She trained alongside......some of France’s best jazz musicians – Lionel Belmondo, Pierre de Bethmann, & Laurent De Wilde, and she studied with one of France’s top classical pianists - Hélène Berger. Her intensive musical training afforded her the opportunity to compete for, and seize, classical and jazz piano’s top prizes at the Conservatory – l’Ecole Nationale de Musique d’Issy Les Moulineaux.Lauded for her efforts, Valérie Benzaquine raced onto the music scene, at home and abroad, with her mastery of both jazz and classical. And she dove into every style imaginable – Jazz, Classical, Latin, R&B, Gospel… and played in every kind of setting imaginable – from soloist, to duo/duet, to quartet, to playing in a full-blown orchestra.She has since performed on radio & television, in addition to her performances in some of France’s most prestigious jazz clubs & concert halls.In 2000 , Valérie founded the Parisian duo "Bloody & Merry" with Jazz vocalist Letizia Morelli. The jazz duo combined jazz standards with original compositions, and were featured all over the city - from intimate settings to larger venues such as the New Morning.Their on-going collaboration lead to the album: "Turn Inwards"Attracted by the electronic music genre, Valérie joins SoulFactor in 2006 - an electro-jazz group that combines live music and digital DJ rhythms.In 2007, she is scouted by the all-female Latin Orchestra " Les Rumbanana" to take over the role of arranger and keyboard player. And on several occasions, Valérie has joined up with renowned classical composer Hélène Berger for duo piano concerts featuring the the Crossroads of Jazz and Classical Music.Right alongside her career as a pianist, Valérie has been teaching jazz and classical piano since 1995 and at the Centres Culturels de Rueil Malmaison since 2001.
