Carlos Dourthé

Carlos Dourthé, assistant conductor to Kurt Masur, was born into a family of musicians in Santiago de Chile. He was the cello « supersoloist » of the French National Orchestra for nearly 15 years and a founder member of the “Quatuor Ysaÿe” ; but orchestra conducting has always appealed to him.

After his studies in Chile, he entered the National Superior Conservatory of Music of Paris, where he had the privilege to work with such artists as the Amadeus, Lassalle or Berg Quartets, the Beaux-Arts Trio, Gÿorgy Sebök, Alexander Schneider, Bernard Greenhouse, Jean-Jacques Rampal, Daniel Shafran, etc.

His years within the French National Orchestra allowed him to have enriching encounters with the greatest conductors and soloists : Maazel, Ozawa, Masur, Haitink, Boulez, Mutti, Chung, Dutoit, Jäärvi, Prêtre, Sanderling, etc. Meeting with these great personalities and listening to their musical advice allowed him to develop to the highest level.

Carlos Dourthé is regularly invited with the Soloists of Radio-France by the Chamber Philharmonic Society, the Virtuosos of Paris, the Da Capo Symphonic Orchestra, the Symphonic and Lyric Orchestra of Paris, the Montpellier National Orchestra and various South American orchestras.

Guillaume Connesson

Choirmaster for the O.C.U.P.

Guillaume Connesson studied piano, music history, musical analysis and choir conducting at the National Conservatory of Boulogne-Billancourt, and orchestration at the National Conservatory of Paris. In parallel, he took advice from Marcel Landowski. He currently teaches orchestration at the National Conservatory of Aubervilliers.

In 1998, he was granted the Cardin Award by the Institut de France for Supernova, and in 1999, the Nadia and Lili Boulanger Award. He won the SACEM (Society of Music Authors, Composers and Publishers) Award in 2000, a Natexis Foundation scholarship in 2001 and the “Grand Prix Lycéen des Compositeurs” (an award granted by high school students in music) in 2006.

Most of his work was commissioned, among which Supernova (Montpellier Philharmonic Orchestra, 1997), AthanorUne Lueur dans l’Age Sombre – “a faint light in the dark age” – (Royal Scottish National, 2005) and Aleph (RSNO, 2007). (French National Choir and Orchestra, 2004) and, recently,

He was in residence with the Pays de la Loire National Orchestra from 1999 to 2003 and wrote a vocal symphony, Liturgies de l’Ombre – “darkness liturgies” – and a symphonic poem, L’appel du feu – “the call of fire” – for them. In 2003, he was the guest composer at the Auvers-sur-Oise Festival.

He is currently an associate composer of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and his orchestral music is played on a regular basis by numerous American (Washington, Atlanta, Houston, Cincinnati..) and European orchestras.

Jérôme Marchand

First Violin Tutor

Born in 1970, Jérôme Marchand enters the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique of Paris in 1987, in Sylvie Gazeau's class.

In 1990, he wins the first prize in violin and then is the first to be accepted to the advanced courses and in Sylvie Gazeau's and Pierre Doukan's solo violin classes.

He gets to meet and collaborate with great musicians such as J.J. Kantorov, S. Gheorgiu, R. Pasquier, V. Pikaisen, M. Rostropovitch, Y. Menuhin, R. Galliano ...

A chamber music enthusiast, he attends postgraduate courses within the Phillips Quartet, with whom he records two disks : Louis Vierne's Quatuor and Quintette with Piano and Casterède's Quatuor (Grand Prix of the Charles Cros Academy).

He also plays in the Z Quartet (where jazz, blues or tango are the done thing), from 1997 to 2005.

A member of the "Virtuoses de France" since 1991, he enters the French National Orchestra in 1994.

With an interest in teaching, he contributes, as also violin, to the professional training of young people within the Da Capo youngsters' orchestra.

Lucie Bessière

Second Violin Tutor

After studying both music and science, Lucie Bessière was unanimously awarded the excellence prize in violin and in musical analysis at the National Conservatory of Caen, then got a first prize in chamber music at the National Superior Conservatory of Music of Paris in 1989. In 1991, she attended advanced classes as a postgraduate at the Royal Academy of Music of London and won the Croft Prize in chamber music.

A contemporary music enthusiast, she took part in numerous first productions, and as a member of the Helios Ensemble recorded the main quartets with flute of the twentieth century. She became a member of the Khroma string quintet in 2004.

She also holds a teaching diploma in Violin and teaches at the National Music School of Le Val Maubuée. She is a member of several orchestras and often participates in orchestra sessions for young musicians.

Maud Gastinel

Viola Tutor

After studying violin at the Conservatoire of Paris in Suzanne Gessner's class and getting a gold medal and her Teaching Diploma, Maud Gastinel takes advanced classes in viola with T. Adamapoulos at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique of Lyon.

She is granted her Advanced Musical Studies National Diploma with first class honours and is admitted to advanced courses for solo instrumentalists and chamber music postgraduate courses in Z. Toth's class.

In 2000, she wins the second prize in the J. Rogister international contest. With a passion for teaching, she is currently a teacher at the Conservatoire of Reims and a violist in the Lamoureux orchestra.

In parallel, she is a guest violist or violinist in several orchestras and chamber music ensembles.

Marie Leclercq

Cello Tutor

Marie Leclercq first studied cello at the National Conservatory of Dijon with Christian Wolff. In 1995, she was unanimously awarded three golden medals, in cello, harmony and chamber music. In 1998, after a year at the National Conservatory of Boulogne-Billancourt, she entered Philippe Muller’s class at the National Superior Conservatory of Music (CNSM) of Paris.

While teaching cello at the National Conservatory of Dijon, she successively won the first prize in cello at the CNSM and the first prize of the Jean Français International Competition (2001).

A member of the Orchestra of Paris since 2002, Marie Leclercq regularly participates in its chamber music season, and performs as a soloist in numerous festivals both in France and abroad.

Daniel Catalanotti

Wind Section Tutor

Born into a family of professional musicians, Daniel Catalanotti first studied the violin and the viola with his father, then turned towards the French horn and later, towards orchestra conducting. He got a first prize in French horn in 1970 and a first prize in orchestra conducting in 1972 at the National Music School of Avignon, then a first prize in French horn in 1974 at the National Superior Conservatory of Music of Paris. He also won the International Competitions of Prague and Vercelli (Gian Battista Viotti).

Daniel Catalanotti performed as a soloist with a great number of orchestras both in France and abroad. He has already recorded more than twenty discs, as a soloist or as part of chamber ensemble, and several composers have entrusted the first production of their work to him (J. Charpentier, D. Meier, J. L. Florentz, G. Chenoweth, A. Tisné).

Parallel to his career as a French horn soloist in the Orchestral Ensemble of Paris, Daniel Catalanotti is a French horn teacher at the National Music School of Aulnay-sous-Bois. He is regularly asked to participate in international academies.