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Jean-Michel Damase Composer
Biography
Jean-Michel Damase was born in Bordeaux in 1928. He studied with Alfred Cortot at the École Normale de Musique de Paris before entering the Paris Conservatoire (Conservatoire national supérieur de musique de Paris), from which he graduated at the age of fifteen with a unanimous first prize in piano. He then went on to study composition, harmony and counterpoint.
At the age of nineteen, he won first prize in composition for his Quintet for Flute, Harp, Violin, Viola and Cello, as well as the Prix de Rome for his cantata Et la belle se réveilla. This marked the beginning of his career as a concert pianist, notably performing with the Colonne Concerts, the Société des concerts du Conservatoire and the French National Radio and Television Orchestra (ORTF).
He performed with musicians including Pierre Barbizet, Lily Laskine and Jean-Pierre Rampal. His compositions include operas, symphonic and chamber music, as well as scores for three ballets: La Croqueuse de diamants (1950), for Roland Petit; Piège de lumière (1952), choreographed by John Taras for the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas; and La Noce foraine (1961), which premiered at the Opéra de Marseille.
Towards the end of his career, he devoted himself to composition and teaching, serving on the juries of international competitions and giving masterclasses across Europe, the United States and Japan. His career was recognised with the SACD Grand Prize for Music (Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques) and the Grand Prize of the City of Paris. He died in 2013.
Currently in
- Palais Garnier
- from 03 to 06 April 2027
