Félix Dervaux, born in Cambrai, France, in 1990, began his musical apprenticeship at a very early age, studying percussion and French horn. From secondary school onwards, he slowly turned to the study of piano and harmony. After graduating with a scientific baccalaureate, Félix continued his studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon, studying the horn (which he decided to take up) with David Guerrier and orchestration with Luca Antigani. Here he met his future wife, Sophie Dartigalongue (now Sophie Dervaux).
The European Union's Erasmus program enables them both to perfect their training at the Berlin Hochschule and the Berlin University of the Arts, and Félix also joins the prestigious Herbert von Karajan Academy, which enables top young professional musicians to join the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra for certain concerts. He studied and played alongside such horn players as Stephan Dohr, Klaus Wallendorf, Sarah Willis and Fergus McWilliam.
Within the space of a few months, Félix obtained the position of principal horn with the Orchestre de l'Opéra de Lyon, and shortly afterwards, the position of principal horn with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO) in Amsterdam, thus becoming one of the youngest soloists in this highly prestigious ensemble. During his years with the RCO, he played under such renowned conductors as Mariss Jansons, Andris Nelson, Daniele Gatti, Simon Rattle, Iván Fischer, Daniel Harding, Herbert Blomstedt, Valery Gergiev, Alan Gilbert... His performances as a horn player have been critically acclaimed for "his musicality and incredible assurance", making him "an outstanding horn player possessing remarkable skill and talent, combined with impeccable control and a sound of wonderful, touching quality. " His playing is featured on numerous recordings for the Concertgebouw's in-house label "RCO Live".
In 2016, when he was offered the position of principal horn with the Cleveland Orchestra, he finally decided to move to Vienna with his wife and pursue his career as a soloist, chamber musician, guest soloist, teacher and composer.
Félix is a prizewinner at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich (Germany), the "Città di Porcia" International Competition (Italy), and more recently the Tchaikovsky International Competition (open to wind instrumentalists in 2019).
He has performed as guest soloist and principal horn with the world's leading orchestras, including the Berliner Philharmoniker, Bayerische Rundfunk Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Marinsky Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra.
A multidisciplinary musician, his recent debuts as a composer with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra and the Orchestre Victor Hugo Franche-Comté have been acclaimed by audiences.