchestras and maintained close ties to Egypt’s classical music scene. He was the first Egyptian pianist to win the Paloma O’Shea International Piano Competition and the first to record Beethoven’s piano concerto with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra.

He has received multiple international awards and was also granted Egypt’s State Appreciation Award, marking the first time the honour was awarded for musical performance.