Composers

Guillaume Connesson, born in 1970, is currently one of the most widely performed French composers worldwide. Commissions are at the origin of most of his works (Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Orchestre National de France...) including Pour sortir au jour, commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (2013) and Les Trois Cités de Lovecraft (co-commission of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orchestre National de Lyon). Moreover, his music is regularly played by numerous orchestras (Brussels Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra et al.)

He won 2 Victoires de la Musique award in 2015 and 2019 as well as Sacem’s Grand Prize in 2012.
His discography includes, amongst others, two monographs of chamber music and three symphonic monographs on the Deutsche Grammophon label. The first, Lucifer, obtained a ’ Choc’ from Classica magazine, the second, Pour sortir au jour, numerous critical distinctions such as the ’Diapason d’Or de l’Année’ as well the Classica ’Choc de l’Année’, and the third, Lost Horizon, was released in April 2019.

After studies at the Conservatoire National de Région in Boulogne-Billancourt (his birthplace) and the Paris Conservatoire, he obtained premiers prix in choral direction, history of music, analysis, electro-acoustic and orchestration. He has been professor of orchestration at the Aubervilliers-La Courneuve Conservatory since 1997.

In residence from 2016 to 2018 with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra as well as with the Orchestre National de Lyon. From 2019 to 2021 he will be in residence with the Orchestre national d’Ile-de-France.

Residencies:
Orchestre National d’Ile-de-France (2019-2021)
Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra (2017-2018)
Orchestre National de Lyon (2016-2018)
Associate composer of the Brussels Philharmonic (2016-)
Orchestre de Pau Pays de Béarn (2010-2012)
Royal Scottish National Orchestra (2005-2007)
Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire (1999-2003)

Awards:
Victoire de la Musique Classique, composer of the Year (2019)
Victoire de la Musique Classique, composer of the Year (2015)
Grand Prize for Symphonic Music, Sacem (2012)
Grand Prix Lycéen des compositeurs (2006)
Nadia and Lili Boulanger Prize, Institut de France (1999)
Cardin Prize, Institut de France (1998)

-----------------------------------2017

> Premieres

09/07/17
LE TOMBEAU DES REGRETS, for orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra - Cond.: Stéphane Denève
Bravo Vail Music Festival! - Vail (Colorado) - USA

13/10/17
LES CITES DE LOVECRAFT, for orchestra
Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra - Cond.: Marc Albrecht
TivoliVredenburg - Utrecht - Netherlands

> News

- CD release: Scènes de la vie contemporaine, for 2 clarinets, by Béatrice Berne and Jean-Marc Fessard, for the label Kairos / Clarinet Classics - CC0071.

-----------------------------------2018

> Premieres

01/03/18
LITURGIES DE LUMIERE, cantata for choir and chamber orchestra
Texts by Charles Van Lerberghe and Hildegarde von Bingen
Nederlands Kamerkoor - Nederlands Kamerorkest
Cond.: Risto Joost
Grote Sint-Laurenskerk - Alkmaar - Netherlands

12/04/18
EIRENE, for orchestra
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra - Cond.: Daniele Gatti
Concertgebouw - Amsterdam - Netherlands

17/06/18
TROIS JARDINS, for 7 cellos
Classe d’excellence de violoncelle de la Fondation Louis Vuitton - Cond.: Gautier Capuçon
Auditorium de la Fondation Louis Vuitton - Paris - France

14/09/18
LES HORIZONS PERDUS, for violin and orchestra
Brussels Philharmonic - Vl.: Renaud Capuçon
Cond.: Stéphane Denève
Bruxelles - Belgique

> News

- Composer in residence at the Orchestre national de Lyon during the 2017-2018 season.

- Composer in residence at The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra during the 2017-2018 season.

- CD release (2 discs), by Sergey and Ayako Tanaka (violins), Lise Berthaud (viola), Jérôme Pernoo (cello) and Jérôme Ducros (piano), for the label Sony Classical -19075818792.
> CD 1: Techno-parade for flute, clarinet and piano, Initials Dances for piano, Le rire de Saraï for flute and piano, Sextuor for clarinet, oboe, flute, viola, double bass and piano, and Toccata-nocturne for flute and cello.
> CD 2: Les Chants de l’Agartha for cello and piano, Constellations for viola and piano, Les Chants de l’Atlantide for violin and piano, Adams Variations for clarinet, violin, cello and piano, and Quatuor à cordes.

-----------------------------------2019

> Premieres

09/06/19
CELEBRATION DE LA LUMIERE, for organ
Michel Bourcier
Abbaye - Sylvanès - France

16/06/19
TROIS IMAGES LORRAINES, for violins
CRR de Metz Metropole Gabriel-Pierné
Arsenal - Metz - France

> News

- Box CD release (2 discs): Les cités de Lovecraft for orchestra, A kind of Trane for saxophone and orchestra, Les horizons perdus for violin and orchestra, and Le Tombeau des Regrets for orchestra, by Timothy McAllister (saxophone), Renaud Capuçon (violin), and the Brussels Philharmonic, under the direction of Stéphane Denève, for the label Deutsche Grammophon - 4818042.

- Victoires de la Musique Classique 2019: Composer of the year.
_{Les Horizons Perdus, for violin and orchestra
 Brussels Philharmonic - Vl.: Renaud Capuçon - Cond.: Stéphane Denève
 14/09/18: Brussels - Belgium.}

-----------------------------------2020

> Premieres

24/01/20
LES BAINS MACABRES, comic opera in 4 acts
Libretto by Olivier Bleys
Orchestre des Frivolités Parisiennes
Sandrine Buendia (Célia), Romain Dayez (Mathéo), Fabien Hyon (Nestor), Anna Destraël (Miranda) et Geoffroy Buffière (Prosper)
Cond.: Arie van Beek
Staging: Florent Siaud
Théâtre Impérial - Compiègne - France