composer

Pascal Dusapin was born in Nancy in 1955, and studied fine art and science, art and aesthetics at the Sorbonne in Paris. Between 1974 and 1978 He attended the seminars of Iannis Xenakis. 1981-1983 He was a scholarship holder at the Villa Medici in Rome. 1993-1994 He was composer-in-residence with the Orchestre National de Lyon.

Pascal Dusapin was born in Nancy in 1955, and studied fine art and science, art and aesthetics at the Sorbonne in Paris. Between 1974 and 1978 He attended the seminars of Iannis Xenakis. 1981-1983 He was a scholarship holder at the Villa Medici in Rome. 1993-1994 He was composer-in-residence with the Orchestre National de Lyon.

Right from the beginning of his career as a composer, he was the recipient of numerous prizes and distinctions: in 1977, he received an award from the Fondation de la vocation; in 1979, he won the Hervé Dugardin Prize (SACEM); in 1993, the Prize of the Académie des Beaux-Arts; in 1993, the Prix du Syndicat de la Critique (Critics' Circle Award); in 1994, the SACEM Prize for Symphonic Music; in 1995, the French Ministry of Culture awarded him the Grand Prix National de Musique; and finally, he won a Victoire de la Musique in 1998 for a CD recorded by the Orchestre National de Lyon, and another one in 2002, as 'Composer of the Year'.

He has written many pieces for ensemble, for orchestra, and most especially for soloists and for chamber formations, a domain in which he excels thanks to his intimate knowledge of the subtleties of individual instruments. Pascal Dusapin's catalogue at present consists of around 70 works, including 14 for solo instruments, 24 chamber pieces, 13 works for ensemble and 14 works for symphony orchestra. Autumn 2002 saw the first performances of A quia, a concerto for piano and orchestra, and the complete cycle of his Sept études for piano. He has also written four operas.

Pascal Dusapin's creative work is nourished by an exceptionally wide culture, which takes in literature, philosophy, and poetry, and ranges across the centuries from the works of Greco-Roman antiquity to the most modern writers.

Performances

Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory | March 9, 2007

News and Press

[Concert Review] Surveying the musical landscape of France

A few minutes into the Boston Modern Orchestra Project’s performance of Pascal Dusapin’s chamber-ensemble piece Coda, Gil Rose brought the music to a sudden halt. He calmly explained to the audience that he’d just encountered “every conductor’s nightmare”: He’d turned three pages in his score at once. And when that happens, he said with a small smile, there’s nothing to do but start over.

The Boston Globe Full review
[Press Release] Two nights of Après-Ski with free French music and wine

The Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) and Best Cellars join hands to host two fun-filled evenings of live contemporary classical music and the best of French wine. Flutist Alicia DiDonato will perform a selection of French works for unaccompanied flute in addition to an excerpt from Pascal Dusapin's Galim, which will be performed in full at BMOP's upcoming March 9th French Counterpoints concert at Jordan Hall.

Full review
[Press Release] The Boston Modern Orchestra Project presents French Counterpoints; an evening of all-French composers

The Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP), the nation's only orchestra dedicated to performing, commissioning, and recording new music, devotes the entire evening of Friday, March 9, 2007 at 8pm, at Boston's Jordan Hall (30 Gainsborough Street) to performing new and recent works from three contemporary French composers.

Full review
[Press Release] BMOP announces 10th anniversary season

BMOP announces that its 10th anniversary season will open on November 3, 2006 at Jordan Hall. For 10 years BMOP has been Boston's only orchestra dedicated exclusively to performing and recording new music. Led by founding Artistic Director Gil Rose, BMOP is considered to be the premier orchestra for new music in the country.

Full review