Franco-Swiss Emmanuel Pahud is one of the most renowned flutists of his generation. After studying in Geneva and Paris, he won numerous international prizes and was a laureate of the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation. At the age of 22, he was appointed principal flute of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Claudio Abbado, a position he still holds today.

Since then, he has toured the world as a regular guest with orchestras and festivals alike. The list of orchestras and conductors with whom he has played in recent seasons is impressive (London Philharmonic, Tonhalle Zurich, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Camerata Salzburg, Mozarteum, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Cincinnati Symphony, National Symphony, NHK Symphony, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, etc.). He has performed under the baton of Claudio Abbado, Sir Simon Rattle, David Zinman, Lorin Maazel, Pierre Boulez, Valery Gergiev, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Daniel Harding, Paavo Järvi, Yannick Nezet-Séguin, Mstislav Rostropovich and Itzhak Perlman.

Emmanuel Pahud is also an accomplished chamber musician, giving regular concerts with Eric Le Sage, Yefim Bronfman and Hélène Grimaud, as well as with jazz pianist Jacky Terrasson. In 1993, alongside Eric Le Sage and Paul Meyer, he founded the 'Musique à l'Empéri' chamber music festival in Salon de Provence, dedicated entirely to chamber music. He also continued to collaborate with Les Vents Français and his colleagues in the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

In 1996, he signed an exclusive contract with EMI Classics. More than 20 recordings are available, winning him numerous awards around the world.

In 2009, he was made a Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres, and in April 2011 he was awarded the title of Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music (Hon RAM) in London. He is an ambassador for UNICEF.