Born in 1972 in Paris, Raphaël Chrétien started playing piano very young just before beginning cello with his father and Alain Meunier, until he reaches Paris CNSMDP - Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse - in Philippe Muller and Christian Ivaldi's classes.

After winning the first prizes of cello and chamber music at the CNSMDP, he pursues with an improvement cycle where he meets M. Rostropovitch, J. Starker, P. Tortelier... and Pierre Boulez who will write on him « I heard Raphaël Chrétien and I have been very impressed by his interpretation of the Bethoven triple Concerto at Champs Elisées Theater ».

Raphaël Chrétien will continue drawing attention to him by winning international competitions such as Grand Prize and Public's Prize at Belgrade International Competition, Special Martinu Prize at Prague International Competition…

He soon get concert experiences by playing as a soloist of London Symphonic Orchestra, as a Member of Arpeggione string quartet, with Alternance contemporary Sextet... and it's an all-around musician who starts then a soloist career, allowing him today to play all over the world.

Guest of main french festivals (Pâques de Deauville, Folles journées de Nantes, Flâneries Musicales de Reims…) and also international festivals (Settimana musicale di Siena - Italy, Nordic music days - Denmark, Keihanna Concert Series - Japan…), Raphaël Chrétien is also one of the only french musicians invited to play at the famous Marlboro Music Festival (USA), with such artists as Midori, Julliard quartet, Andras Schiff or Mitsuko Ushida...

As a soloist, playing with orchestras or with different groups in chamber music, he is invited to play with Boris Belkin, Philippe Bernold, Renaud Capuçon, Olivier Charlier, Michel Dalberto, David Guerrier, Marie-Pierre Langlamet, François Leleux, Paul Meyer, Ile-de-France National Orchestra, Cannes Regional Orchestra, les «Siècles», la Camerata of Salzburg, Radio-symphonic of Basel, Prague Philarmonic Orchestra, Cuidad de Granada…

His discography, which started with «1st worldwide recording» of A.Piatti Caprices, contains a lot of Brahms, Duparc and Martinu's pieces, but also original pieces of A. Ginastera, J. Huré, G. Ropartz…, which were greeted by the press  (ffff in Télérama, «Recommandé» by Classica, 10 by Répertoire, «Sélections de l’année» in Le Monde and the Strad…).

Recently, he recorded the Lalo/St Saens sonatas and also the Offenbach's duos for two cellos with Jérôme Pernoo (Ligia digital).

Passionate by teaching, Raphaël Chrétien is Professor at Paris W.A Mozart Conservatory and at Caen CRR - Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional.

Raphaël Chrétien also gives master classes at Paris « Ecole Normale de Musique », at Copenhague Royal Conservatory and at the University of Indiana (USA).