François Narboni François Narboni

Born in Paris in 1963, Narboni studied guitar and percussion from childhood. Alongside a classical conservatory training, he resolved to study jazz, reaching a professional level in both, and never stopped composing. After a trip to the United States in 1982, Narboni devoted himself fully to composition; at first self-taught, he later worked for four years as an assistant in Yvonne Desportes's studio, and wrote incidental music for the Carré Sylvia Montfort in Paris. He then entered the Paris Conservatoire, studying with Betsy Jolas, Paul Méfano and Michaël Levinas and winning a first prize in composition, and in 1998 completed the composition and computer music course at IRCAM, France's national center for contemporary music research.

Narboni's honors include two international prizes, a fellowship at the Casa de Velázquez in Madrid, Spain (1998) and a year-long creative fellowship in New York (1999), as well as the Prix de l'Académie des Beaux-Arts (2000), a laureateship of the Fondation Beaumarchais (2006), the Prix Claude Arrieu of SACEM, and the SACD prize for new musical talent (2008).

Narboni's music has been performed by leading French and international ensembles, including the Ensemble intercontemporain, Ictus in Brussels, Ensemble 2E2M, L'Itinéraire, Ensemble Fa, Ensemble Stravinsky, the Diotima Quartet, the Orchestre National de Lille, the orchestras of Lyon and Lorraine, and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. Using voice and electronics, he has composed some fifty works, from solo pieces to large orchestra, including “Uproar” (喧囂曲, 1988) for harpsichord; “To On” (To On 迴旋曲, 1994–1997) for soloist, choir and orchestra; “Animal Suite” (動物組曲, 1996) for solo double bass, orchestra and electronics; “The Sins of New York” (紐約之罪, 1998) for church choir; “The Wizard of Oz” (綠野仙蹤, 1999) for orchestra; “Seasons Suite” (季節組曲, 2003) for voices, instruments and electronics; “Noah's Ark” (諾亞方舟, 2004) for orchestra; String Quartet No. 1, “New and Unique” (弦樂四重奏第一號「嶄新與獨特」, 2005); a Violin Concerto (小提琴協奏曲, 2006); and the opera “The White Forest” (白色森林, 2007–2008).