Born in Paris in 1955, Michel Dalberto received his musical education at the Paris Conservatoire under Vlado Perlemuter, one of the favourite pupils of the late Alfred Cortot. Since winning two of the most important international competitions, the Clara Haskil Prize 1975 and the Leeds International Piano Competition 1978, he has played in many of Europe's leading concert halls with many distinguished conductors, including Sir Colin Davis, Rudolf Barshai, Charles Dutoit, Gunther Herbig, Eliahu Inbal, Erich Leinsdorf, Marek Janowski and Wolfgang Sawallisch. Major festival appearances include Aix-en-Provence, Aldeburgh, Edinburgh, Hong Kong, Lucerne, Grange de Meslay, Montreal, Montreux and Yokohama. He made his first tour of Japan in 1984 and has returned there every year since.

One of the foremost Schubert interpreters, he has recorded the complete piano works - thirteen CDs altogether - for the Denon label. His recording of the Grieg Piano Concerto and the Strauss Burlesque with the Philharmonia and Jean-Bernard Pommier, was awarded the 1993 Diapason d'Or for the best concerto recording and the Grand Prix du Disque. The same year Denon made a live recording of Michel Dalberto playing the Schumann Piano Concerto at the Vienna Festival under Eliahu Inbal.

As a chamber musician, Michel Dalberto has a close association with Dmitry Sitkovetsky and Boris Belkin: his performances with Belkin resulted in a recording of the Brahms Violin Sonatas, highly acclaimed both in America and Europe. Dalberto has also given duo recitals with Barbara Hendricks and Jessye Norman with whom he has also recorded.

Despite a busy schedule, Michel Dalberto is also Artistic Director of the Academy-Festival des Arcs in Savoie, France and since 1991 he has succeeded Nikita Magaloff as Chairman of the Jury of the Clara Haskil Competition.