The French pianist, Éric Heidsieck, gave his first recital at the age of 9 in Reims and his first concert with orchestra a year later. In 1954, he finished the class of Marcel Ciampi in the first place; then took his first lessons with Alfred Cortot at l'Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris. Parallel to that, he attended the courses of Wilhelm Kempff on L.v. Beethoven in Positano.