Franck Bedrossian

Contemporary French Composer and Music Educator

After initial studies in orchestration, and analysis at the Regional Conservatory of Paris, Franck Bedrossian studied composition closely with Allain Gaussin. He continued his studies at the Paris Conservatory (seminars with Gerard Grisey and later Marco Stroppa), where upon graduation he received unanimously the first prize for Analysis, and the first prize in Composition. In 2002–2003 he was in the IRCAM ‘cursus’ for computer music and composition, taught by Philippe Leroux, Brian Ferneyhough, Tristan Murail, and Philippe Manoury. He also studied with Helmut Lachenmann at Centre Acanthes in 1999 and at the Ensemble Modern Academy in 2004. His works have been played in Europe and recently in the USA by ensembles such as l’ Itineraire, 2e2m, Ictus, Court-Circuit, Cairn, Ensemble Modern, Alternance, the Ensemble Intercontemporain, the Orchestre National de Lyon, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, the Danel string quartet, the Diotima string quartet. His works have been performed at festivals such as Agora, Resonances, Manca, the RTE Living Music Festival, l’Itinéraire de nuit, Ars Musica, Nuova Consonanza, Le Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo,le Festival International d’Art Lyrique d’Aix-en-Provence, Fabbrica Europa, and Wien Modern. In 2001, he received a grant from the Meyer Foundation, and in 2004 won the Hervé-Dugardin prize of Sacem. In 2005 the Institut de France (Académie des Beaux-Arts) awarded him the “Prix Pierre Cardin” for music composition. Franck Bedrossian has also received the young composer prize from Sacem in 2007. He was a Rome Prize Fellow at the Villa Medicis from April 2006 to April 2008. Since September 2008 he has been Assistant Professor of Composition at the University of California-Berkeley. His works are published by Editions Bilaudot.