Hélène Grimaud (born November 7, 1969) is a French pianist. She was born in Aix-en-Provence, France. She is descended from Sephardi Jews from Corsica on her mother's side and from Berber Jews on her father's side. [1][2] Her family changed its name from Grimaldi before she was born. She has described herself as an "extremely agitated" child[3], having a problem over-focusing; she was a give-her-all-or-none type of child. She discovered the piano at seven. She entered the Conservatoire de Paris in 1982 where she studied with Jacques Rouvier. In 1985 she won first prize at the Conservatory and the Grand Prix du Disque of the Charles Cros Academy for her recording of the Rachmaninov Piano Sonata No. 2. In 1987, she launched her professional career with a solo recital in Paris and a performance with the Orchestre de Paris under Daniel Barenboim.