Roger-Luc Chayer ( Photo : Didier Castell-Jacomin / didiercastelljacomin.com)
Empathy Sometimes Excessive
There are moments in life when empathy can sometimes be excessive, to the point of no longer reflecting reality. In some cases, particularly when it concerns public figures or people like Matthew Shepard, brutally murdered in 1998 by two individuals simply because he was homosexual, it becomes essential to set the facts straight, at least to preserve the memory and reputation of Matthew Shepard.
Last October 12, the world commemorated the anniversary of his death, and messages of sympathy multiplied on social media. On the Gay Globe page and the Facebook group Village Montréal Officiel, my post alone generated over 130,000 interactions.
A Pianist with Ample Empathy
According to his CV published online, Didier Castell-Jacomin is a French pianist born in Marseille on May 1, 1970. From the age of four, he began studying piano, a passion nurtured by his grandfather. After studying at the Conservatoire de Nice, he continued his training with Catherine Collard and Fausto Zadra, a disciple of Vincenzo Scaramuzza.
His career took a major turn in 1991 when he performed Mozart’s Concerto K.414 during France-Quebec friendship concerts in Nice, conducted by Roger-Luc Chayer. This first success led him to perform in prestigious venues such as the Berlin Philharmonie, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and Carnegie Hall in New York. His discography includes works by Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, as well as female composers like Clara Schumann and Mel Bonis.
In 2020, he joined the circle of “Steinway Artists.” At the same time, he founded the Klassika International Foundation and the “Wave of Art” festival in Maastricht, promoting international artists. His artistic vision combines technical virtuosity and cultural engagement, making him an essential figure in the contemporary music scene.
A Personal Relationship with Didier Castell-Jacomin
I have known Didier personally since 1991, and we have had many interactions since then, notably producing two of his CDs in 2012 under the Disques A Tempo label, a division of Gay Globe.
Didier is a deeply sensitive musician, with a generous heart, and his generosity is evident both in his career and private life.
Screenshots from Didier Castell-Jacomin’s Facebook Page
Inaccurate Statements
On October 12 at 1:06 PM, Didier Castell-Jacomin published a post to commemorate the memory of Matthew Shepard, accompanied by a series of rather surprising statements. In the comments under his own post, he added “I knew him personels,” seemingly meaning that he had known Matthew Shepard personally. A heart was also added to this comment, again by himself, followed by another comment responding to the first, where he replied to himself with “Me as well,” meaning “Me too.”
He was therefore talking to himself. So far, one might simply question his state of mind, publishing such self-supported and self-appreciating comments, but the most concerning aspect remains the repeated claim that he had personally known Matthew Shepard. Let us remember that Matthew Shepard died in 1998 in Wyoming.
Although Matthew attended educational institutions in Saudi Arabia and Switzerland, nothing supports the claim that Didier and Matthew knew each other personally.
As I mentioned earlier, I know Didier Castell-Jacomin very well, having been the conductor who led the orchestra in Nice in 1991 for Didier’s inaugural concert. Unfortunately, this is not the first time Didier has been involved in inaccurate statements with consequences for my own career.
For example, many years ago, Didier sent me a symphonic musical score paying tribute to homosexual love, claiming that he was the author. Happy to hear what seemed to me a masterpiece and wishing to encourage him, I had published this score on my personal website, until I received a serious claim from a major American company in Hollywood informing me that I was illegally using the score from one of their films. What a horror. I had to explain the situation to the company, apologize, and remove my post.
Where Is the Line Between Healthy Empathy and Toxic Empathy?
It is plausible that excessive empathy, combined with a desire to feel emotionally close to a symbolic figure like Matthew Shepard, could lead someone to exaggerate or even invent a personal relationship. In the case of Didier Castell-Jacomin, his social media comments implying that he knew Matthew Shepard could reflect this type of psychological mechanism: the need to feel connected to the history or cause he commemorates, rather than a real and verifiable link.
This does not justify the inaccurate claim, but it may explain his behavior from the perspective of maladaptive empathy or a desire to identify with an event or person that evokes strong emotion. Such situations demonstrate how emotion and ego can sometimes intertwine with historical memory, producing false claims despite a perhaps sincere intention to pay tribute.
Some Important Facts to Know
It is, however, important to note that Didier genuinely cares about the fate of Matthew Shepard. In 2019, he commissioned composer Véronique Bracco to create a solo piano work, Stronger Than Hate, in memory of Matthew Shepard, which he later performed in several concerts. This is where the connection between Matthew Shepard and Didier Castell-Jacomin ends.
One can also hear the work performed by Véronique Bracco herself in concert here.
One can also hear an excerpt of the work performed by Didier Castell-Jacomin himself here.
One can view the video of Didier’s inaugural concert in 1991, under my orchestral direction, here.