Michel Becquet
Encyclopedia
Michel Becquet is a city and commune, the capital of the Haute-Vienne department and the administrative capital of the Limousin région in west-central France....
) is a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
trombonist
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
and professor at the Conservatoire de Lyon
Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Lyon
The Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Lyon, sometimes referred to as the Conservatoire de Lyon, is a conservatory for the study of music and dance, located in Lyon, France....
.
Life
From a young age he played pianoPiano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and horn, taught by his father, a professional horn player, until he turned to the trombone, aged 10. After several years of studies at the Conservatoire de Limoges, aged 15 he entered the Conservatoire de Paris
Conservatoire de Paris
The Conservatoire de Paris is a college of music and dance founded in 1795, now situated in the avenue Jean Jaurès in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, France...
where he quickly obtained his diploma.
He went on to win all the international contests open to his instrument (Geneva, Munich, Prague and Toulon). At 18, he became solo trombone of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande is a Swiss symphony orchestra, based in Geneva at the Victoria Hall...
, under the direction of Wolfgang Sawallisch
Wolfgang Sawallisch
Wolfgang Sawallisch is a retired German conductor and pianist.-Biography:Sawallisch was born in Munich, and studied composition and pianoforte there privately: at the conclusion of the war, in 1946 he continued his studies at the Munich High School for Music and passed his final examination for...
, before some years later joining the orchestra of Opéra National de Paris.
In 1989 he left the Paris Opera for the Hochschule für Musik
Hochschule für Musik Köln
The Cologne University of Music is a music college in Cologne, and Germany's largest academy of music.-History:The academy was founded by Ferdinand Hiller in 1850 as Conservatorium der Musik in Coeln...
(Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
) where he spent time teaching and composing.
In 1990 Gilbert Amy invited him to become Head of Brass at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique where he directed the 18-strong ensemble Cuivres Français.
Since then he has joined the Conservatoire de Lyon where he is Professor of Trombone and Head of Brass.